National Lottery licence competition delay means potential £42m windfall for Camelot

Delay means new licence will start six months later than planned

The competition to win a 10-year licence to run the National Lottery has been postponed for a second time, signalling a potential 42m windfall for the incumbent operator Camelot, which is already under scrutiny over the amount of profit it makes.

The Gambling Commission said it had extended the timeline after representations" from the bidders, which include Camelot, the media tycoon Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell, Czech-owned Sazka Group and Italian firm Sisal, which is working with BT.