Channel Islands Lottery Comes Under Fire

Channel Islands Lottery tickets have critics raising concerns over pressure to buy during the holiday season. (Image: Casinos.com)

A former compulsive gambler on the island of Jersey has called for greater regulation of the Channel Islands Lottery and the way the operator markets its Christmas lottery draws and scratchcard games. 

Although a British Crown Dependency under the direct protection of the United Kingdom, the small island situated some 14 miles off the northern coast of France nevertheless has its own independent government in charge of regulating a vast array of matters, including gambling such as online casinos and lotteries.

Lucrative License 

Its status as an almost entirely autonomous nation has allowed Jersey to operate the Channel Islands Lottery in partnership with nearby Guernsey since 1975. This enterprise is responsible for scratchcard games featuring instant prizes of up to £20,000 ($26,000) alongside an annual Christmas lottery draw that last year awarded one lucky punter with £500,000 ($651,000) in cash.

Channel Islands Lottery also regularly splits any proceeds between a range of local charities, including Jersey Zoo, which last year received roughly £30,000 ($39,000) to help improve accessibility for visitors living with disabilities.

The operator revealed tickets for the next edition of its Christmas draw, which is set to be held on December 19, went on sale last week complete with a minimum guaranteed top prize of £300,000 ($390,300).

Distinct Disapproval 

However, one former compulsive gambler on Jersey told ITV Channel News the island’s Public Lotteries Board regulator should force the Channel Islands Lottery to abide by stricter rules around the sale and promotion of its scratchcard contests. 

The figure given the placeholder name ‘Daniel’ reportedly asserted the high-profile marketing of the instant-win cards at retailers across the island, especially in the run-up to the Christmas holidays, makes him feel ‘pressured into buying’. 

“During the Christmas period, as you’re paying for your shopping, the cashier is asking you if you would like to buy a lottery ticket,” the unidentified 51-year-old said. “Now, for someone who is a compulsive gambler, that gets quite difficult. Of course, you say 'no,’ but every time you go into the shops, you’re being asked.” 

Costly Concern 

The anonymous critic reportedly explained his problems with gambling started in the early 1980s after visits to Jersey’s many penny arcades. He told ITV Channel News that Channel Island Lottery still offers £10 ($13) scratchcard tickets even though such high-priced instant-win contests were axed by the United Kingdom’s National Lottery in 2019. 

“It's the fact that you are almost pressured into buying scratchcards and lottery tickets,” the disappointed figure said. “It doesn't matter where you go; they are sitting by the tills like an impulse buy.”  

Alteration Aptitude  

Retailers on Jersey and Guernsey receive a commission on any scratchcards or lottery tickets they unload, although Channel Islands Lottery reportedly stated it does not encourage vendors to employ high-pressure sales tactics. The operator additionally baulked at a suggestion it should copy the UK and limit to ten the number of instant-win cards that can be simultaneously purchased. 

Entrenched Enterprise

Jon Taylor leads Channel Islands Lottery and he told ITV Channel News his operation raised about £2.5 million ($3.2 million) last year for a range of good causes across Jersey and Guernsey.

As such, the broadcaster forecast lottery games are likely to remain an entertainment option for Channel Islanders well into the future, despite criticism from those like ‘Daniel’ who advocated for the removal of the 'scratchcard portion of the lottery ticket’ and the treatment of any advertising ‘the same as cigarettes’.  

“Once we gather all the evidence and information that we have, both from a health impact scenario and from an opportunity to maximize returns to good causes, all that information will be gathered and that will help inform our decision-making process for the future of the lottery,” Taylor said.