Camelot nets new CEO amid falling ticket sales

lot UK Lotteries Limited, the body behind the UK’s National Lottery has announced the appointment of Nigel Railton to the role of CEO on a permanent basis.

Railton was appointed on interim basis in April following the departure of previous Camelot CEO Andy Duncan in April. Since his appointment Railton has been charged with returning the National Lottery back to growth, overseeing the company’s strategic review announced in June.

Commenting on his appointment, Railton said: “It’s a privilege to have been given the opportunity to run Camelot’s UK business. As operator of The National Lottery, we’re a company like no other – a commercial organisation that raises billions of pounds for the public good.

“Coming off the back of last year’s disappointing sales performance – and in the face of the very real threat posed by intensifying competition from the wider gambling sector, which benefits from significant taxation advantages, and continuing doubts over the economy – I don’t underestimate the challenge ahead of us. It is going to take some time to turn things around.”

Jo Taylor, Chairman of Camelot, added: “I am delighted to see Nigel appointed as the CEO of Camelot UK. He has a wealth of experience, a proven track record and is passionate about the role that The National Lottery plays in society. He is also uniquely qualified within the international lottery community, having been in a senior management position for over 19 years, as a CEO and formerly in strategy and finance.

“Under Nigel’s leadership, the new executive team at Camelot has recently concluded a thorough strategic review and designed a clear execution plan to put the business on a path to responsible and sustainable growth.”

Updating its stockholders with the latest results of its strategic review, Camelot has announced that total National Lottery ticket sales for the six months from 1 April to 23 September 2017 were £3,280.4m, a decrease of 3.2% on last year’s first-half performance.

During the period, Camelot generated direct returns for National Lottery Good Causes of £746.6m, which was 4.7% lower year-on-year. The company has awarded £1,861.8m in prize money to players over the half-year, creating 144 new millionaires in the process.

Since its inception the National Lottery has now awarded over £65bn in total prize money since launch and created more than 4,750 millionaires across its range of games, awarding more than £37bn to good causes around the UK.