PRAGUE, June 29 (Reuters) - Czech-based lottery group Allwyn said on Wednesday a British court ruling had cleared the way to it getting the licence to run the National Lottery, replacing Camelot which lost a challenge to the handover.

Britain in March named Allwyn as its preferred applicant to run the National Lottery, taking over from Camelot which has held the licence since its inception in 1994.

On Wednesday, Camelot lost a bid to stop the handover after a court ruled the awarding of the new licence for Allwyn could go ahead.

"Today's ruling is good news for The National Lottery; it enables the Gambling Commission to move forward to award Allwyn the Fourth National Lottery Licence," Allwyn said in a statement.

"We look forward to the Gambling Commission moving to Award and to Camelot working constructively with us to ensure a smooth handover for the benefit of players and good causes alike."

Allwyn, run by Czech investor and businessman Karel Komarek, is set to hold the licence for 10 years from February 2024.

Britain launched the National Lottery in 1994 to help raise income for charities and to fund elite athletes.

Camelot, owned by Canada's Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan since 2010, was awarded the first three licences for the lottery.

It said in a statement a judgement on whether the Gambling Commission awarded Allwyn preferred applicant status correctly was still being dealt with.

"While disappointing, this judgement (today) only addresses whether or not the Enabling Agreement can be signed while our case is heard," Camelot said.

"We will take some time to consider our next steps and continue to believe that we have a very strong legal case."

(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague and Michael Holden and Kylie MacLellan in London; editing by David Evans)