GambleAware has published a new research which shows that three in four members of the public want the National Lottery to do more to help people experiencing gambling harms. The charity is urging the National Lottery provider, Allwyn UK, to direct people to help and support available. Unlike other charity lotteries the National Lottery does not currently signpost to support on its advertising.

The research is based on figures from GambleAware’s forthcoming Annual Treatment and Support Survey 2024, a nationally representative online survey of almost 18,000 adults over the age of 18, conducted by YouGov. It found that the majority of the public (84%) agree that the National Lottery is a form of gambling, with almost half (46%) disagreeing that the National Lottery products are harmless. The research also found that almost three quarters (74%) of the public agree that the National Lottery should signpost people to support for gambling harm on its products. Similar research in 2023 also found that almost seven in 10 (69%) of the public also agree that National Lottery adverts should sign post to GambleAware “like other gambling adverts do”.

GambleAware is calling on the National Lottery to signpost people to gambling support services on its advertising as well as products such as tickets, scratchcards, and online instant win games. Unlike other charity lotteries, the National Lottery does not currently signpost to support on its advertising, making it an outlier in this respect.

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee also recommended in 2022 that the National Lottery should signpost to gambling support services, such as GambleAware, but this has not been implemented.

National Lottery products are used by millions of people each week and reach far more people experiencing gambling harms than any other gambling brand. Previous research from GambleAware found there could be up to 600,000 people experiencing “problem gambling” who take part in the National Lottery draw.

“When I gave up gambling and self-excluded myself from places I could gamble, the one thing I couldn’t bar myself from was playing the lottery in shops. When I got a craving in my early recovery, I bought £450 worth of scratch cards.

“I later moved on to buying online scratch cards, which look like fruit machines and make sounds. There was a big jackpot where you could win a million pounds so I was really lured into those and was spending a lot. I know other people experiencing gambling harm who have had similar experiences with the National Lottery, so putting information on tickets and scratch cards about where people can get support would help so much,” a woman with lived experience of gambling harm said.

“I registered on the National Lottery app, and I got a bit of a habit with the instant scratch cards on there because they make it so easy for you to play… it did lead me into financial difficulty; I wasn’t able to buy food for about a week because I’d spent the food shopping money on scratch cards,” a respondent to GambleAware’s Annual Treatment and Support Survey said.

The National Lottery’s reach amongst those experiencing gambling harm means it has a critical role to play in preventing and reducing gambling harm. This alongside its popularity and public trust in its brand, means that measures taken by the National Lottery operator to improve signposting across its products and advertising could have a substantial positive impact.

Andy Boucher, GambleAware Chair of Trustees, said: “We recognise the great work the National Lottery has done supporting a range of worthy causes over many years. In the public’s mind, it is there to do good in the community, and so we believe it is also the right thing for it to look after the people who play the National Lottery. Allwyn, the National Lottery’s current operator, has previously stated that ‘player safety is our top priority’ and it must live up to those words and play a critical role in protecting people from gambling harms, which are a serious public health issue that can drive societal inequalities, worsen mental health issues, and increase pressure on our over-burdened health system.

“This is why we are calling for clearer signposting on the National Lottery’s products and advertising. The signposting we want to see is already a minimum standard across other charity lotteries, and we believe that it is only right that the National Lottery adopts them, as an organisation whose purpose is to benefit good causes and have a positive effect on society.”

Ian Semel, CEO of one of the National Gambling Support Network treatment providers, Breakeven, said: “At Breakeven we have over 20 years’ experience of delivering help and support to anyone affected by gambling-related harms. We are proud to be an integral member of the National Gambling Support Network and offer services across the East of England, and Kent and Sussex in the South East of England, with instant access to treatment and support without any waiting times.

“Around 11% of clients who came to us for support in 2024 disclosed that the National Lottery or scratch cards were causing them gambling harm. Therefore we have joined the call for the National Lottery to signpost to support services like us as it is crucial for people to be able to access support as soon as they recognise they may be starting to experience gambling harms.”