Camelot v Gambling Commission 2012 (Health Lottery JR): Allegations, Court Orders and Status

What this case is about

R (Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd) v Gambling Commission is a 2012 judicial review in the High Court (Administrative Court, Divisional Court), cited as [2012] EWHC 2391 (Admin), claim number CO/3102/2012 (GL-GB-0021).

Camelot challenged the Gambling Commission's refusal to review the licences of the Health Lottery's society lotteries. It argued that the Health Lottery's 51 community interest companies formed a single lottery that breached the limits in section 99 of the Gambling Act 2005 and was run for private gain.

The case is part of the group of Lottery Lawsuits in which one operator challenges how a regulator treats another.

Who is covered

The claimant is Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd and the defendant is the Gambling Commission. This was not a class action and no players were parties.

The ruling affects how the Commission and operators read the society lottery rules, as one of the gambling lawsuits in the United Kingdom on lottery licensing.

Is there a payout?

No payout exists in this case. It was a judicial review of a regulator's decision, no money was awarded and no fund or claim process exists (GL-GB-0021).

The money block of the record is empty. Nobody needs to file a claim.

What the court decided

The Divisional Court (Stanley Burnton LJ and Kenneth Parker J) refused permission on 22 August 2012. The case is dismissed.

The court gave two reasons: undue delay and lack of merit. It held that the community interest companies are separate entities. It also held that profit made by ELM does not make the societies commercial.

As of 14 November 2026 nothing in the record shows a later step in this claim. The claim relied on Gambling Act 2005 sections 19, 98, 99 and 116.

Why it matters

The judgment is recorded as a precedent on how far a challenger can go in contesting society lottery structures. A group of separate societies was not treated as one lottery on these facts, so the section 99 limits were not applied to them as a single operation.

The court also rejected the argument that profit made by ELM turned the societies into commercial operations run for private gain.

Two related Camelot and lottery challenges appear below. For money that did reach players in other cases, see Gambling Settlements by Year and Amount.

Questions people ask

Why did Camelot lose the Health Lottery challenge?

The court refused permission for undue delay and lack of merit. It found the 51 community interest companies to be separate entities, not one lottery.

Did anyone receive money from this case?

No. It was a judicial review against the Gambling Commission and no damages, fund or claim process exist.

Which law did Camelot rely on?

Camelot relied on the Gambling Act 2005, sections 19, 98, 99 and 116, in challenging the Commission's refusal to review the Health Lottery licences.

Related cases

• Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd and IGT v Gambling Commission (Fourth National Lottery Licence): another Camelot challenge to the Commission, status withdrawn (GL-GB-0022).
• The New Lottery Company Ltd and Northern & Shell plc v Gambling Commission: another challenge to the Commission, status dismissed (GL-GB-0023).