Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Durham Richard Holden has argued that the age in which UK National Lottery games can be played should be raised to 18 to align itself with the rest of the gambling industry.

In a recent editorial piece for ConservativeHome, Holden stated that he wants the National Lottery’s age limit to be raised from 16 to 18 in order to tackle under-18 gambling.

He added while the lottery ‘has clearly raised vast fortunes for various good causes, and ensured a healthy profit for its operator throughout, Camelot’, the landscape has changed a lot since the lottery’s inception in 1994, with scratchcards and instant win online games providing more ways to play.

The Tory MP said scratchcards and instant win online games have ‘moved the dial’ far from a ‘bit of fun’ to more than a ‘bit of a problem’, and they now make up almost as much in revenue terms as the four weekly (two lottery and two Euromillions) draws combined.

Holden said: “The lottery says that it has very small numbers of 16 and 17-year-old players, but the truth is that they really don’t know because there is no real age breakdown from retail sales of scratchcards. More important still is that all lottery players, of whatever age, are able to spend £350 a week online.

“It seems clear to me that allowing 16 and 17-year-olds (who we now require to be in education at least part time until they’re 18) to lose £350/week in fixed odds online gambling – and obviously unlimited sums in retailers – is madness. We’ve raised the age at which you do everything from buy cigarettes to the age at which you can serve on the front line to 18, and therefore it appears perverse that we allow the spending of such large amounts by 16 and 17-year-olds.

“Given that the lottery doesn’t seem to understand that continuing to allow this is seriously tarnishing its brand and its reputation as ‘a bit of fun that raises cash for good causes’, and is unwilling to call for its licence to be changed itself, it’s time for MPs to act to save the good from the bad.”

He added: “The lottery’s defence is that this all means more cash for good causes but where – or more specifically who – you’re getting that cash from really does matter. I don’t think it should be from the pockets of 16 and 17-year-olds gambling up to £350 a week on instant win games.”