MPs Scrutinise Phil Walker’s Appointment as Allwyn UK Interim CEO

Two MPs have questioned the Gambling Commission about the appointment of Phil Walker as Interim CEO at Allwyn UK, operator of the UK National Lottery, specifying his record in the gambling industry as a concern.

Last week, Walker was announced as the interim replacement for Andria Vidler. Walker has been in the gambling industry for 16 years, with his CV including top tier operator names such as Gala Interactive, where he was Marketing and Customer Operations Director, Ladbrokes Coral (Managing Director – Sports Brands), William Hill (UK Managing Director), and 888 Holdings (Chief Commercial Officer).

“Deeply concerned”

According to the Guardian, Labour MP Dawn Butler and Conservative MP Iain Duncan-Smith have written to the Commission, explaining to the regulator how they are “deeply concerned” by the appointment. A particular concern was raised regarding a personal sanction the Commission handed down to Walker in 2024, related to his time at William Hill.

In 2023, William Hill Group was fined £19.2 million by the Commission after being found to have committed a number of social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures, with at least some of the offences taking place while Walker was with the company. Walker was William Hill’s Online Managing Director from January 2019 to September 2020, and UK Managing Director from September 2020 to December 2022.

Walker was issued a warning by the Commission the following year, after being found to have “failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the way in which he carried out his responsibilities in relation to licensed activities did not place the operating licensees in breach of their licence conditions”. Butler and Duncan-Smith have reportedly referred to the failures as “widespread and alarming”.

AGC negativity

The MPs are also concerned about Walker’s position as a Non-Executive Director for City Gaming Limited, owner of adult gaming centre (AGC) and high-street slots operator Game Nation.

In July, Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke negatively about AGCs and other gambling venues, telling UK media: “Adult gaming centres on high streets can often bring real harm to communities.”

Burnham also recently caused controversy by grouping betting shops with vaping shops as “dodgy businesses”. This could potentially cause an issue between the government and Walker; the National Lottery is a public sector contract which has been officially held by Allwyn UK since September 2023. Butler and Duncan-Smith are said to be seeking clarity on whether Walker’s role with Game Nation is “compatible” with his position at Allwyn UK.

A Gambling Commission spokesperson is quoted by the Guardian as saying:

“We would not publicly comment on an operator’s personnel decisions.”

Being a Non-Executive Director means Walker’s influence on Game Nation is likely to be low-key, as the position would normally entail attendance at a small number of meetings throughout the year.

When announcing Walker’s appointment, Allwyn UK referenced how William Hill “delivered significant market share, revenue and profit growth across both its digital and retail channels” during his time there. Allwyn UK is currently searching for a permanent successor to Vidler, and it is unclear how long Walker will be in the interim role. There is no suggestion at this point that Walker is being considered for the permanent position.

Digital upgrade

In January, Allwyn announced what it called a major upgrade to the National Lottery’s digital platforms, with the update allowing Allwyn to offer the largest ever range of National Lottery games.