UK National Lottery operator Camelot has a new UK CEO and a new plan to stop the slide in lottery sales, but rivals are gunning for the company’s National Lottery operating rights.

On Tuesday, Camelot chairman Jo Taylor announced the appointment of Nigel Railton as the new permanent CEO of Camelot UK. Railton (pictured), who has been conducting a strategic review of its UK operations, will be tasked with giving National Lottery sales a well-needed kick up the backside.

Camelot announced Tuesday that National Lottery ticket sales in the period spanning April 1 to September 23 totaled £3.28b, a decline of 3.2% over last year’s fiscal H1 performance. The total amount Camelot returned to good causes fell 4.7% to £746.6m.

Railton admitted that falling sales were “never welcome” but considered the decline to be within the range of what the company had forecast in June. Railton said the company was already “seeing early signs of improvement” that would provide “a great springboard to return to growth next year.”