Sir Keith Mills Will Chair Sazka’s Lottery License Challenge

Pan-European lottery operator Sazka Group announced the appointment of Sir Keith Mills as Bid Chair of the company’s team which will run for the UK National Lottery license.

Contribution to 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games

Sir Keith Mills is expected to bring a wealth of experience to the Sazka’s UK team, having multiple roles across sports, charities and business. His contribution to London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was pivotal, and he played a huge role in the subsequent staging of the games.

“I am driven by organisations that make a real contribution to society. I chose to team up with Sazka for the Fourth National Lottery License Competition because I believe the UK National Lottery needs to grow and be engaging if it is to continue to fund the thousands of good causes every year.”

Sir Keith Mills

Commenting on the announcement of his appointment, Sir Keith Mills outlined the lottery landscape had changed immeasurably since 1994, the year when the National Lottery in the UK launched.

“The challenge now is to ensure the lottery connects with people right across the country, making it fresh and exciting as it once was, bringing new ways that are relevant for today and tomorrow’s generation.”

Sir Keith Mills

The National Lottery Needs to Adapt

Sir Keith Mills noted the lottery needs to find back its place in the hearts of the people, and he accepted the proposal to join Sazka’s challenge for the Fourth National Lottery License due to the operator’s proven record of developing established lotteries, and setting them on the path to further growth and evolution to become relevant to the challenges in the future.

“I am cognisant that much has to be done for us to make a winning case in this competition, but I believe that over the course of this process we will be able to demonstrate how Sazka’s expertise coupled with the experienced British team that we are building in the UK will offer the right stewardship for the UKNL for 2023 and beyond.”

Sir Keith Mills

Sir Keith Mills will chair a team of proven professionals in the field of Player Protection, Good Causes, Innovation, Digital, Retail and Customer Experience. Alastair Ruxton, a former 2021 London Olympics employee was appointed as Bid Director for the team.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Sir Keith Mills and have him lead our entry in the Fourth National Lottery Licence Competition. We are hugely excited to be participating in this competition and for the chance to take stewardship of the National Lottery, helping the UK to fall back in love with this vital institution.”

Robert Chvátal, CEO, Sazka Group

Sir Keith Mills will be handing his current role as Chair of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge over to Lord William Hague, having spent the last six years there. Sir Keith is also the Chair of Invictus Games, an international adaptive multi-sport event, an endeavor of the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry.

Sazka Group has already been accepted into the competition for the lottery license by the Gambling Commission as it submitted the Selection Questionairre in October.