Vodafone partners Sazka in lottery bid

The battle for the right to operate the UK’s National Lottery is heating up.

The Czech group Sazka has now partnered with mobile phones giant Vodafone in its campaign. The plan is to use Vodafone’s huge customer base to help convert Britons to play the lottery on their mobile phones.

Sazka, owned by billionaire Karel Komarek, is one of five companies bidding for the right to operate the lottery. A decision will be taken next year to decide who will run the business from 2023.

Also in the running are the current operators Camelot and Italy’s Sisal Group.