Marketing director quits troubled lottery provider Chariot

Andrew Williams, marketing director at Chariot, the company behind the troubled new lottery game Monday, has left without a job to go to.

Williams, a former head of brand at Prudential, stepped down as the company announced a new business plan after poor ticket sales.

His departure follows those of chairman Tim Holley, managing director Craig Freeman and administrative director David Gray, all of whom announced their resignations last week.

Williams’ departure is the latest blow for Chariot, which has announced a &£2.6m rescue package to keep the company afloat.

It has been forced to implement a drastic round of cost-cutting measures after early ticket sales fell well short of predictions. It hoped to sell up to 10 million tickets a week, but has admitted selling an average of just 420,000 tickets for its first four draws.

The news sent its share price tumbling and executives were quick to blame IT problems and a high profile TV campaign that apparently confused consumers.

However, some observers have questioned Chariot’s business model, stressing that no lottery has ever sold a substantial portion of its tickets online.

Cover story, page 24