Government ministers in the UK are expected to rise the minimum age that individuals can buy National Lottery tickets to 18.
The change, which is likely to come into force in 2023, would prevent 16 and 17-year-olds from playing games online, as well as buying lottery tickets and scratch cards in-store.
In a recent report, the House of Lords called for the minimum age of lottery ticket purchases to be pushed up to 18.
Camelot, which runs the National Lottery, has also hinted that age restrictions could soon be changing.
Many players start young
According to last month’s House of Lords report, which also recommended banning gambling sponsorships in sport, many of the 55,000 children who have a gambling addiction began by playing lottery games. Moreover, Wales Online reported that over 200,000 individuals aged between 16 and 17 are regular lottery players.
When the House of Lords called for lottery age limits to be risen, they called it a “matter of urgency”.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, who is part of the group Clean Up Gambling, told the Mirror the following.
“The younger you start gambling the more likely you are to fall into addiction. All gambling should be restricted to 18 and over.”
Raising the minimum National Lottery playing age seems to have support
Camelot CEO Nigel Railton has mentioned that “for 25 years the [minimum] age [to play lottery] has been 16, so it is probably a good time to look at it.”
Meanwhile, former Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Minister Tracy Crouch sought to implement a minimum age limit of 18 when she held that role.
Other supporters of raising the age limit for National Lottery purchases include the European Lotto Betting Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Dr. Frank Atherton – Chief Medical Officer for Wales.
Meanwhile, Dr. Steve Sharman – who works at the East London University School of Psychology – has said the below.
“Our research showed a robust link between legal youth gambling and adult gambling problems.”
