Desmond's National Lottery lawsuit fails
Richard Desmond, the former proprietor of the Daily Express and Channel 5, has lost his £1.3bn damages claim against the Gambling Commission, ending a four-year legal dispute over the regulator's decision not to award him the 10-year National Lottery licence.
Desmond's companies launched the action in 2022 after Allwyn won the franchise. The litigation proved lengthy and expensive: his own legal costs were estimated at £55m as of May last year, according to the Guardian. The Telegraph reports that he now faces a total legal bill of approximately £70m following the defeat, a figure that includes costs awarded against him.
The outcome removes any prospect of Desmond recovering damages from the Gambling Commission and closes off what had been one of the more significant commercial legal challenges to a UK regulatory procurement decision in recent memory.
