Camelot rebranded in 'break with past'

The National Lottery operator, Camelot, unveiled a new logo yesterday as part of its attempts to break with a past dogged by allegations of profiteering.

The centrepiece is a handpainted image of a figure reaching for a star. It was revealed as the company prepares for a £70m relaunch of the lottery after regaining its licence to run the game.

The logo is intended to give an impression of "integrity and efficiency". The red figure stretching out towards a yellow star is underlined by the company name and a new slogan, "Serving the nation's dreams".

Dianne Thompson, Camelot's chief executive, said the previous logo of a multicoloured griffin was being ditched in an effort to show the days of taking profits criticised as excessive were gone.

She said: "The reason we want a new logo is ultimately to draw a line in the sand from the days of the fat cats. Everything about us has changed and the logo was the final brick."

The logo was shown to Camelot employees at the group's headquarters in Watford, Hertfordshire, on Friday before being made public yesterday. A full relaunch of the lottery, including an overhaul of its crossed-fingers logo, is planned for May.

The relaunch will involve new lottery games as well as a special jackpot for the Queen's golden jubilee.

Camelot, which has been running the lottery since it started in 1994, is replacing all the terminals in its retail outlets as well as attempting to increase interest with fresh advertising campaigns.