The lotto “instant win” tickets will be only sold to people over the age of 18, like alcohol and cigarettes are if the government plans go ahead. Minister for Sport and Civil Society Mims Davies announced the potential change as she also said that the National Lottery gave “£2bn a year to good causes in this country” and formed the “backbone of giving in the UK”, but said the age of 18 is recognised as becoming an adult. 

Shadow Culture Secretary Tom Watson said Britain is suffering an “epidemic of gambling addiction” and “gambling is fun but it can also be dangerous”.

He told the House of Commons: “We already have all the evidence we need. To gamble you should be an adult – so the minimum age for all gambling products should be 18.”

Callie Rogers, who was the youngest jackpot winner aged 16, told how she sank into depression after blowing her £1.9million win in 2003 on drugs, booze and cosmetic surgery.

Looking back on the saga in 2013 she said: “Even if you say your life won’t change, it does – and often not for the better.”

In May 2018 Tracey Crouch, the then-sport minister, said she was “considering the issue” ahead of the lottery’s licence being renewed in 2023.

After she resigned in a row over fixed-odds betting machines, he replacement Mims Davies said in February: “We need to be very clear that gambling starts at 18.

“It’s not to stop people from having fun, but it’s to protect those most vulnerable people.

“That’s where the government needs to step in.”

But it is not yet confirmed whether Boris Johnson will back the shake-up, which has been announced days before he is due to become Prime Minister.

The Tory leadership favourite has previously vowed to halt new “sin taxes” on items like sugary drinks. And a Treasury minister last week refused to deny claims of a row within the government.

Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, declined comment on whether she was opposing the rise in the age to 18.

She told journalists: “Those discussions are still taking place within government. I will never leak a conversation or talk about the inner workings of government.”

The smoking age was raised from 16 to 18 in 2007 and MPs have since called for it to be hiked again to 21.

Meanwhile UK teenagers must be 17 to drive, 16 to enlist in the Armed Forces and 14 to take a part-time job.

The Government has also announced it will raise the society lotteries’ annual sales limit to £50 million, increasing the money they can raise for good causes, and the maximum per draw prize to £500,000.

Source: Read Full Article