BT partners with Sisal Group to support National Lottery bid

The UK’s National Lottery was first introduced in 1994 and has since then been controlled by Camelot Group, with the group winning the tender process three times in a row.  

 

Camelot’s existing licence runs out in 2023 and various companies have been lining up to create convincing bids to present to the Gambling Commission.

 

Now, it seems that telecoms operators are increasingly well placed to support these bids, with BT announcing that they have signed a new partnership with Sisal and Barnardo’s to bid for the upcoming licence. The move will see them supply communications technology for the company, with a particular focus on using online channels to encourage participation and “enhance the online experience for players”.

 

“You have to be focused on a customer-centric approach to make sure the experience is outstanding no matter if they buy the ticket in a shop or online. The gap between that is getting thinner and thinner,” said Sisal CEO Francesco Durante.

 

Sisal, owned by private equity group CVC Capital Partners, is already well acquainted with running lotteries, doing so in Italy, Turkey, and Morocco. In the UK, however, BT would manage Sisal’s operations and infrastructure, with Barnardo helping to oversee the charitable side of the business. 

 

BT is not the first telco to become involved in this tender process. Back in April, Vodafone announced that they had partnered with Allwyn, the UK arm of Czech gambling conglomerate SAZKA Group, in much the same capacity as the BT deal with Sisal and Barnardo’s. At the time, SAZKA Group specifically cited Vodafone’s experience in 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) as potentially helping to make the Lottery more exciting to customers.