When Allwyn took over the lottery in Greece, it handed shopkeepers a proportion of digital sales. When it went into Austria, it introduced games to win prizes such as cars and launched “Lotti the chatbot” to talk to customers on Facebook and Amazon’s Alexa.
Now the Czech lottery operator is setting its sights on the UK, where it could deploy similar gimmicks. It has enlisted a team including the former Sainsbury’s boss Justin King to spearhead its battle to win the right to run the lottery, snatching it from the incumbent, Camelot.
A decision on the award, one of the most lucrative public contracts going, is expected as soon as this month.
If Allwyn is successful, King, an adviser to the firm, will be made