London Olympics chairman to lead Sazka National Lottery bid

Sazka has appointed Sir Keith Mills as chairman for its bid for the UK lottery licence.

UK.- Czech lottery giant Sazka has signed up the man that ran London’s successful bid for the Olympic Games to lead its tender for the UK’s next National Lottery licence.

Sir Keith Mills led the London 2012 campaign and served as deputy chairman of the London Organising Committee.

He is also known for having established the Air Miles and Nectar customer loyalty programmes, as well as for setting up the Invictus Games alongside Prince Harry in 2014.

He also chairs the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Mills said the UK National Lottery needed to “grow and be engaging if it is to continue to fund the thousands of good causes every year”.

He said: “Our lottery is a national treasure with nearly 26 years of history; however, the landscape has changed immeasurably since it was first launched back in 1994.

“The challenge now is to ensure the lottery connects with people right across the country, making it fresh and exciting as it once was, bringing new ways that are relevant for today and tomorrow’s generation.”

Sazka, which runs lotteries in the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Greece and Cyprus, has appointed Alastair Ruxton, who also worked on London 2012, as bid director.

The largest lottery operator in Europe is likely to be competing against the incumbent operator, Camelot, which has run the National Lottery since its inception in 1994, and India’s Sugal & Damani. 

To date these are the only three companies to confirm that they have completed the Gambling Commission’s initial selection questionnaire ahead of the tender. 

The Commission will issue formal invitations to tender to parties that pass this initial selection process. A decision on the licence is expected in September 2021, with the licence to begin in 2023.