A media and political backlash has erupted after reports indicated 16-year-old and 17-year-old teens spent £47 million (US$59.9 million) on U.K. National Lottery games from 2017 through 2018.
The U.K. Sunday Times leveled accusations against Camelot Group, the lottery operator, of “exploiting a loophole” in U.K. gambling laws that permits children to play instant-win and scratch-off games without intervention.
A Times investigation said Camelot secured “exclusive access to a teenage market denied to other betting firms”, in which kids gambled up to £350 a week without providing customer care checks. The appeal to the teenage market extended to use of popular video and TV shows as themes, like Donkey Kong and Love Island, according to SBC News.
Camelot has increased its dependence on instant-win and scratch games to 43 percent as sales of weekly draws have diminished.
Camelot issued a response stating that it would support “a review of the minimum age for playing National Lottery games for the next license period, as it has been more than 25 years since these restrictions were set.”
Company CEO Nigel Railton said any decision to raise age limits for National Lottery games by the government would be supported by Camelot.
“For 25 years, the age has been 16, so it’s probably a good time to look at it,” Railton said. “Our position is that it is ultimately a matter for the government, and if the government wants to raise the age to 18, we will support that.”
