For a few months now, underage individuals in the UK have been no longer able to purchase products of the National Lottery. The rule change that was implemented by the UK Government in October 2021 was aimed at tackling the in-person sale of National Lottery tickets and scratchcards for people aged 16 and 17, who have so far been able to buy such products.
As unveiled by the competent authorities last year, the minimum age for playing the National Lottery and purchasing scratchcards has been raised from 16 to 18. In fact, people under the age of 18 have been suspended from online gambling since April 2021, but 16- and 17-year-olds have still been able to purchase National Lottery tickets and scratchcards in brick-and-mortar shops.
The latest change applied to the Lotto, EuroMillions and Set For Life tickets sold by the UK National Lottery and followed the beginning of a major review of the UK gambling legislation with the Government being expected to publish the white paper of its review any day now.
The stricter measure has been implemented as part of the local authorities’ efforts to protect underage individuals from potentially harmful exposure to gambling services. The restrictions have also been imposed following the campaign of a cross-party parliamentary group that had been calling for the UK Government to ensure better prevention against possible gambling harm for underage individuals.
Experts Waiting to See the Long-Term Effects of the Ban of National Lottery Tickets and Scratchcards for Under-18s
So far, the effects of the National Lottery ticket and scratchcard sales ban for under-18s have been quite controversial. Latest reports have unveiled that British children, teenagers and young adults have become more focused on gambling on social media, with gambling ads published on such platforms making these services significantly more appealing to them.
According to reports, most underage individuals had positive reactions to gambling advertising materials available on social media platforms. How is this related to the National Lottery products? The answer lies in the increasing digitalisation of the gambling market in the UK.
In the past decade, online gambling has become increasingly popular among both children and adults in the country, with more and more people being involved in gambling services in the UK. The easy accessibility and discretion of various services on the Internet have made it possible for online gambling companies to easily reach their customers, offering them a vast range of games to choose from. It seems children are no exception because an increasing number of underage individuals have been taking part in gambling services in the country.
Since the ban on National Lottery products for individuals under 18 years of age has been imposed for less than a year, it is safe to say that the long-term effects of the measure are yet to be seen. Still, some experts believe that the lack of accessibility to such gambling products could push underage individuals to other forms of gambling, most of them online. If true, this trend could have quite a negative impact on British children, because more of them could choose to gamble online, on sketchy gambling platforms which could often result in more serious negative consequences than the ones associated with the UK National Lottery’s tickets and scratchcards.
As Casino Guardian previously reported, the current holder of the National Lottery operating licence – Camelot – has not opposed the latest restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds. At the time when the restrictive measure was implemented, a spokesperson of the company pledged that the operator of the National Lottery would implement the changes as quickly as possible and would make sure it met the required standards.
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