National Lottery operator Camelot has been fined £3.15m for three technical glitches on its mobile app which affected tens of thousands of players.

In the first error, 20,000 users were told their winning tickets were in fact losing tickets when they scanned a QR code between November 2016 and September 2020, according to the Gambling Commission.

The second glitch affected 22,000 players who bought single tickets but were charged for and received two tickets.

All were either refunded for the duplicate wager or paid for their wins.

The final error saw customers being sent marketing messages for games, despite the fact they had opted into GamStop, a free service which helps users restrict their gambling or identifies those displaying signs of addiction.

None of the 65,000 players were able to buy a lottery product through the app, however.

Andrew Rhodes, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “We are reassured that Camelot has taken steps to make sure their National Lottery app is fit for purpose. However we must caution Camelot that any failings on their duties will be met with consequences”.

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He added that the announcement was a warning to other operators that they will face investigation and potential fines if they fail to comply with the Gambling Commission’s requirements.

Camelot, which says it will donate the money to good causes, is set to lose its licence to run the National Lottery after 28 years.

Last week, the commission confirmed plans to transfer the game to a rival operator.

A fiercely contested bidding process has been under way, with Alwyn reportedly the favourite applicant out of the four parties taking part.

The contract to take over will begin in 2024.

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A Camelot spokesperson said: “We accept the outcome of the Gambling Commission’s investigation in respect of three unrelated historical incidents.

“We are sorry that some of our controls fell short of the mark in certain very specific circumstances and have paid the fine.

“We always strive to operate the National Lottery to the highest possible standards and, given its scale and complexity, we’re proud of our track record of running the National Lottery with extremely high levels of integrity.”

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