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

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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?

Bloody hell, there are some kill joys in here tonight!

Do these guys also think we should ban raffles then!?

I’ve been picking horses out for my parents since I was about 3. I’m now nearly 40 and strangely enough, not a gambling addict. And neither are my parents.

I hope your daughter enjoys her winnings!

People have been prosecuted for facilitating children to gamble although not often.

My personal view on gambling is that much like alcohol, the best way is for parents to introduce it to children in a responsible manner.

In my experience the best way is to focus on maths rather than the gambling per se.

If children understand maths and probability then their assessment of gambling is likely to be more advanced than those who don’t possess such mathematical competency.

Not a big deal at all. Some people on here are ridiculous. I’m looking for the person who suggests informing the police for under age gambling. There will be one somewhere!

Well OP, if not going to save the money, at least now she will learn a little about budgeting and spending!

If she wants to go out and buy more scratch cards you may have an issue :-) but I doubt you will start a lifetime habit of gambling on this one win. To me at that age, it's no worse than buying a raffle ticket at the school fare..

It’s just a bit of fun! I let DC1 pick my lottery numbers 🤭

Op it can be fun but there is a reason it has an age limit. The gamblers who have lost everything thought it was fun I’m sure until it took over their lives. I just hope your son isn’t disappointed if he doesn’t win money. It’s not exactly like a tombola is it.

A one off for a 13 year old I cant really get wound up about but scratch cards In a pass the parcel at a kids party is wild 😂😱

We put them in homemade Christmas crackers each year. I think our kids think they are a Christmas cracker treat that is the 'norm'...no fortune telling fish or plastic golf tees.😆

I think one offs for birthdays/Christmas is fine.

I remember scratching scratch cards off when j was far younger than 13! It’s fun! I haven’t even bought a lottery ticket in my adult life it didn’t scar me 😂

I am at a loss to understand why betting e.g. on horses etc is considered gambling, but the lottery, scratch cards etc. are not. They are. The amount of online gambling is also horrifying and due, in part, to the increase in scratch cards and lottery. Anyone with a propensity for gambling will be hooked just as easily by any of these.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have the odd flutter. But I wouldn't encourage children or young people to see it as harmless. They often don't have the same firmness of mind or experience to control their impulses. There is quite enough temptation out there without parents encouraging them.

Must be illegal for a reason. Maybe tptb feel gambling at a young age, especially when there's a win involved is a risk.

My kids make home made Xmas crackers with their grandma and put scratch cards in and have been for a good few years. They are 12 and 14. I see it as a bit of harmless fun!

I don't gamble so I don't buy things like that and I wouldn't want my children having scratch cards, but if you are ok with gambling then I guess it fits your ethics to let her have one.

Sanctimonious @StephQ1

People have been prosecuted for facilitating children to gamble

But that’s not what was asked. Can you cite any examples of parents buying scratch cards for their children being prosecuted? As you are such an expert?

It’s technically a criminal offence to be drunk in charge of cattle or while carrying a hay bale. Or handling a salmon in suspicious circumstances. Or sounded a car horn in the middle of the night without a present danger. Or paying for your Drive Thru Big Mac with your phone.

As with many Mumsnet threads the OPINIONS are divided on the basis of MORALITY - some see this as harmless fun and others an abhorrent act of underage gambling.

Suggesting that the LEGALITY is the primary concern here and those that haven’t cited it are comical makes you the joke as you’ve entirely missed the point.

People are batshit, I can't believe people have an issue with this. Is it not on par with those claw machines where you put in your money & may or may not win a prize?????

Of course it is. Not suggesting it isn’t.

But we’re talking about one scratchcard once a year.

Agree ! MN becomes more and more hysterical every day 🤦‍♀️How do posters cope if their child wins on tombola/ lucky dip at school fair??

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

But they can’t buy them themselves, can they?

And I think 13 is old enough to be able to explain to them that they’ve been incredibly lucky to get that and the odds from winning on these things are pretty crap.

My grandparents and parents have been buying us scratch cards since we were about 6/7 and I always buy them for birthdays and Christmas for mine. If it’s gifted what’s the problem…

Hmm. I remember when I was in my early 20s I bought a scratch card to give my little brother aged about 12 in his birthday card. Mum stopped me putting it into the card, saying “what if he wins? Just give him a tenner”.. I hadn’t considered that winning could be anything other than positive, but on reflection I could see her point and I do think that gambling is not really a wise thing to introduce at a young age. So I did just give him a tenner, which is more than he would have got from the scratchcard anyway.

On the flip side, I used to spend loads on the 2p machines down the arcade as a child, so maybe I am being hypocritical? 🤔

Take no notice. Well done on the win!

Yes because teenagers never find ways of circumventing the law if they're motivated enough. 🙄

'And I think 13 is old enough to be able to explain to them that they’ve been incredibly lucky to get that and the odds from winning on these things are pretty crap.'

Grown adults with fully developed brains know this to be true. Doesn't stop them losing everything to a gambling addiction.

If people want to roll the dice with their kids that's their choice.

Best of luck. 😉

My dd done one when she was
7 lol a lot of people need to get a life. Mumsnet Puritans.

Thanks ✌

As I said before, never bought a scratchcard in my life.
My sister does once a year for Xmas for everyone in the family and so far no raging gambling addicts in the family.