Coroner urges Gambling Commission to bring National Lottery draw games under Gamstop

A British coroner has asked the Gambling Commission to consider including National Lottery draw games in the Gamstop national self-exclusion scheme. Emma Whitting, Senior Coroner for Bedfordshire and Luton, made the recommendation in a prevention of future deaths report on the death of Steve Goff, a father of two who took his own life after a long struggle with gambling addiction. The report was first covered by The Times.

Online sports betting and casino operators must join Gamstop as a licence condition. National Lottery online instant win games already fall within its scope, but draw games are exempt. The coroner noted that one of the last things Goff did was spend some of his remaining money on a National Lottery draw game. He had also gambled on both licensed and unlicensed sites. Offshore operators are outside Gamstop and often falsely display the logos of the Gambling Commission and other bodies.

Allwyn UK, which succeeded Camelot as National Lottery operator in 2024, said it is working closely with the Commission as it considers any changes to the scope of Gamstop. The company said it has improved player protections since taking over the licence, including monitoring of draw-based games, self-exclusion options, mandatory deposit and spend limits, and daily play caps.

A Commission spokesperson described draw-based games as generally lower risk than other gambling products and noted that consumers can already self-exclude from all online National Lottery games directly with the operator. Following the inquest, the regulator has been engaging with Gamstop and Allwyn on further protections. In the coming months it plans to explore changes, including the possibility of extending Gamstop's scope in some form.

The case also touches on the wider debate over regulatory differences between the National Lottery and the rest of the gambling sector. Some betting companies say they face tighter advertising rules than the Lottery, which can promote its games as a way to win life-changing money. Against that, government research, including a 2023 report by Public Health England and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, found the National Lottery to be the product least likely to be used by people showing harmful gambling behaviour.

The Lottery is nonetheless the most widely played form of gambling in Great Britain, with 31% of adults taking part according to the Commission's Gambling Survey for Great Britain. Acting Chief Executive Officer Sarah Gardner recently told Allwyn's Participant Protection Conference that the Lottery's status as a national institution brings higher standards and greater scrutiny, and that the risk of harm can never be fully removed.