Lottery News

Starting 2021, the 16 and 17 years old will not be able to play UK’s prominent The National Lottery any longer. To curb irresponsible gambling habits rapidly growing in today’s digital age, the UK government announced that they will be raising the legal age to play the lottery from 16 to 18.

Following the stats put out by the gambling laws launched by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, The National Lottery decided to change the legal age to play the lottery with effect from October 2021, with online sales for lottery tickets ceasing in April 2021 for minors aged between 16 and 17.

The Gambling Act serves the purpose of protecting the ones who are most vulnerable to poor gambling practices in an era where online play is more accessible. While this is the first change to come up, the laws can lead to other possible outcomes as well, such as, a limit on advertising, a cap on online casino stakes, banning of sponsorship of sport by betting firms, and the implementation of affordability checks to protect players from betting beyond what they can actually afford, according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

The operator of the UK National Lottery, Camelot said that he fully supports the decision by the government to raise the legal age to play the lottery and that they are doing anything in their power to implement necessary changes prior to the new law while maintaining the high standards demanded of the National Lottery. There are a lot of parts that need to be carefully examined before the change in the law comes into effect which might justify this lengthy time frame.

Although the review submitted by the government, aims to tackle problem areas in the industry through effective controls and regulations, DCSM, stated that the government understands that it must maintain the necessary balance between the enjoyment derived from the game and the right regulatory framework and protections that will serve to protect the most vulnerable ones.