The Mail on Saturday can reveal that many former BBC executives have found jobs at Camelot, the National Lottery operator Camelot.
Our analysis found that at most 24 employees took up positions at Camelot after leaving the Corporation. Another five Camelot employees went the opposite way and took up jobs at BBC.
Both organisations have attracted their share of controversy for their impact on British life – and for 23 years following its 1994 launch, the BBC carried the National Lottery draws live.
Andy Duncan is the most prominent figure to cross between the two bodies. Formerly the BBC’s head of marketing, he became Camelot’s chief executive in 2014.
Our analysis found that at most 24 employees were able to continue their employment with Camelot following the Corporation’s dissolution. Five Camelot employees went the other way and took jobs at BBC (file photo).
He left the company in 2017 and last month it was revealed that he had been awarded a £1.8 million bonus under a long-term incentive scheme.
Other senior current Camelot executives who previously worked at the BBC include Rachel King, the group human resources director, and Campbell Cowie, Camelot’s head of regulatory affairs.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘These executives must think they have hit the jackpot by picking up big salaries at these monolithic institutions.’
Camelot is being scrutinized more by MPs as the company fights to renew its contract for running the Lotto. This contract expires 2023. Politicians are particularly concerned about the percentage of its revenues that it gives to charitable causes.
The company’s profits have soared from £29 million in 2010 to £78 million in 2020, thanks in part to more emphasis on scratchcards and instant-win games online.
The average scratchcard spend goes to charity at 10p per pound. This compares with the 30p per pound for a draw-based game.
Senior current Camelot executives who previously worked at the BBC include Rachel King, the group human resources director, and Campbell Cowie, Camelot’s head of regulatory affairs
The move to app-based gaming is also being feared by MPs. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling-related harm, has called for a ‘proper and full review on what Camelot’s purpose is’.
MPs have also called for the lottery to be run from the North of England as part of Boris Johnson’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda. The BBC is also under fire for Left-wing bias in its news output. Meanwhile, the future of the licence fees is in doubt after the expiration of the Royal Charter in 2027.
A Camelot spokesman said last night: ‘The BBC is a significant UK employer, as is Camelot – we currently employ over 900 people and the BBC employs tens of thousands. We don’t believe that having such a small number of people who have worked for both organisations – many in junior and short-term roles – at some point over the last 27 years is unusual at all.’
A BBC spokesperson declined to comment on last night’s incident.