Lottery appoints former William Hill chief amid parliamentary concerns over slot-machine ties
Parliamentary lawmakers have raised doubts about Phil Walker, the ex-William Hill executive appointed interim chief of the National Lottery, due to his connections with 24-hour slot-machine venues.
Allwyn UK named Phil Walker, who previously led William Hill’s UK and Ireland operations, as interim chief executive of the National Lottery, replacing Andria Vidler. In a letter to the Gambling Commission, MPs Dawn Butler and Iain Duncan Smith expressed deep concern over Walker’s appointment, pointing to a 2024 personal sanction for inadequate anti-money-laundering controls at William Hill and his non-executive directorship at Game Nation, the UK’s third-largest chain of 24-hour adult gaming centres.
The lottery, worth £6.5 bn over ten years, sits at the heart of a government drive, championed by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, to curb “slot farms” that target vulnerable communities. Walker will step back from his Game Nation role from 1 September while serving the interim post. Allwyn argues his operational, digital and marketing experience will advance the lottery’s growth, noting the regulator has not revoked his personal licence. The episode underscores tensions between the lottery’s public-sector mission and broader gambling-industry regulation.
Why it matters
The leader of the UK’s largest public gambling contract could shape industry regulation and the distribution of billions to charitable causes.
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