UK National Lottery games will no longer be available to players under the age of 18 from next week.
The changes will prevent 16 and 17-year-olds from buying any lottery games from Thursday 22 April, in line with other gambling products in the UK, although they will be allowed to claim prizes for tickets and scratchcards purchased before this date.
The increase in the age limit follows a government review last year, which concluded that the minimum age to participate in National Lottery games should be the same as the legal age for other forms of gambling at 18.
The change applies to retail and online lottery sales, with new online accounts set to be subject to age verification checks via Experian.