Camelot Highlights the Success of Its Operation 18 Program

Camelot, the incumbent operator of Britain’s National Lottery, reported record-breaking ID check rates across its shops in the United Kingdom. The company noted that the results attest to its commitment to safer gambling.

As part of its Operation 18 mystery shopper program, Camelot made more than 11,600 retailer visits. The results of this initiative demonstrated that a whopping 92% of retailers did indeed ask customers for ID as proof of age on their first visit.

Camelot called these results “impressive,” especially when considering that the minimum age to participate in the National Lottery was increased from 16 to 18 in 2021.

In addition to its Operation 18 program, Camelot also ran a variety of other Responsible Retailing training initiatives. As an example, the company’s Retail Team contacted National Lottery retailers more than 160,000 times, offering advice on preventing underage gambling and supporting healthy play.

Speaking of healthy play, the company’s Healthy Play mystery shopping initiative saw employees make over 4,000 store visits, educating retailers on the signs of potential gambling harm. Luckily, 94% of the visited shops passed the healthy play knowledge check, highlighting the importance of regular communication.

To top it off, Camelot reported a strong end of the year with 88% of retailers saying that they were content with the level of service Camelot’s dedicated retailer hotline provided.

Alex Green Praised the Results

Alex Green, Camelot’s retail director, commented on the results, thanking all National Lottery retailers for their dedication to prioritizing player safety. He lauded their efforts in complying with the recently changed age of play, saying that the impressive results of the Operation 18 campaign attest to the hard work of both retailers and Camelot’s team.

Green added that age checks are only one form of player protection. However, retailers’ knowledge of underage play and healthy play was equally impressive, as attested by the mystery shopper programs.

About the Program

Camelot’s Operation 18 is a mystery shopping program that fields youthful adults (since using minors would be against the law) who visits shops across the country to check whether retailers would ask them for ID.

If a retailer sells to these mystery customers three times without demanding an ID first, the National Lottery terminal would be suspended and may even get removed. Luckily, the results of the program show that most of the shops across the United Kingdom are committed to following the rules.