National Lottery Act, 1986

Sale of National Lottery tickets.

7.—(1) (a) The Company may authorise such persons as it may determine to sell National Lottery tickets.

(b) The total number of persons who may be authorised under this subsection to sell National Lottery tickets shall be determined by the Company with the consent of the Minister.

(2) An authorisation under this section shall be in writing and shall be subject to such terms and conditions (including terms and conditions relating to the remuneration of persons by the Company in respect of the sale by them of National Lottery tickets and the time, form and method of such remuneration) as may be determined by the Company with the consent of the Minister and specified in the authorisation.

(3) A person (other than the Company) shall not sell, offer or expose for sale or invite an offer to buy or have in his possession for sale a National Lottery ticket unless he is the holder of an authorisation under this section entitling him to do so.

(4) A person shall not sell or offer for sale a National Lottery ticket to a person under the age of eighteen years or invite from such a person an offer to buy a National Lottery ticket.

(5) The form and price of a National Lottery ticket shall be determined by the Company.

(6) (a) The Company shall not give, distribute or sell to any person (other than holders of authorisations under this section) National Lottery tickets free of charge or at a price less than that at which they are sold to members of the public generally.

(b) This subsection does not apply to National Lottery tickets awarded as prizes in the National Lottery.

(7) (a) None of the following persons shall be entitled to own a National Lottery ticket that has been purchased for value or awarded as a prize in the National Lottery or any part of such a ticket:

(i) the Company or a director, agent or employee of the Company,

(ii) a person who prints National Lottery tickets or an employee of his or, if the person is a company, a director of the company,

(iii) a person who supplies any computers or other electronic devices of any kind, or parts for, or equipment or computer programming or instructions for use in or in conjunction with, any such devices used by the Company or a person who operates, maintains or repairs any such devices used by the Company or an employee of any of the persons aforesaid or, in the case of a person aforesaid that is a company, a director of the company.

(b) If a person specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection becomes the owner of the whole or part of a National Lottery ticket—

(i) he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable—

(I) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding £1,000, or

(II) on conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding £20,000,

(ii) the National Lottery ticket shall not be entered in the National Lottery and, if it is so entered, the owner or owners thereof shall not be entitled to be awarded any prize in the National Lottery in respect of the ticket, and

(iii) if a prize is awarded in the National Lottery to the owner or owners of the ticket, the prize shall be returned, not later than one month after its receipt, to the Company and, if it is not so returned, it or an amount equal to its value may be recovered by the Company from the owner or, jointly and severally, from the owners of the ticket as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction.

(c) It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to show that the National Lottery ticket concerned was purchased for him without his knowledge or consent by another person and (in the case of a person other than the Company) that, as soon as reasonably possible after becoming aware of the purchase, he informed the Company of the purchase and of the fact that he was not entitled to be the owner of the ticket.