Raising the minimum age for lottery participation: will it happen?
The UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) launched a public consultation Tuesday on potential changes to the minimum age requirement for playing National Lottery Games.
The UK government is considering raising the age limit for playing the National Lottery. The age is potentially being changed from 16 to 18 after a consultation. It is in question whether the proposal will be taken forward or not.
See 17-year-old Jane Park in the above photo, who became Britain’s youngest Euromillions winner when she bagged a £1 million jackpot at age 17. She is an example of a young player who won a huge jackpot.
The consultation is in response to the rising revenue contribution from scratch and instant win games. Additionally, there are societal concerns over young people’s exposure to gambling.
The minimum gambling age in Great Britain is 18 years old. However, UK National Lottery games are available to players over the age of 16. There is some evidence that “a very small number” of under 16s also play National Lottery games.
What did the consultancy reveal?
Announcing a consultation on the issue in the House of Commons, Culture Minister Mims Davies told MP… “The age of 18 is widely recognized as an age one becomes an adult, gaining full citizenship rights and responsibilities.”
The government is planning a proportionate, precautionary approach to protect 16 and 17-year-olds from possible or future harm.
“After an initial review of the evidence, my view is that the option that fits best with this approach is to increase the minimum age to 18 for instant win games (scratchcards and online instant win games) and to maintain a minimum age of 16 for draw-based games and I welcome views on this,” Davies said.
According to the government, 16 and 17 year-olds accounted for National Lottery sales revenue of £47m in 2017/18. Furthermore, scratch and instant win games representing 68 percent of this figure.
The consultation examines three proposals: retaining the current 16-years age limit; raising the minimum age for scratch and instant win games to 18; or raising the minimum age for all National Lottery products to 18.
Furthermore, Gamble Aware, an addiction charity, says one in eight children aged between 11 and 15 years old are gambling regularly. As many as 30,000 children may hold a gambling problem.
The current license held by Camelot to operate the UK National Lottery is due to expire in 2023, with the bidding process for the next license scheduled to begin in 2020. The government will, therefore, aim to have a clear position on the minimum age policy before the start of the formal bidding process.
