A MAJOR rules shake-up to who can now buy National Lottery tickets and scratchcards has rolled out from today.
Those feeling lucky now have to be over 18 to play, as the minimum age goes up from 16 to 18.
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That means it is illegal for any retailer to sell these goods to anyone under the age of 18 – and will apply to favourite games like Lotto and the EuroMillions.
The new rules come into effect from today after being announced as part of a major crackdown on gambling laws last year.
Online sales of lottery tickets and scratchcards has already been banned – this came into force in April this year.
However, Camelot said that retailers have not been selling tickets and scratchcards in physical stores since this point too in order to get used to the changes ahead of this month.
A Camelot spokesperson said: “Following the government’s decision to raise the age to play The National Lottery from 16 to 18 on 1 October 2021, we carried out a major programme of work to implement all of the changes that were necessary as quickly as possible, while ensuring that we maintained the very high standards demanded of The National Lottery.
“As a result of the excellent progress we made, we can confirm that the age to play all National Lottery games changed to 18 years or over on 22 April 2021 – well in advance of the change in legislation, which comes into force today.
“Since April, those under the age of 18 have been unable to play National Lottery games in a retail store, online or on the National Lottery apps.”
The new age restriction, which was exclusively revealed by The Sun, is to make sure the lottery is not a “gateway to problem gambling”, minister for sport, tourism and heritage Nigel Huddleston previously said.
Gambling is illegal for under-18s, but anyone 16 or over has previously been able to play National Lottery games.
The Gambling Commission previously revealed that half a million kids – some as young as 11 – are gambling every day.
While NHS bosses announced last year that they wanted a ban on video-game add-ons, as some youngsters are gambling up to £2,000 to feed their “addiction”.
The government has previously faced calls to toughen up gambling laws – including then Children’s Commissioner Anna Longfield.
EuroMillions winner Jane Park has also raised doubts over whether she should have been allowed to scoop her £1million when she was just 17.
It follows other new rules gambling regulators are considering rolling out to stop Brits from falling into debt because of gambling.
The Sun revealed last month that The Gambling Commission wants punters who bet and lose more than £100 a month to undergo “affordability checks”.
These customers will be placed on a “gambling register” so their outgoings can be tracked.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
