Allwyn agrees €335m in accordion loan facilities

The lottery operator Allwyn has reached an agreement with a syndicate of international banks.

Czech Republic.- The lottery operator Allwyn has reached an agreement with a group of banks to access €335m in accordion loan facilities. The banks, which include both new and existing lenders, will provide funds for Allwyn International in the form of six-year term loans under its existing senior facilities agreement.

Allwyn plans to use the proceeds to finance its acquisition of US-focused Camelot Lottery Solutions, which it agreed in January, as well as for general corporate purposes. The group has already completed its acquisition of Camelot UK, which runs the UK National Lottery.

Allwyn chief financial officer Kenneth Morton said: “This transaction will help us continue to grow our business, building on our successful €1.6bn syndicated bank financing in November 2022. I am grateful to our existing lending partners for their continued support and pleased to welcome the new banks to the group.”

Allwyn now runs the UK National Lottery through Camelot, which has operated the lottery since its inception in 1994. Allywn will take over the National Lottery in its own name when the next licence period begins in February 2024, in the lottery’s 30th anniversary year.

Robert Chvátal, Allwyn Group chief executive, has been appointed interim CEO of the UK business. Clare Swindell and Neil Brocklehurst have been named as co-chief executives at Camelot UK.

Earlier this week, Allwyn, which rebranded from Sazka after winning the tender for the UK National Lottery, announced a three-year sponsorship of the Wings for Life World Run. Wings for Life is an Austrian nonprofit foundation whose annual international running event seeks to raise money for spinal cord research. Founded in 2014, it donates all entrance fees and donations to academic research and clinical trials.

See also: Change in approach for UK National Lottery Heritage Fund