UK government considering raising lottery instant win game age-limit to 18
Gaming industry urges government to go further and raise age limits for draw-based gaming as well
The UK government is planning to raise the age that individuals can play lottery instant win games online from 16 to 18, according to reports in the Mail On Sunday.
The proposals, which were first discussed earlier this year, would come into force in 2023 to coincide with the start of the next National Lottery licence.
Initially, plans also included raising the age limit on the main UK National Lottery draw to 18 from the current playing age of 16.
However, Minister for Sport and Civil Society Mims Davies has reportedly sent a letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond confirming her intention to raise the minimum age to 18 for all instant win and scratchcard games but maintain the current minimum age limit of 16 for all draw-based gaming.
Explaining her change in course, Davies said that it was a “proportionate and precautionary” approach to preventing gambling-related harm among under-18s.
A spokesperson for National Lottery operator Camelot said it had “no issue” with a government review of the age limit for buying National Lottery products and was “happy to assist in any way it could” to help inform the decision.
Paul Dolman-Darrall, CEO of lottery supplier Gamevy applauded the intention to change the age limits, calling it an “obvious anomaly which every person in the lottery sector has known for years”.
Dolman-Darrall highlighted the work of private operators and suppliers in enforcing an 18+ age limit on instant win gaming, claiming that the National Lottery has been “doing nothing” to stop gambling-related harm among under-18s.
However, Dolman-Darrall said the government had made a mistake in abandoning plans to raise the age limit on draw based games as well.
“Instant win games have a far lower number of plays in a session, are slower to play and typically have fixed stakes. But whereas the average player in the UK loses a relatively small amount of their disposable income, in this age group it can represents a high percentage,” Dolman-Darrall added.
Ed Mouton, chairman of the European Lottery Betting Association, echoed that sentiment, saying the age increase “should be across all products not just limited to scratchcards and online instant win games”.
“Any game of chance is gambling, so the same rules should be applied across the board,” Mouton said. “In most other European countries the age limit to participate in any form of gambling is 18 – this includes playing the National Lottery. We all have a duty of care to protect the most vulnerable people in society so we should be very clear that gambling starts at 18.”