Discussing the withdrawal of Camelot from the appeal, CEO of Gaming Economics and gaming analyst Lee Richardson told Gambling Insider: "The announcement that Camelot has withdrawn its legal appeal against the contractual handover for the Fourth National Lottery to Allwyn is good news for Allwyn, and for future lottery players.

“The appeal process effectively meant 'freezing' the vital two-year transition between Camelot and Allwyn, so we just have to hope today's news enables that to proceed both smoothly, and quickly. In particular, an entirely new retail offering from Allwyn is required – to replace Camelot's frankly tired and dated proposition – and with over 40,000 retail outlets, that still remains a challenge to complete in time for 2024."

However, despite the news that Camelot has pulled out of the challenge, IGT, Camelot's technology partner, has not removed its own appeal of the award – meaning the suspension of the handover remains in place until it is resolved.

This is a point the Gambling Commission highlighted in a statement, in which it said: “We received correspondence from Camelot indicating that they intend to withdraw their appeal and pursue their claim in damages only. We are not aware that IGT’s position has changed, and therefore the IGT appeal and the suspension will continue until that is resolved.

“We remain resolute that we have run a fair and robust competition, and that our evaluation has been carried out fairly and lawfully in accordance with our statutory duties.”