Allwyn, which operates the National Lottery, has claimed that the rate of retailers correctly asking for ID as proof of age for lottery sales is at its highest level since National Lottery mystery shopping visits started over two decades ago.
As part of its new Operation Guardian programme, Allwyn organised over 8,200 mystery shopper visits in 2024 to check retailers were challenging players who appeared under the age of 18. The final results show that a record-breaking 92.3% of National Lottery retailers correctly asked for ID as proof of age on their first visit.
Allwyn also carried out 4,000 ‘excessive play’ visits to ensure stores could provide support information to players requesting help with their play if needed. Towards the end of the year, this also incorporated a smaller-scale mystery shop exercise for the new 10-Scratchcard per purchase limit, which Allwyn officially launched in October 2024.
The final part of Operation Guardian, a ‘knowledge check’, encompassed 4,000 visits which assessed store staff’s knowledge around preventing underage play and minimising excessive play. Retailers were tested using six core questions, and 85% of retailers answered five or more questions correctly.
Any retailer not passing one of the three parts making up Operation Guardian received additional training from Allwyn. This is further to the training they regularly receive either face-to-face via Allwyn’s increased retail sales team or through its new Retailer Training Centre. In 2024, Allwyn made over 130,000 face-to-face and phone contacts to support National Lottery retailers in selling The National Lottery responsibly.
Allwyn’s Director of Commercial Partnerships and Retail Sales, Alison Acquaye-Acford, said: “A huge congratulations to our 40,000-plus National Lottery retailers for their commitment to selling The National Lottery responsibly and raising their standards to the highest levels ever seen.
“Participant protection is central to Allwyn’s plans for growing The National Lottery responsibly over the next decade and this is clear to see from the successful introductions of new training and initiatives in 2024, including Operation Guardian and the 10-Scratchcard limit. We’re delighted that our work in this area is already bearing fruit with these record-breaking figures. This is all down to the diligence of our retail partners, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their excellent work and dedication in this area.”
