Amid an ongoing legal battle over the decision to award Allwyn the fourth National Lottery licence, Camelot has published its results for the 12 months ended 31 March 2022.
Over £1.9bn, including unclaimed prizes, was generated for good causes, an increase of approximately £24m on last year. However, the operator also recorded a 3% dip in ticket sales, which fell from £8.3bn to £8bn.
The operator primarily attributed this decline to a decrease in sales of National Lottery instants, which were down £240m year-on-year. But draw-based games, while performing better, also saw sales decline, experiencing a £43.2m dip.
Camelot said this fall was largely down to “greater competition for people’s attention and spend after the lifting of Covid restrictions,” alongside “growing economic uncertainty.”
Consumers have tightened their belts to cope with the rising cost of living, impacting Camelot’s performance. Scratch card sales remained below pre-pandemic levels, while in-store sales overall fell from £4.9bn to £4.7bn.
Nevertheless, Camelot CEO Nigel Railton remained confident, commenting: “My 1,000 Camelot colleagues and I are incredibly proud of what we’ve built: a strong, resilient business and a huge UK brand that brilliantly connects The National Lottery’s unique purpose with play.
“In the year ahead, we’ll continue to invest and innovate to respond to the changing consumer environment because we all care deeply about the future of The National Lottery – and the vital difference that it continues to make to the whole of the UK.”
