SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Czech billionaire Karel Komárek – owner of Allwyn – is looking to cut all existing ties with Russian gas giant Gazprom.
Allwyn took over the reins as the National Lottery Operator in February this year after being officially granted the £6.5bn licence by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) in 2022.
According to The Guardian, Allwyn owner Komárek’s string of enterprises leads to a company called Moravia Gas Storage (MGS) that holds an underground gas storage in the Czech Republic.
The media outlet clarified that until very recently the same storage had a 50/50 ownership deal with Gazprom – a link regularly scrutinised by UK MPs.
Now, another Komárek-linked company called MND – a subsidiary of Swiss-based KKCG – has announced plans to buy out Gazprom’s remaining stake in MGS which currently stands at under 3% – to be completed by the end of June.
The Guardian quoted former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith as saying: “This matter has finally been resolved but it is highly questionable as to why it has taken so long and deeply concerning that it has been so difficult to just get transparent information about one of the UK’s largest public sector contracts.”
Relating to the National Lottery contract, the UKGC has been named as a defendant in a court case instigated by Northern & Shell PLC which has cited some reservations about the handling of the licence granting process.
