Camelot Illinois awarded private management of Illinois Lottery Friday
CHICAGO (Heartland Newsfeed) — The Illinois Lottery awarded its private management contract to Camelot Illinois, LLC on Friday. The Lottery’s Notice of Award was posted to the Illinois Procurement Bulletin after the State of Illinois Chief Procurement Office of General Services certified the procurement rules for selecting the private manager were correctly followed.
“Camelot has shown more than a decade of success in managing lotteries throughout the world,” Acting Lottery Director Greg Smith said. “The Lottery and Camelot Illinois have common goals to responsibly grow the Lottery’s player base, align incentives, eliminate conflicts of interest, introduce new technology and innovation, and ensure responsiveness to public needs and concerns.”
The proposed ten-year contract is based on a revised structure that aligns financial incentives and includes new permanent point-of-sale at retailers, new games, and a next-generation iLottery platform that supports omni-channel lottery participation. Additionally, the contract mandates transparency and regular audits. Camelot will reinforce the Lottery’s commitment to responsible gaming and social responsibility by pursuing World Lottery Association Level 4 standards.
A 14-day protest period now begins, and the procurement file will be available for public inspection on Friday, September 29. The public may request access to the procurement file by contacting the Lottery’s Procurement Officer, Helen Kim. If no protests are submitted, or after all timely protests are resolved, a contract can be executed.
In 2009, the Illinois legislature mandated a private management model for the Lottery. Northstar Lottery Group, LLC, the Lottery’s first private manager, will continue to provide management services to the Lottery until a successful transition is complete.
Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.
