Sarah Hannaford KC has been instructed in one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2025.
Sarah is representing the Gambling Commission in the litigation concerning the award of the Fourth Licence to run the National Lottery to Allwyn Entertainment Ltd (Allwyn). The trial has been set down for an eight-week hearing in October 2025. The case involves two set of proceedings started by The New Lottery Company (TNLC) in respect of the Fourth National Lottery Competition and Licence. TNLC was an unsuccessful bidder in the Competition and has challenged the decision to exclude it and to award the Licence to Allwyn, as well as later amendments to the contracts. The National Lottery is of national significance, generating more than £30 million per week for good causes. There has already been hard-fought litigation in relation to the Competition for the Fourth Licence brought by the previous incumbent, Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd and its subcontractor and associated companies (IGT). The Gambling Commission made a successful application to lift the automatic suspension, which was opposed by both Camelot and IGT [2022] EWHC 1664 (TCC). IGT’s claims were dismissed at a preliminary issue hearing by Coulson LJ (sitting as a High Court Judge) in 2023 EWHC 2226 (TCC).
Sarah represents the defendants, The Gambling Commission, instructed by Hogan Lovells partners Rupert Sydenham and Jennifer Dickey, and is leading Rose Grogan (39 Essex Chambers), James Neill and Barney McCay (Landmark Chambers).
A case summary of Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd v The Gambling Commission is available here.
The case summary for International Game Technology Plc v Gambling Commission is also available here.
