ALMOST all of Swindon's National Lottery retailers are taking their responsibility seriously and refusing to sell National Lottery scratchcards to under-age children.
That is the conclusion of a report carried out by trading standards officers in the borough.
Underage volunteers trying to buy a National Lottery Instants card from 46 retailers in Swindon were refused by all but one. It is illegal to sell national lottery tickets or scratchcards to anyone under the age of 16.
The details of the retailer that did sell a scratchcard to an 11-year-old girl will be passed to Camelot, the company that runs the National Lottery.
The survey was carried out to coincide with National Consumer Week which started Monday and finishes tomorrow.
Surveys have shown that people on lower incomes are the most likely to play the Lottery and the link between gambling and debt is well established.
Officers were pleased to note that many of the shops surveyed asked for proof of age and, when it was not produced, refused to serve the young person. Swindon trading standards provide a free CitizenCard to all young people under the age of 18 who live in the town or attend secondary school or college in the borough.
The result is in stark contrast to the results of another recent survey by trading standards, in which two out of three shops tested sold knives or blades to under-age volunteers.
Senior trading officer Russell Sharland said: "We believe the fact we had so few sales in this survey is related to the thorough under-age sales training that Camelot provide.
"We hope that retailers of other age-restricted products will follow this example by providing comprehensive training for all sales assistants, till prompts, warnings and request proof of age such as the CitizenCard."
Retailers wishing to know more about the CitizenCard scheme and how it can help them deal with under-age sales should contact Swindon's CitizenCard officer Katie White on Swindon 466155.
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