Major UK National Lottery upgrade scheduled for this weekend
Allwyn says it will be the lottery’s biggest tech update in over 15 years.
UK.- Allwyn has announced the timing for a major overhaul of the National Lottery’s digital systems. Online and mobile National Lottery services will be temporarily unavailable for 24 hours as the operator implements what it described as the most significant update since 2009.
The work is scheduled to begin at 11pm on Saturday January 24 and to continue until 11pm on Sunday January 25. The upgrade will see 11.8 million player accounts transferred to a new management platform to allow a refreshed digital experience with a broader selection of games, enhanced player protection tools and simplified ways to check results and claim prizes.
New safeguards will include mandatory personal deposit and spending limits for all new customers, and automated logout after 60 minutes of play. There will also be more player safety messages for instant game customers.
While the National Lottery website and app will go offline during the process, retail outlets will be unaffected, and players will still be able to buy tickets and scratchcards in-store. Draw results will be published on the National Lottery’s YouTube channel and displayed at retail outlets as usual.
“These much-needed digital upgrades mark another milestone in our transformation to make the National Lottery more player-focused, with new games, more winners and greater support for good causes,” said Allwyn UK CEO Andria Vidler.
She added: “This is just the beginning of an exciting year for Allwyn and the National Lottery, as we work towards our ambitious goal to double weekly returns to good causes from £30 million a week at the start of the licence to £60 million by 2034.”
Allwyn will soon enter the start of the third year of a 10-year licence to operate the National Lottery. In 2023, it became the first operator to prise the lottery away from Camelot when it won the Gambling Commission’s tender. However, it has faced criticism over the length of time it’s taking to make the improvements promised, which included a pledge to double contributions to good causes while reducing ticket prices from £2 to £1.
By September 2025, Allwyn had replaced thousands of National Lottery retail terminals with new Wave terminals and new software with Scientific Games. The Gambling Commission had suggested that it may take regulatory action over the delays since the upgrades had been slated for completion by February 2025.
Earlier this month, Allwyn appointed Bridget Lea as managing director of retail as it seeks to improve the performance of the National Lottery’s retail channel.
