Microsoft to back Virgin for lottery bid

Bill Gates is backing Virgin's bid to become the next UK National Lottery operator when Camelot's franchise comes up for renewal in September 2001.

Bill Gates is backing Virgin's bid to become the next UK National Lottery operator when Camelot's franchise comes up for renewal in September 2001.

Microsoft will provide technology to sell lottery tickets in shops, online and via interactive television and mobile phones if the Virgin bid is successful.

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said the lottery would be a non-profit making organisation and the new technology would mean more money for good causes and more millionaires. Gates hopes to use the technology to widen the lottery's appeal. 'You need to ask whether there's an approach that can cost a lot less money and be a richer experience for the people who want to use it,' he said.

Virgin's bid faces competition from Camelot, which is supported by the Post Office. Bids for the new seven-year licence had to be registered with the National Lottery Commission at the end of February and the winner will be announced in June.