Britain's youngest Lotto winner says U18s should be banned from buying tickets after blowing fortune
A former shelf-stacker who became Britain’s youngest ever Lotto winner in 2003 has said the rules should be changed to stop anyone under 18 from taking part.
Callie Rogers was just 16 when she scooped nearly £1.9 million but she says she has now described the win as a “curse”.
Now 32, the single mum-of-three has blown her fortune and is backing Government proposals to raise the National Lottery age limit from 16 to 18, according to the Daily Mirror.
She told the paper: "You are only 16, with all that responsibility. At that age, you can get the best advice ever.
"But you are not in a position to listen. I was too young.
"I suffer from such bad anxiety when I am going to meet new people. It preys on my mind, what a new partner’s family will think of me, or even new friends. I still get abuse just because of who I am.”
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Ms Rogers said she spent her fortune on car and holidays for herself and is still owed £200,000 by “fake friends” who bought expensive items for themselves using her debit card.
Despite now earning £12,000 a year as a carer and living in a £500-a-month rented home, Ms Rogers insisted: “I am the happiest I have ever been.”
A spokesman for Camelot insisted Ms Rogers received “extensive support” that “lasted many years” - but said she “didn’t take up the independent financial and legal advice offered by us”.
He added: “We will continue to support Callie in any way we can if she wants.”
One in eight children aged between 11 and 15 are gambling on a regular basis, according to addiction charity Gamble Aware.
