Lottery products are not without risk.
National Lottery scratch cards and online instant win games (“IWG”s) carry a higher risk than traditional draws such as Lotto and Euro Millions. Scratch cards and IWGs provide instant results, with a higher proportion of small prizes and associated win frequency, “near misses”, and can be played again quickly.
It is recommended to follow the guidelines of:1
Not too Much
Limit your spending to small amounts
Not too Often
Limit how often you play
Not too Many
Limit the number of products you play
Not at All
If you cannot moderate as above or have experienced gambling or other addiction harms
Other Harm Prevention Guidelines
- Avoid chasing losses, spending more than you can afford to lose, spending with increasing frequency or with increasing amounts of money. These are all indicators of problem gambling.
- Ensure familiarity with the odds of winning. The odds for all prizes are published in the game rules on the National Lottery website. Every National Lottery ticket has the same chances of winning in the game – the next scratch card is not more likely to be a winner because the last one was not a winning ticket.
- Younger person alert! Those under 25 are more susceptible to problem gambling.
- Scratch cards are not suitable for children. Childhood gambling is associated with a range of harms, including poor school performance and mental health issues, and a much higher chance of experiencing gambling problems as an adult. It is illegal to sell any National Lottery ticket to a minor.
- Spend only if easily affordable. The National Lottery is not a way out of financial difficulties.
- If you are concerned about your gambling you can use a self-assessment screening
tool like the PGSI (see link below).
More information and resources are available from: