The UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has initiated a formal investigation into the fourth National Lottery licence to assess whether it delivers long-term public value and effectively maximizes returns to good causes.
Assessing regulatory effectiveness and long-term lottery delivery
The review will examine the regulatory frameworks established by the Gambling Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
For the fourth National Lottery licence, the Gambling Commission introduced a new operating model explicitly designed to increase financial returns to good causes while granting the operator greater flexibility to innovate.
The NAO’s newly launched investigation will evaluate whether the Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport successfully designed and awarded the licence, managed the operational transition to the new operator, and applied key lessons to support delivery through to 2034.
Led by NAO director Simon Bittlestone and study manager Callum Saunders, the inquiry is slated for completion by spring 2027.
