Allwyn UK has launched its first brand-led Christmas campaign for The National Lottery, designed to drive player engagement, increase store visits and support sales during the festive trading period. The campaign, titled ‘This Christmas It Could Be You’, runs for 10 weeks from 7 November through to early January.
Campaign details and creative
The integrated programme spans TV, out-of-home, cinema, digital, retail and creator partnerships. It is led by a new hero TV ad featuring the voice of The National Lottery’s ambassador-in-chief, Claudia Winkleman, who delivers the closing sign-off: “Amazing Things Happen When You Believe. This Christmas It Could Be You.”
Christmas is traditionally one of the most important trading periods of the year for National Lottery retailers. This year’s activity aims to drive awareness of the full National Lottery portfolio, including Lotto, EuroMillions and Scratchcards.
Retail support and Scratchcards
Approximately 41,000 National Lottery retail outlets will receive enhanced festive point-of-sale materials, standout displays and in-store media to help capture shoppers’ attention. The festive Scratchcard range is expected to be a key feature, with research showing that 75% of players are likely to gift Scratchcards during the festive season.
Leading the range is the premium £10 ‘When It’s Gold Outside’ Scratchcard, offering 37 chances to win and four top prizes of £4m. Other festive games include ‘Christmas Countdown’, ‘Frosty Fortunes’, ‘Tinsel Trail’, ‘Feastive Fortunes’ and ‘Just to Say’. Retailers earn 6% commission on every Scratchcard sale.
Draws and retailer incentives
Two £12m Lotto Must Be Won draws are scheduled for 21 November and 23 December, following the launch of Lotto’s new two-round format earlier this year. A EuroMillions Super Jackpot draw estimated at £109m is due on 4 December, followed by two 10 UK Millionaire events on Christmas Day and 29 December.
Allwyn’s retailer Advent Calendar runs from 1 to 25 December on the TNL Partners Hub, offering more than 5,000 prizes worth a combined £50,000. Retailers can win daily prizes of up to £250, and each window opened earns an entry into a Festive Finale draw featuring 10 prizes of £1,000.
Responsible play initiative
Allwyn is also rolling out a Christmas Gift Responsibly programme across National Lottery channels. This includes a dedicated section on The National Lottery Responsible Play page, retailer communications, updated messaging on in-store digital screens, bespoke responsible gifting creative on social media, and the ‘18+ Gift Responsibly’ mark across all gifting-related festive advertising.
Bridget Lea, managing director – retail at Allwyn, said: “Christmas is such an important time of year for our retail partners. We know that strong awareness and excitement can make a real difference during the festive trading period.” The initiative reinforces that National Lottery products can only be bought, gifted, received and played by people aged 18 or over, providing practical guidance for players and retailers during the busy Christmas period.
