National Lottery sales down 14% year-on-year, operator says – Arts Professional

The operator of the National Lottery has reported a 14% decline in UK sales in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year.

The news comes in the wake of a recent report from the Gambling Commission that showed payments from the Lottery to good causes are down to their lowest level in over five years.

Total UK revenues in the three months to the end of June were €914 million, down 16% (or 14% after exchange rate fluctuations) from €1.1 billion in the same period in 2025.

Allwyn UK said the drop was driven by more favourable EuroMillions jackpot cycles in 2025, meaning this year was weaker by comparison.

Another contributing factor, it said, was a major £450m tech upgrade which took National Lottery systems and terminals offline for around 24 hours.

Last month the government announced a “comprehensive review” of National Lottery good cause funding, which will give the public the opportunity to have their say on how the money should be spent.

When it was awarded the Lottery contract, which it took over from Camelot in 2024, Allwyn said it intended to double weekly contributions to good causes from £30m to £60m a week over the course of its 10-year licence, with a projected £760m going to the arts each year.

Allwyn UK recently announced the departure of its UK chief executive Andria Vidler with Phil Walker, who has spent the last six years with William Hill, appointed interim CEO.

The appointment has attracted controversy, with the Guardian reporting that Labour’s Dawn Butler and Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith have written to the Gambling Commission saying they were “deeply concerned”.

A spokesperson for the regulator responded: “We would not publicly comment on an operator’s personnel decisions.”