UK National Lottery Prepares For Weekend Shutdown Due to Allwyn Upgrades
The UK’s National Lottery will shut down this weekend as operators Allwyn implement the biggest upgrade to the game’s technology since it launched in 1994.
The Czech-based group have confirmed that all draw game sales and claims for prizes will be paused across the UK after Saturday’s Lotto and Thunderball draws.
Functions will be shut down from 11pm on Saturday, August 2, for around 36 hours.
While the system is offline for public use, up to 8,000 UK retailers will be switching to new ‘Wave 8’ terminals while a further 35,500 retail partners will receive temporary updated software to run on their existing machines.
The new system should be fully operational again at some stage on Monday, August 4.
Who Are Allwyn?
Allwyn is a lottery-led entertainment company with a presence across Europe and North America.
It was launched in 2019 as the new brand name of the SAZKA group, lottery specialists based in the Czech Republic.
Just last week Allwyn International revealed plans to become sole owner of Greek and Cypriot online sports betting and iGaming specialists Stoiximan, in a shift towards digital-first gaming.
Allwyn’s subsidiary OPAP currently owns 84.49 per cent of Stoiximan, which posted 27 per cent gross gaming revenue growth in 2004.
OPAP has agreed to acquire the remaining 15.51 per cent of the online sports betting and iGaming operator for €191.6 million (£166.2 million), structured on a cash-free, debt-free basis and pending regulatory clearance in Cyprus.
When Did Allwyn Replace Camelot?
Allwyn took over the license to run the UK National Lottery in February 2024, replacing Camelot which had run the lottery for three decades following the long-awaited launch in 1994.
Having fought off bids from Camelot, The New Lottery Company, owned by Norhern and Shell, and Italy’s Sisal, Allwyn assumed responsibility for all online and retail sales for the main Lotto draw, in addition to Set For Life, Thunderball and Hotpicks.
It also included scratchcards and EuroMillions, which is available across Europe.
In anticipation of assuming control, Allwyn turned to the previous operators and completed the acquisition of Camelot UK Lotteries in January 2023, giving it valuable insight into how the lottery had been shaped in previous years and a few months of valuable learning ahead of taking over control of the lottery a year later.
The Future For the UK National Lottery
This weekend’s technology upgrades are the first major step in Allwyn’s 10-year mission to modernise the UK National Lottery.
Jenny Blogg, Allwyn’s director of operations, said: “While these significant updates will mean short-term disruption for players and our retail partners, they will allow us to deliver on our promise to bring new, exciting games to the National Lottery, a better player experience and our commitment to double returns to Good Causes from £30m to £60m every week by the end of the 10-year license.”
Another pledge made by the company is to eventually reduce ticket prices for the main National Lottery draw from £2 to £1.
Jim Munro is a betting industry and gambling expert who has been a national newspaper journalist for over 30 years, predominantly at The Sunday Times and The Sun, where he wrote a weekly soccer betting column. Jim also worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys and was subsequently head of editorial at LiveScore, the sports media and betting group.
