Lotto Austria raises age limit from 10 July

In a recent press release, Österreichische Lotterien Gesellschaft m.b.H. announced plans for a major change in its business policy: The age limit for the sale of betting slip games and instant lotteries is to be raised with effect from Monday 10 July. The aim is to improve the protection of players and young people.

Lotto is a classic, socially accepted game of mass chance across Europe. Millions of fans in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other countries submit their tickets week after week in the hope of winning the big prize. In the case of our Austrian neighbours, however, the number of tickets submitted is likely to drop soon.

Lottery will only be allowed there from 10 July if the minimum age is 18. The original age limit was 16. Similar to the German gambling industry, Austria has been working on optimising the protection of players and minors for several years. In its press release, Österreichische Lotterien Gesellschaft m.b.H. refers to this as "another milestone in responsible gaming".

You must be 18 years or older to play and collect winnings

The age limit for playing Lotto 6aus49, EuroMillions and other lotteries in Austria has always been 16. With the increase in the minimum age, Austrian lottery officials say they will continue to check whether the person is eligible to participate. The age requirement is a voluntary self-restriction that must be supported by the lottery offices. In this way, Österreichische Lotterien Gesellschaft m.b.H. would identify itself as a socio-politically responsible licensee of lottery games.

This means that lottery shop operators are contractually obliged to ensure that no minors participate in the regulated games when selling or accepting lottery tickets. Identity checks are therefore carried out. Younger lottery players can expect to be asked about their age more often, especially in the first period after the changeover.

Incidentally, in the event of a (large) win, even in such an exceptional case, the lucky winner who is not yet of age cannot freely dispose of the money. Even before the age of majority was raised, it was already the case that, as with the other assets of minors, the parents or other legal representatives were initially responsible for managing them.

There are very different age limits for lotteries around the world

Lotteries exist all over the world and all of them have certain age limits for participation. In Germany, you have to be at least 18 years old to play the lottery. In the UK, as in Austria, the age limit is 16. In Ireland, the minimum age is 18. In the Netherlands and France, lotteries are also only open to adults.

The same is true in Australia. Here, the organisation of lottery games is a matter for the individual states, but the age limit is set by a federal law: Only adults - i.e. people aged 18 or over - are allowed to participate. Participation is regulated differently in Canada. The individual provinces organise the lottery and set the minimum age independently. In most regions the minimum age is 18. However, there are parts of the country where you have to be 19 to play the lottery.

The United States is another country where the states run the lotteries. Like Canada, most states allow anyone over the age of 18 to buy lottery tickets. In Nebraska, however, you have to be 19 to play, and in three regions it is even stricter: in Arizona, Iowa and Louisiana, you have to be 21 to play.

Conclusion

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/de-de/foto/2-junge-der-auf-braunem-boden-sitzt-wahrend-er-ihr-smartphone-in-der-nahe-der-frau-benutzt-die-tagsuber-auf-der-bank-mit-dem-smartphone-sitzt-159395/