Allwyn names Mark Hughes as UK National Lottery CSO
Hughes will join Allwyn on January 15.
UK.- The lottery giant Allwyn has appointed Mark Hughes as chief security officer for the UK National Lottery. Hughes will take up the role on January 15 before the Czech operator takes over the National Lottery on February 1.
Allwyn UK CEO Andria Vidler said: “Preserving the security of The National Lottery at all times is of critical importance, including as we roll out our ambitious plans for the transformation of The National Lottery so that it becomes more modern, digital and engaging for players. I’m delighted to welcome Mark to our team.”
Hughes will oversee all information security at Allwyn UK and some game platform and physical security. He joins Allwyn from Smart DCC, having previously spent 12 years as chief corporate security officer for Vodafone’s UK business.
He said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Allwyn and being part of the next chapter in the journey of the National Lottery. Working for an organisation that literally makes dreams come true and contributes to good causes is a huge privilege and I can’t wait to get started.”
Allwyn Q3 results
Allwyn Group, formerly Sazka, reported consolidated revenue of €2bn for Q3, double its results in the same quarter last year. The leap in revenue was due to its acquisition of Camelot UK and Camelot Lottery Solutions in the US from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board.
Excluding Camelot, pro-forma Q3 revenue was level with last year. The group said it had been a challenging quarter, particularly in Greece and Cyprus, where revenue fell by 4 per cent to €503m. The company said that “customer-friendly sports results”, unfavorable jackpot cycles in lottery and the closure of some points of sale due to floods and wildfires added to the impact of wider economic challenges.
Allwyn will take over the running of the UK National Lottery under its own name in February. Meanwhile, it’s emerged that Northern & Shell, a failed bidder for the National Lottery tender, is taking legal action against the Gambling Commission. It’s seeking damages to cover the costs of its failed bid, which the British regulator had deemed to be “fanciful”.
