Adolescent participation in the U.K. national lottery games

This study investigated illegal participation in the two U.K. National Lottery games (on-line game and scratchcards) by children under the age of 16 years. The sample consisted of 256 children aged between 13 and 15 years from four mixed-sex comprehensive schools/colleges, which serve city, town, rural and coastal catchment areas in the county of Devon, U.K. Pupils completed a questionnaire in a controlled environment at their respective schools/colleges. The findings indicated that 56% of the sample had participated in the National Lottery on-line game and 54% in the National Lottery Instants scratchcards. Regression analysis revealed that the best predictors of participation in the on-line game were income, household participation, whether the TV show was watched and whether a retailer had ever refused to sell a child a lottery ticket. The same variables (minus watching of the TV show) were also the best predictors of buying scratchcards.