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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to think a birthday scratch card win was harmless fun?

368 replies

Fidbdfb · 04/06/2026 16:30

It was my daughter’s birthday this week, and I got her a scratch card just for a bit of fun.

She ended up winning £100 from a £5 card.

I mentioned it to a friend, but she felt quite strongly that she’d never let her child do anything like that, as she sees it as gambling.

It felt a bit over the top to me, to me it was just a harmless bit of fun for a special occasion....

Is she being over top?

OP posts:
Newone123456 · 05/06/2026 18:33

Friend is just jealous!! It’s just a bit of fun and I bet your daughter was over the moon. Your friend sounds odd

sugarapplelane · 05/06/2026 18:31

Ignore all the posters being pains in the arses

it’s just a bit if harmless fun

My Grandad used to put a get in the Grand National for all us Grandchildren when we were younger. None of us are gamblers.

Some really ridiculous posts on this thread

sorry Op

godmum56 · 05/06/2026 18:28

SleepingStandingUp · 05/06/2026 16:06

I think of you have more than 1 kid, the issue is the possible disparity. your Mom buys two raffle tickets, your sister gets a book or some toiletries or a toy and you get nothing. your sister gets 100k and you get nothing.
even with op giving the kids £200 pocket money a noth, that's gonna create a huge difference in their lives

its how children learn about winning and not winning.

godmum56 · 05/06/2026 18:24

she is being so far over the top, she can probably see the Great Wall of China from space.

Dawnb19 · 05/06/2026 18:24

It's harmless. Your friend is over reacting. My parents would always let us do the lotto growing up for our birthday. It's pretty common. All my friends parents did the same.

WhatYouWearing · 05/06/2026 18:24

Next posters will be suggesting your DD will demand a huge birthday cake for every day of the year just because she got one on her birthday. The people I know who gamble also drink and smoke. They have addicted personalities. I don’t think a one off birthday treat will hurt.

MirrorMirror1247 · 05/06/2026 18:23

I wasn't given scratchcards but I do remember putting 20p bets on the grand national with my family when I was mid teens. I don't play the lottery, but I've been to bingo a couple of times and sometimes I like to play roulette at the local casino. I usually come away with slightly more than I started with because I prefer to quit while I'm ahead. The most I've ever lost in one night is £50, but as I'm a member, they recently gave me a free £20 bet. I walked away with £63 that night. I'm sensible with my gambling. I often see men handing over hundreds of pounds to the croupier. That's not sensible!

Teddybear23 · 05/06/2026 18:20

Basically you bought the card, therefore officially you have won £100. Therefore there is no issue whatsoever. If you give her £100 it is just a gift from you to her. Ridiculous to suggest you may be encouraging gambling 🙄

Julimia · 05/06/2026 18:18

She didn't need to think it through because it didn't happen.

BotterMon · 05/06/2026 18:11

I think it's great OP and I hope she enjoys her win. The pearl clutchers are out in force today!

Sunshineandrainmakesrainbows · 05/06/2026 18:07

I’ve bought scratch cards for all my kids since they were small (always in their Xmas sack). It’s a bit of fun in my opinion

Kellph83 · 05/06/2026 18:01

My Nan used to get us lotto tickets and scratch cards for our bdays as a little extra! I’m not a raving gambler now. Jeez your friend was well over the top imo! What if someone bought her daughter one, and she won big.., Is she saying she wouldn’t take the money? I think not!

BeRarePlumCrab · 05/06/2026 17:56

When we came of age, my parents bought me and my siblings a scratchcard for our birthday. We loved it. We didnt win anything but i remember thinking ill do that with mine and i will. Its fun. Your friend sounds jealous tbh and maybe the fact your daughter won £100 helped fuel it. I hope she enjoys her winnings. I was waiting for you to say that your friend thought your daughter should pass the winnings back. Dont let anyones judgement interfere with your life and decisions. You helped make her birthday even more wonderful.

LoopyLoo1991 · 05/06/2026 17:14

We were doing the local council scratch cards in the 1990s. So I must have been 5 or 6. Our crazy mother did snatch the card off us when we won £50 once. These were 50p scratchies were 50p each.

SeenItAllMostly · 05/06/2026 16:42

PyongyangKipperbang · 05/06/2026 15:40

A lot of OTT reactions here! Its one scratch card, hardly in the same league as encouraging her to bet her £50 pocket money on Nun's Chuff to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup!

🤣

SeenItAllMostly · 05/06/2026 16:41

@Fidbdfbhonestly these replies some of them need to get a life yes buying your daughter a scratch card for any occasion is fine. It’s a bit of fun. And well done to her For winning 100 quid that’s a story she’s going to remember forever at Christmas we always buy random scratch cards or put scratch cards in our Christmas crackers and for all the children too usually the £1 ones they all love it the thrill of it and I doubt they’re gonna grow up to be a regular at gamblers anonymous either! How amazing for her have won that money hopefully she decides to use it to take her mum for a nice lunch when she can spend it out at the shops and as for your friend maybe she should keep her opinions to herself. Everyone raises their children differently and if she feels quite strongly that shouldn’t never let her child do anything like that then maybe she should let her angel 13 year-old out with a spy cam to see what she really gets up to.
Some people are very precious about their children honestly if I was you stop asking for opinions and enjoy sounds like right fun and I bet your daughter can’t wait to go and Brag to her friend she won £100 on scratchcard good luck to her! Also sidenote your grandad won the lottery. She might have that good luck charm too! 😉

SleepingStandingUp · 05/06/2026 16:06

Cheersminesalargeone · 05/06/2026 10:11

Surely this is no different to buying a ticket on the tombola stall at the village/school fete, or a raffle.

I think of you have more than 1 kid, the issue is the possible disparity. your Mom buys two raffle tickets, your sister gets a book or some toiletries or a toy and you get nothing. your sister gets 100k and you get nothing.
even with op giving the kids £200 pocket money a noth, that's gonna create a huge difference in their lives

SleepingStandingUp · 05/06/2026 16:01

Fidbdfb · 04/06/2026 16:50

That's life though.

My son will get one on his birthday this year and if he doesnt win then thats just life!

you really think if you essentially gave one kid 100k for her birthday and theo there one got a losing card that their relationship would be perfect, your son would just sweetly shrug his shoulders and declare he's just happy for her?

PyongyangKipperbang · 05/06/2026 15:40

A lot of OTT reactions here! Its one scratch card, hardly in the same league as encouraging her to bet her £50 pocket money on Nun's Chuff to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup!

grumpygrape · 05/06/2026 13:15

AutisticLass2026 · 05/06/2026 12:58

Not something I would ever do for my kids

But, why ?

Not saying you are right or wrong but discussion is more than saying yes or no

AutisticLass2026 · 05/06/2026 12:58

Not something I would ever do for my kids

Edenmum2 · 05/06/2026 12:48

My mum puts one in our Christmas crackers and has done for many years. None of the family are gambling addicts as far as I’m aware. It’s fine in my opinion OP, but you’ll always find someone who thinks the opposite to you.

BunnyLake · 05/06/2026 12:46

scalt · 05/06/2026 06:27

Perhaps the Fawlty Towers episode where Basil bets (and wins) on a horse should be compulsory viewing.

“That particular avenue of pleasure (betting) has been closed off.”
“And we don’t want it opened up again, do we?”
”No, you don’t.”

”If I find out the money on that horse was yours, you know what I’ll do, Basil.”
”You’ll have to sew ‘em back on first!”

As for when children drew the raffle at my church; I thought the reason they were blindfolded was to make sure there was no cheating. But maybe it was to fulfil a requirement of “they’re not involved in gambling if they can’t see while they’re doing it”.

I remember that. Got to love Sybil 😂

Fidbdfb · 05/06/2026 12:45

I didn’t expect so many replies, and I’ve only just had a chance to catch up.
Some of the responses are completely over the top.

The fact that people have brought up words like “vibrator” and “rape” in this context is honestly wild.

We already do plenty of the things people have mentioned. I used to pick horses for the Grand National as a child, and now my kids do the same. We love a 2p machine and usually go on a few caravan holidays each year where we’ll play them now and then. We also take part in school fete raffles and tombola's.

And for what it’s worth, my grandad won the lottery when I was young, he paid off his mortgage and took us abroad on holiday. I grew up seeing that, and I still don’t gamble. I can’t even remember the last time I bought a scratch card before my child’s birthday.

OP posts:
Fidbdfb · 05/06/2026 12:33

lornad00m · 04/06/2026 22:35

And she won. £100. That could be quite the incentive for a 13yr old to want to start buying scratch cards themselves.

Without sounding like a twat.

£100 isn't a huge amount of money. My daughter gets £50 pocket money a month so essentially its only 2 months pocket money. I don't think a £100 win will draw her in to much. Nice to have of course but thats it.

OP posts:
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