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How INFiLED and BBC Studioworks transformed the National Lottery live broadcasts. Posted by Editor | Sep 28, 2026 | 0 | When National Lottery operator Allwyn UK required a new broadcast home to handle high-stakes live draws six nights a week, BBC Studioworks delivered a purpose-built facility at London's iconic BBC Television Centre, anchored by an ultra-flexible LED backdrop from INFiLED. Project overview & broadcaster requirements. National Lottery draws represent some of the most strictly regulated live programming in British television. With the transition to Allwyn UK as the National Lottery licensee, the production required a dedicated broadcast studio capable of handling multiple distinct lottery game formats from a single footprint, six days a week. BBC Studioworks - the commercial production facilities arm of the BBC - needed a studio infrastructure that offered instantaneous digital set re-theming between game draws, 24/7 technical reliability, and an optical setup that completely mitigated camera-sensor artifacts in a compact studio environment. Engineering hurdles: compact footprint & Moiré prevention. Operating a live multi-camera broadcast in a compact space presented significant technical challenges: * Moiré Distortion Risk: Because physical draw machines, presenters, and robotic camera pedestals operate in close proximity to the backdrop, the overlap between camera optical sensors and the LED pixel grid created severe moiré risks. * Multi-Game Rebranding: Every lottery draw demands a distinct visual brand identity, requiring instantaneous digital transformation without moving physical flats or lighting fixtures. * Zero Downtime Tolerance: With continuous weekly transmissions, the display platform required robust thermal dissipation, failover redundancy, and hot-swappable on-site spares. * Uncompromising Delivery Schedule: The studio migration had to occur without disrupting existing lottery transmission schedules. The solution: 1.95mm DBmk2 with Brompton processing. To eliminate optical distortion and guarantee colour fidelity, BBC Studioworks installed two 5m x 3m INFiLED DBmk2 LED walls joined at a 90-degree right angle. The 1.95mm fine pixel pitch - paired with Panasonic UE-150A cameras configured with shallow depth of field, large sensors, and optical low-pass filters - completely eliminated moiré artifacts across all robotic pan-and-tilt angles. Ahead of integration, INFiLED provided demo cabinets to the BBC Studioworks engineering team alongside Brompton Technology engineers. This bench testing allowed the team to map color gamuts, calibrate latency, and fine-tune genlock synchronization across the Ross Ultrix routing pipeline prior to studio commissioning. Mechanical installation was accelerated through DBmk2's quick-lock rigging and magnetic cabinet alignments. "We're now quite a few months into having the studio up and running, and Allwyn UK, our client, couldn't be happier. The INFiLED screens, and their content, form the majority of the visual appearance of the production, and clarity and quality have been key. INFiLED's great aftersales support means any issues are resolved quickly and efficiently." Tim Wood, Head of Television Centre, BBC Studioworks Operational impact. The facility provides 24/7 technical stability for Allwyn UK's six-day-per-week live schedule[cite: 1]. By shifting physical scenic production into dynamic digital graphics, BBC Studioworks achieved an agile broadcast workflow capable of instantaneous rebranding between draws, setting a benchmark for compact studio environments[cite: 1].

Former Playtech exec becomes Allwyn's head of responsible gaming. Francesco Rodano joins the UK National Lottery operator after more than a decade with Playtech, where he led work on the supplier's BetBuddy tool 09/09/2026 You're reading subscriber-only content Unlock full access to this insight

Allwyn net revenue surges 27% as PrizePicks drives Q2 growth. Allwyn has reported another strong quarter, with PrizePicks helping to drive significant revenue growth across its expanding global business. Allwyn delivered 27% year-on-year net revenue growth in Q2, largely driven by acquiring a majority stake of US DFS operator PrizePicks in January. In its Q2 results, released on Thursday, Allwyn reported net revenue of €1.25 billion, significantly ahead of the €979 million generated in the same quarter of last year. Adjusted EBITDA also surged 29% from €355 million to €458 million, with margin edging up to 36.8% from 36.3%. When excluding that acquisition, as well as the impact of higher gaming taxes in Austria, Allwyn's Q2 revenue grew 5% year-on-year, while adjusted EBITDA rose 9%, when also considering a higher licence fee amortisation at LottoItalia. Allwyn CEO Robert Chvátal said the company's Q2 growth reflected continued momentum across its core markets, along with a strong contribution from PrizePicks and progress on its broader growth strategy. The company has reaffirmed its group outlook for FY26, with net revenue growth of mid-to-high 20% revenue growth (before around €60 million in one-off impacts) and an adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 37%. "We remain confident in our ability to deliver sustainable growth, strong cash generation and attractive shareholder returns over the long term," Chvátal said. Allwyn's regional performance in Q2. Alongside its acquisition of PrizePicks, Allwyn attributed its strong Q2 performance to "continued momentum" in continental Europe, where net revenue increased 4% year-on-year to €731 million. Net revenue from the region grew 6% year-on-year when excluding the impacts of the higher gaming taxes in Austria, with Allwyn noting this was the final quarter that will see a year-on-year headwind. The continental European growth was partially offset by UK growth of just 2% to €236 million. Despite the modest revenue growth, UK profitability improved with adjusted EBITDA rising from €6 million to €23 million, benefitting from the completion of the National Lottery technology transformation. Chvátal highlighted continued investment in product development, saying: "These included new or enhanced draw-based lottery games in Austria, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, where we are proud to be the first operator outside the US to offer Powerball, one of the world's largest jackpot games." Driven by the PrizePicks acquisition, North American net revenue rocketed from €54 million to €294 million, while adjusted EBITDA reached €104 million. PrizePicks net revenue increased 3% year-on-year on a standalone constant currency basis. Chvátal added: "In North America we continue to rapidly develop PrizePicks' offering, enabling players to combine PlayerPicks with a TeamPick within a single line-up, integrating prediction markets alongside DFS and helping to deepen engagement and expand the ways in which customers can play." Sports betting and iGaming offset lottery decline. Allwyn's lottery revenue fell 2% to €498 million in Q2, with the company attributing this to favourable jackpot cycles in the comparative period. This effect was most apparent in continental Europe, where lottery revenue decreased 5% to €262 million. Lottery revenue in the UK increased 2% to €236 million. However, sports betting and iGaming net revenues increased by 12% and 24% respectively. Sports betting growth was driven primarily by the Fifa World Cup. Betano, in which Allwyn holds a minority stake, grew its total revenue 26% year-on-year on a constant currency basis. Yet, Allwyn's share of Betano's net income was 3% lower year-on-year at €61 million, reflecting below-EBITDA items in Q2 and the same period of last year. Following the conclusion of Q2, Allwyn agreed to increase its interest in Next Lotto, an online reseller of German state lottery games, to 64.53%, giving the company a controlling interest. Change in Allwyn's UK leadership. Last week, Allwyn UK announced its CEO Andria Vidler was to step down on 7 September, with industry veteran Phil Walker to take over on an interim basis. Sources close to the company said Walker's experience makes him well placed to steer the business as Allwyn UK searches for a permanent replacement for Vidler. Walker said: "I am excited and proud to be taking up the baton from Andria and joining such a vital national institution at this important stage of its growth journey."