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Ensuring a fair Lottery for the nation
£28 billion for good causes
£40 billion in prizes

Overseas Play

1. Who is entitled to have a National Lottery Interactive Account?

To be able to play the National Lottery over the internet, or by direct debit, a player must be aged 16 or over, and they must also have (and continue to have):

  • a UK or Isle of Man address, at which you are recognised by checks carried out by Camelot; and
  • a UK or Isle of Man bank (or building society) account.

2. Can I play from overseas?

Laws in most other countries prevent people from playing foreign lotteries (including the UK National Lottery) when they are in that country. If Camelot were to sell a ticket to someone in one of these countries, Camelot would be breaking the law of that country, and would not be able to pay any prize that the ticket won.

3. So what’s changing?

From 23 April 2012 all overseas play will be blocked if you try and play online and Camelot’s location software detects you are trying to access your National Lottery account from outside the UK or Isle of Man. The rules were changed some time ago to prohibit overseas play and minimise the risk that players will buy unlawful tickets and will not be able to claim prizes.

4. Why can’t Camelot make a list of countries where it is legal to play?

There are over 200 countries in the world, and laws change over time. In order to keep an up to date and correct list of the countries in which it is legal to play, Camelot would have to find out the legal position in every country in the world, and monitor this for any changes. Also, it is likely that laws may be difficult to interpret. If Camelot’s interpretation was incorrect, players might be disadvantaged – either by not being allowed to play or by being prevented from claiming prizes.

Because of this, it would not be reasonable to require Camelot to maintain an accurate list of countries in which it is legal to play.

5. I am being blocked from playing, what should I do?

If you are being blocked from playing the National Lottery further information is available from the overseas access information section of National Lottery website.

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