Newsagents across the UK have expressed concerns about the future of the national lottery as offers for a new operator opened after nearly three decades.
Newsagents fear a new operator will want to speed up online and in-app sales, which could prove disastrous for local convenience stores.
The Gambling Commission is expected to announce whether Camelot will retain the license for a fourth term in the next six months.
And according to The Grocer, nearly half of convenience retailers (44%) say the national lottery is more important than ever to their business.
Sisal, Allwyn, Sugal & Damani and Camelot are currently vying for the new license with Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Northern & Shell other companies that have reportedly applied.
44,000 retailers across the UK are currently working with Camelot and earning around 5% commission on each game based on the draw.
Jason Birks, Vice President of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN), said: “Currently the National Lottery has an online presence, but I’ve heard that some of the bidders want to do a lot more online and to From a high street perspective and from a community based retail perspective, we need to protect the bricks and mortar.
“Members of government should not only see the ‘hot’ thing to do online, but also keep in mind that people still love to visit brick and mortar retail.”
An independent retailer told The Grocer: “I don’t think Camelot deserves another license because in recent years they’ve been very average with limited innovation, poor support for retailers with too much paperwork.
“A new licensee should create a new approach and more energy.”
A spokesperson for Camelot said national lottery retailers were earning around £ 7,000 in commission on average in 2019/20.
A statement read: “We fundamentally believe that the success of the National Lottery – which resulted in record sales last year – depends on building and maintaining a healthy retail channel.
“This is why we have invested heavily in retail while developing the largest digital lottery channel in the world in terms of revenue…
“While we are unable to share specific details of our offering, we can say that Camelot’s philosophy remains the same – retail being the cornerstone of our strategy. The National Lottery Retailers have been fantastic partners for us over the past 27 years and, as they have always been there for us, they can expect our continued support. ”
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-25 11:25:09
