Lawmakers assess National Lottery scheme in the UK

MPs in a Legislative Committee launched an inquiry to assess the National Lottery scheme.

UK.- The current scheme of the National Lottery could soon change in the UK. Lawmakers on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee launched an inquiry into whether it should.

The inquiry began on Friday and will assess whether the terms of the licence to run the lottery needs to change. A potential update would aim to maximise the returns for good causes. Furthermore, they will study whether there needs to be greater flexibility to address consumer habit changes.

Camelot has held the licence since 1994 but the government will re-award the permit in 2023. The process will start in 2020.

“A lot has changed since the first lottery draw in 1994,” Damian Collins MP, the committee’s chair, said. “This is the right moment to look at how the new licence should be awarded and managed. In particular, against a background of falling lottery receipts, we want to consider the sustainability of the lottery.”

Age limit updates

The government of the UK is considering raising the age limit to play the National Lottery. The government would look at different measures to prevent 16 and 17-year-olds from playing the lottery by raising the current age limit to 18.

Mims Davies, Culture minister, announced last Tuesday a consultation on the issue in the house of Commons. “The age of 18 is widely recognised as an age one becomes an adult, gaining full citizenship rights and responsibilities,” she said. “At present, all lotteries can be played from 16 – one of the very few age limits for gambling under-18 products.”

The Culture Minister said that the consultation would explore three options: keeping the current minimum age of 16, raising the minimum age to 18 for scratch cards and online instant win games, or raising the minimum age to 18 for all National Lottery games.

Davies hinted that the government might favour action on scratchcards and instant win games instead of all games. “My initial view is based on the evidence reviewed so far. It is that such a split could be the best approach. This takes into account the risk of harm associated with playing the National Lottery is at the lowest of any form of gambling.