Trial in the High Court in The New Lottery Company v Gambling Commission and Allwyn Entertainment Limited opens today before Joanna Smith J.
Joseph Barrett KC appears as leading counsel for Allwyn (the operator of the National Lottery), instructed by Quinn Emmanuel LLP. The Fourth National Lottery Licence is valued at c. £8 billion, and is generally considered the most valuable public contract in the UK. The New Lottery Company, an investment vehicle of Mr Richmond Desmond (and unsuccessful bidder for the Licence), alleges that the competition for the award of the Licence was unlawful and seek damages said to be valued in excess of £1.3 billion. The allegations advanced by TNLC are very wide-ranging and the proceedings comprise the largest and most complex procurement dispute litigated to date in the UK.
Media covering of the proceedings can be seen here:
