The Gambling Commission’s appeal for a split trial was denied.
By Ciaran McLoughlin
In an update on the legal case between Northern & Shell and the Gambling Commission, a time period for the trial has now been confirmed.
The judge in the case has denied the Gambling Commission’s appeal for a split trial. Instead, it has been ordered that a single and comprehensive trial will take place in October 2025, so that all of Northern & Shell’s allegations will be addressed in one proceeding.
British publishing group Northern & Shell, owned by Richard Desmond, opened legal action against the Gambling Commission over claims of mishandling of the National Lottery licence competition, after its bid to take over the UK Lottery was rejected.
Within the details of the case, it underlined the allegedly contentious selection process relating to the 2022 procurement process run by the Gambling Commission for the UK National Lottery. Northern & Shell called partly on EU law to seek damages for its claim.
The Case Management Conference for this case took place on Wednesday morning last week.
According to details related to the trial: “The judge has granted full disclosure of documents/evidence related to the National Lottery contract and bidding process.
“Had the Gambling Commission been successful in its approach, the trial would have been split into separate phases, which would’ve limited the scope of evidence.”
In other legal news today, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has suggested that alien hacking and scam syndicates (AHaSS) are a ‘true threat’ to national security, not the legitimate and licensed offshore gaming operators known as POGOs.