Camelot `welcomes’ outside games bids

National Lottery operator Camelot will allow outside companies to bid to run new lottery games, says marketing director Jon Kinsey.

Under the terms of the National Lottery set by the Government, regulator Oflot can grant a licence to a new operator to run a game in co-operation with Camelot.

It had been assumed that such a move would face fierce opposition from Camelot, a consortium owned by Racal, G-Tech, De La Rue, Cadbury Schweppes and ICL.

But Kinsey says the consortium will “look favourably” at applications by other companies with lottery game plans.

He says: “If the proposed game led to a general increase in funds, we would look upon it favourably, provided it had some synchronicity with our own games.”

It has been suggested that the Rank Organisation is applying to run a lottery game with Camelot’s co-operation. Rank would not comment, and Camelot says it has received no application from Rank or any other company.

Camelot has revealed that the instant scratch-card game has sold ú30m of tickets in its first week. It says this has not taken sales away from the main game, and that total turnover was ú100m for last week.

Kinsey says: “The scratch game did not deprive the on-line sales of one penny.”