Britain stops young people gambling while approving contraception and abortion
by Ann Farmer, MercatorNet:
Although British girls are ‘growing up’ more slowly, they are still being given access to contraception and abortion.
From October next year the minimum age for playing the National Lottery in Britain will be raised to 18, although online sales to under-18s will cease in April.
The move is partly in response to a report by the House of Lords Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry which was released earlier this year. The report, Gambling Harm — Time for Action, found the rate of problem gambling among 11–16-year-old children “is twice as high as for adults” and “for boys alone it is three times as high”.
The report states: “The legal availability of certain forms of commercial gambling to under-18s in Great Britain is unusual by international standards and has been described as an ‘historical accident’.” It goes on to ask: “Should young people between 16 and 18 be able to purchase National Lottery products?”
The London Telegraph has pointed out that the problem has been growing at a time when children are tending to grow up more slowly:
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