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Scratchcards

View and download the Scratchcard Games Licence 2021.

Whenever Camelot want to make changes to any of these games they must apply to us for approval.

Before we will approve any changes and allow amendments to the game licence or licence additional games we look at issues like:

• player protection
• projected returns to good causes
• protecting player funds
• legality
• impact on the National Lottery brand and intellectual property.

We check that Camelot complies with the terms of those licences.

Listed as follows is the history of changes to the Scratchcards licence and our reasons for agreeing them.

March 2021

Licence varied to reflect the change of Age to Play from 16 to 18 which is applicable from 22 April 2021 and to reflect the extension to the Third Licence period.

September 2019

Rationale for agreeing the withdrawal of £10 scratchcard games

Summary

• in response to the Commission identifying new information which highlighted a possible link between problem gamblers and the £10 scratchcard, the operator, Camelot UK Lotteries Limited, commissioned further detailed research which showed that a significant proportion of £10 scratchcard players identified as problem gamblers (using the full PGSI screen)[1]

• based on the new evidence, the Commission considered that the association of problem gambling with the £10 scratchcard was such that it was not consistent with it being a legitimate leisure activity. Therefore, it was incompatible with our statutory duties to ensure the interests of players are protected and to ensure that the National Lottery is run with all due propriety

• the Licensee also recognised that this association was inconsistent with the standards it sets for itself to have low risk products in market and so voluntarily agreed to:

• withdraw £10 price point games issued under the Section 6 Scratchcard Class Licence pursuant to Schedule 3, Condition 14 - specifically ‘£4 Million Red’ and ‘£4 Million Black’ games

• withdraw games issued under the individual Section 6 ‘Diamond 7’ Scratchcard Licence pursuant to Schedule 2 Part II, Condition 9.

• with effect from 27 September 2019 all National Lottery £10 scratchcard games have been removed from sale and the Section 6 Scratchcard Class Licence has been varied to only permit scratchcard games to be sold at £1, £2, £3 and £5 price points until the end of the current Licence period in January 2023.

Decision and rationale

After careful consideration of new evidence both the Commission and the Licensee agreed that all scratchcards at the £10 price point should be removed from sale until we are satisfied that:

• the risks posed to our duties are mitigated
• the Commission has sufficient assurance that £10 scratchcards would not be of disproportionate appeal to problem gamblers when compared with other price points, and as such would not pose a heightened risk to players and thereby a risk to the National Lottery’s reputation
• whilst there is likely to be some negative impact on good causes, the Commission is satisfied that this decision reflects the primacy of our first two duties and was necessary and proportionate.

We note that the operator has taken timely action to address this issue once it had been identified and has acted in accordance with the terms of its licence and consistent with the objectives that underpin our statutory duties.

[1] Problem Gambling Severity Index

January 2019

Rationale for agreeing ‘Diamond 7’ Scratchcard game under an individual licence

Background

In 2018 Camelot sought approval from the Commission to allow it to launch the £10 ‘Diamond 7’ Scratchcard game. We have considered this request in line with our statutory duties and Directions issued to us by the Secretary of State.

Propriety (the game is fit and proper)

As with previous £10 scratchcard games, the Commission considered the following for the ‘Diamond 7’ application:

• being satisfied that the game is a legal lottery as defined in the Gambling Act 2005
• it being consistent with the National Lottery brand price of the ticket and prizes available were reasonably balanced
• the retail environment in which the game was available to players, being mindful of recent changes in policy impacting on the wider gambling sector
• prices of other games available in the portfolio. Having considered these points we were satisfied that permitting this request would be consistent with our duty to ensure that the game is fit and proper.

Protecting the interests of players

Under this duty, the Commission considered whether this proposition would encourage underage play or harmful play.

Camelot has been monitoring the impact of £10 scratchcard games on players, in particular looking for indicators or evidence of harm. In assessing the proposal we considered:

• Camelot’s rationale for continuing to have two £10 scratchcard games in market
• evidence supplied by Camelot as to the possible impact of the game on players, and how it uses monitoring and player protection tools to measure and evaluate the impact
• that evidence submitted on the structural and situational characteristics of the game, gave us assurance that the game did not pose any additional risks to players
• the evolution of Camelot’s responsible play approach in retail
• ongoing commitments by Camelot to gain a greater understanding of Scratchcard players.

The approval is granted on the basis that Camelot will undertake regular monitoring of the game and our ability to withdraw the game at any point, should there be player protection concerns.

Having considered these points, we were satisfied that licensing this product would be consistent with our statutory duty to protect players.

Returns to good causes

We were satisfied with Camelot’s analysis which forecasts that the proposition is likely to increase returns to Good Causes. Camelot has provided details of how it proposes to monitor the potential success of this trial to demonstrate that the proposition will increase returns to Good Causes. We will also monitor the impact of this game and continue to review this price point.

October 2015

Rationale for agreeing Camelot’s request to increase the percentage of scratchcard games priced in excess of £1 that can be licensed at any one time from 70 percent to 80 percent

We have considered this request in line with our statutory duties and directions issued to us by the Secretary of State.

Propriety (the game is fit and proper)

We were satisfied that this request did not present any risk to propriety, particularly given that the number of £1 games was not reducing in this instance.

Protecting the interests of players

We considered whether players will be disadvantaged by the changes and unable to access products most suited to their needs. Consideration of previous Camelot proposals assured us there is no link between product range and underage play.

In addition, we do not consider that the proposal poses any concerns surrounding excessive play. We were also satisfied that players will have access to the same number of £1 games so they are not being disadvantaged or expected to spend more to access National Lottery games.

Having considered these points, we were satisfied that permitting the request would be consistent with our duty to ensure that players are protected.

Returns to good causes

Camelot has predicted a small uplift in returns as a result of this change. In addition, we have undertaken extensive work in returns to good causes from scratchcards for other recent proposals and are satisfied that the change is likely to have a positive impact on returns, albeit it not a substantial one.

Decision

Having considered these points, we were satisfied that permitting the request was compatible with our duties.

October 2015 (second publication)

Rationale for agreeing Camelot’s request to launch £250 million Cash Spectacular under an individual licence

In 2015 Camelot sought approval to launch the £10 scratchcard game £250M Cash Spectacular. We have considered this request in line with our statutory duties and directions issued to us by the Secretary of State.

Propriety (the game is fit and proper)

We were satisfied that consideration of previous £10 scratchcard requests applied to this request, our considerations included:

• being satisfied that the game is a legal lottery as defined in the Gambling Act 2005
• it being consistent with the National Lottery brand price of the ticket and prizes available were reasonably balanced
• environment in which the game was available
• prices of other games available in the portfolio.

Having considered these points we were satisfied that that permitting the request would be consistent with our duty to ensure that the game is fit and proper.

Protecting the interests of players

Specific to this game we considered player comprehension, in particular whether the jackpot amount may be misinterpreted given the name of the game. Camelot has given assurance that the game call out area on this scratchcard will clearly explain the number of top prizes available.

This request would allow Camelot to have two £10 scratchcard games in the market concurrently, as the £4 Million colour pulse scratchcard card was embedded into the Class Licence in May 2015.

Camelot has been monitoring the impact of £10 games on players, in particular looking for indicators or evidence of harm. We considered:

• Camelot’s rationale for having two £10 games in market, which is to offer players more choice
• evidence supplied by Camelot as to the possible impact of the game and how it uses player protection tools to measure this
• the continuing evolution of Camelot’s responsible play provision in retail
• ongoing commitments by Camelot to gain a greater understanding of Scratchcard players.

The approval was subject to regular monitoring of the games and our ability to withdraw a game at any point, should there are be player protection concerns.

Having considered these points, we were satisfied that permitting this product under an individual licence would be consistent with our statutory duty to protect players.

Returns to good causes

We were satisfied with Camelot’s analysis which forecasts that introducing a second game to market at this price point would further benefit good causes. We will monitor the impact of this game and continue to monitor this price point.

June 2015

Rationale for agreeing products as a prize tier

In 2015 Camelot sought approval to trial a product as a prize tier proposition for a limited number of its instant games (interactive instant win games (IIWGs) and scratchcards). This means that rather than a winner receiving a stake-back cash prize, it would be awarded with another National Lottery instant product of the same value. For example if a scratchcard player won a stake back prize of £1, instead of awarding that prize as cash, the winner will be awarded a £1 scratchcard of their choice.

In reviewing this request, we considered the proposal in line with our statutory duties.

Propriety (the game is fit and proper)

The Commission is satisfied that this proposal raises no legal issues and is consistent with the National Lottery brand. Changes to the way the stake-back prize tier will be funded for those games trialling this promotion are in line with the retention model agreed for the third licence, a proportion of the proceeds from those products which are awarded as prizes will flow both to good causes and Camelot in the normal retention propositions.

Protecting the interests of players

We considered whether this proposition would encourage excessive or underage play and whether there would be any player comprehension issues. We were satisfied that this proposition would be consistent with our statutory duty to protect players interests, subject to Camelot amending the relevant player facing documents notifying players of this offering. We also noted that this was a trial only and we could consider any issues arising as part of future approvals.

Returns to good causes

The proposition is likely to increase returns to good causes. Camelot has provided details of how it proposes to monitor the potential success of this trial to demonstrate that the proposition will increase returns to good causes. We will monitor this post-launch.

September 2014

Rationale for agreeing request to permanently embed the £4 million Jackpot colour pulse scratchcard game into the scratchcard class licence

In 2015 we permitted Camelot to incorporate the £4 Million colour pulse £10 scratchcard game into the class licence on a permanent basis. This change means that Camelot will be permitted to launch this type of game without the prior consent from the Gambling Commission.

In reviewing this request we reflected on the history of the £10 scratchcard game, of which the first, £4 Million Blue, was approved in May 2012 under an individual licence. Three similar games (same jackpot, but different colours) have been launched to date, and one different £10 game (with an annuity prize), following similar considerations in accordance with our statutory duties.

In light of the previous games and new information provided by Camelot we considered this request in line with our statutory duties and Directions issued to us by the Secretary of State.

Propriety (the game is fit and proper)

We were satisfied that considerations of previous £10 scratchcard game requests applied to this latest request to permanently include it in the class licence, including:

• being satisfied that the game is a legal lottery as defined in the Gambling Act 2005
• being consistent with the National Lottery brand
• price of the ticket and prizes available were reasonably balanced
• environment in which the game was available
• prices of other games available in the portfolio.

Having considered these points we were satisfied that permitting the requested change would be consistent with our duty to ensure that the game is fit and proper. This is supported by earlier considerations of £10 games under individual game licences, none of which have any reported issues of propriety.

Protecting the interests of players

We note since the launch of the first £10 scratchcard game in May 2012 Camelot has been monitoring the impact of this price point on players, in particular looking for indicators or evidence of harm to players.

In considering this request we considered:

• evidence supplied by Camelot as to the impact of the game on players
• how it uses its player protection tools to measure the impact of the game
• evolution of Camelot’s tools and responsible play provision in retail and how it intends to develop those tools further, including the timescales for doing so
• ongoing commitments by Camelot to gain a greater understanding of scratchcard players.

Having considered these points and reflecting on our own experience and monitoring of the £10 scratchcard games licensed to date we were satisfied that permitting this product into to the class licence would be consistent with our statutory duty to protect players.

Returns to good causes

We were satisfied with Camelot’s analysis which forecast that this price point would continue to benefit good causes. We will continue to monitor the impact of this price point.

Files

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Scratchcard Games Licence 31 August 2022 (PDF)

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Last updated: 13 December 2022

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