Lottery tickets

What does the law say about the sale of lottery tickets to young people?

• It is an offence for anyone to sell a National Lottery ticket to a person who is under the age of 16.
• It is an offence for a person under the age of 16 to sell a National Lottery ticket.

This includes the instant scratch cards as well as tickets for the various Saturday and midweek National Lottery draws.

Should I display any warning notices for customers?

There is no legal requirement to display a warning notice, but you may display one if you so wish. A suitable form of words might be:

What are the penalties for breaking the law?

The maximum fine on prosecution is £5000. You could also have the lottery terminal removed from your premises.

What should I do now?

You should set up a system to ensure that you have done all that is possible to prevent you or a member of your staff selling National Lottery tickets to young people. You should now read the Preventing underage sales section of this pack for practical guidance on how best to do this.

If you are unsure how old a person is, ask for proof of age. If any doubt remains, always refuse the sale.