The National Lottery Regulator is urging all adults to avoid gifting National Lottery products to children this Christmas, as a report has found almost three in 10 shops in Ireland failed to deny the sale of a scratchcard to underaged mystery shoppers.
Almost three quarters (72 per cent) of Irish shops visited during a recent ‘mystery shop’ exercise refused to sell scratchcards to underage test purchasers – up from 62 per cent in 2018.
While no purchases were completed by the mystery shoppers, and no offences in law committed by the retailers as a result, the figures from the test purchasers’ attempts to buy scratchcards underscore the need for tougher measures to curb sales to minors in retail outlets.
The figures come from a new report published today, commissioned by the regulator of the National Lottery, to check the effectiveness of the National Lottery operator’s efforts to ensure its retailers do not sell lottery products to under-18s.
Commenting on the importance of responsible gifting this Christmas, regulator of the National Lottery, Carol Boate, said: “While a popular gifting option at this time of year, National Lottery tickets or scratchcards are not appropriate Christmas gifts for under-18s, no matter how well intentioned the purchaser might be.
“We know childhood gambling can lead to a range of harms and increases your chances of experiencing gambling problems as an adult.
“It’s therefore vital that all adults are mindful of their responsibility to protect children by avoiding gifting them scratchcards this Christmas.”
Mystery Shop Key Findings and 2018 Progress Comparison
The mystery shop exercise undertaken earlier this year by Ipsos B&A found that 72 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds were denied a sale when attempting to buy a €1 scratchcard.
Increased compliance compared to 2018 was observed across all parts of Ireland, with test purchasers visiting 562 retail outlets including supermarkets, convenience stores, garage forecourts and post offices. None of the premises were given prior notice that the mystery shop would be taking place in order to provide the most representative snapshot of compliance rates.
Mandatory ‘18+’ signage was also observed in significantly more shops this year, up from 73 per cent in 2018 to 92 per cent in 2024.
Regulator requires operator to step up retailer compliance efforts
The regulator now expects the National Lottery’s operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) to take more action to drive an increase in compliance with the law by its retailers.
The regulator will undertake further mystery shop research to continue benchmarking the operator’s efforts to achieve full retailer compliance.
In support of this work, the regulator has also published advice to parents and guardians on how to talk to their children about National Lottery products and gambling generally.
Impact of measures introduced since 2018
Since the regulator’s previous mystery shop in 2018, PLI has implemented a ‘Think 21’ policy requiring all retail staff to ask for photo ID from anyone who appears to be under the age of 21.
As part of this policy, and in response to the regulator’s 2018 findings, PLI has also undertaken its own twice-yearly mystery shop exercises to assess compliance amongst retailers. The regulator’s mystery shop assesses the effectiveness of PLI’s efforts to maximise compliance amongst retailers.
Following the regulator’s previous mystery shop exercise, mandatory age and identity verification checks of all online players have been introduced to effectively shut down the online channel as an option for underage players.
The mystery shop exercise was undertaken in line with one of the regulator’s key objectives, to protect the interests of participants, including, in particular, that nobody under the age of 18 purchases a National Lottery game or scratchcard.
Commenting on the findings, Regulator of the National Lottery, Ms Boate said: “Our mystery shop clearly shows there is still significant room for improvement in terms of age challenge and sale refusal to under-18s. It is concerning to me that, despite progress, nearly three in 10 shops visited were still prepared to sell products to minors which can only legally be sold to people aged 18 and over.
“Retailers need to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude towards the sale of age-restricted products to children, and this needs to be the attitude of all National Lottery retailers.
“However, I am encouraged to see progress since our last mystery shop in 2018, with the majority of retail staff proactively requesting ID from our underage test-purchasers.
“I will be engaging with the National Lottery operator, PLI, about additional measures they might take to increase awareness and compliance amongst their retailers with all options on the table to help us towards a position where no child in Ireland can buy a National Lottery product.”
Regional trends
Some parts of the country performed better than others in refusing sales to the underage test purchasers, with Dublin (57 per cent) possessing by far the lowest rate of refusal and the rest of Leinster (84 per cent) the highest. Munster, (71 per cent) Connaught and Ulster’s (71 per cent) results were consistent with the national picture.
Scratchcard sales were more likely to be refused in urban communities than in rural, at 74 per cent and 69 per cent respectively.
