Walker steps in from September 7
Allwyn UK has appointed Phil Walker as interim chief executive of its National Lottery business, effective September 7. He replaces Andria Vidler, who is stepping down after just under three years in the role.
Vidler took over as CEO of Allwyn UK in October 2023, days before the operator was formally awarded the Fourth National Lottery licence. She previously ran marketing production firm TAG Worldwide and led EMI in the UK and Ireland. She will stay on in an advisory capacity through the end of October to support the handover.
Walker’s background
Walker is currently a non-executive director at high street gaming hall operator City Gaming. He was chief operating officer of the Gibraltar Stock Exchange and spent more than four years at William Hill from 2019 in a senior executive role. He then became chief commercial officer at 888 Holdings, now Evoke Plc, in 2023, following that company’s acquisition of William Hill’s non-US business in 2021. He left the role in 2024.
Allwyn UK’s parent group is now registered in Switzerland. The operator said Walker’s experience would support the next phase of the National Lottery’s digital transformation. Allwyn Entertainment also runs national lotteries in the Czech Republic, Austria, Greece and Italy, and won the UK Fourth Licence tender against incumbent operator Camelot, which had run the National Lottery since its 1994 launch.
“Phil’s appointment will ensure an orderly transition and continued focus on growth while a search is undertaken for a permanent successor,” Allwyn UK said.
What Vidler’s tenure delivered
Allwyn UK was formally awarded the Fourth National Lottery licence in September 2023, and its ten-year term began on February 1, 2024. Under Vidler, the company said it completed technology and infrastructure updates across the National Lottery’s 43,500 retail partners, alongside a major upgrade to its website and app. The Gambling Commission has separately stepped up enforcement against unlicensed lotteries operating in the UK market during the same period.
The company also reported adding 1 million new active digital users, relaunching New Lotto, introducing Powerball to the UK market, and launching new online and scratchcard games.
“Following the completion of these Fourth Licence transition milestones under her leadership, Andria Vidler and Allwyn UK Chairman Justin King agreed that this is the right moment for her to step down,” the company said.
Justin King, chair of Allwyn Entertainment Limited, credited Vidler with delivering what he called a long-overdue transformation of the National Lottery.
“Since Andria joined us, she has led from the front through an intense period of change, helping to complete the much-needed and long-overdue transformation of The National Lottery,” King said. “With the major transition milestones delivered, now is the right time to look to the future and build on the solid foundations that have been laid to create a strong platform for future growth. We are pleased to welcome Phil as Interim CEO as we continue to modernise and strengthen The National Lottery for players, retailers and Good Causes.”
Vidler framed her exit around the completion of that transition work.
“Transforming The National Lottery is a marathon, not a sprint, and with the major transition now complete, and The National Lottery in a stronger position to keep delivering for the nation, this feels like the right moment for me to pass on the baton,” she said.
A search for a permanent successor
Allwyn has not set a timeline for naming a permanent CEO, a step that follows a wider pattern of leadership turnover across the sector this year. Walker’s remit through the search period covers continuity across retail and digital operations, as the operator works through the remaining phases of its licence term. The National Lottery runs through February 2034 under the Fourth Licence, with Allwyn now shifting its public messaging from transition to growth.
Source: Allwyn UK
