UK National Lottery Charitable Donations Hit Two-Year Low Amid Tech Overhaul

Charitable donations from the UK National Lottery fell to a two-year low of £410 million in Q4 (October–December 2025), 11% less than the previous quarter. The decline followed a £39 million drop in Allwyn’s turnover and contributed to a £37.4 million fall in EuroMillions sales and a £22.6 million hit to scratch card revenue. Allwyn, owner of the fourth National Lottery licence, warned of ongoing technical issues after a weekend-long website and app upgrade that caused widespread outages. The £500 million bill for the overhaul, including 43,000 new terminals, is ahead of schedule, with the firm at risk of enforcement action from the Gambling Commission over a contractual milestone breach. Allwyn revised its pledge from £17.9 billion to £38 billion in charitable donations to doubling £30 million weekly to £60 million by 2034. The Gambling Commission oversees履约 of the technology upgrade and the licence terms, while Allwyn reported returns to good causes up £60 million year-on-year on a like-for-like basis.