I won £1m on the National Lottery – I’m bombarded with pleas for cash and marriage proposals
EUROMILLIONS winner Jane Park claims playing the lottery should carry a Government health warning — as she branded hitting the jackpot a “twisted fairytale”.
And she says a move to stop under-18s trying their luck, which came after she threatened to sue operator Camelot for selling her a ticket at 17, doesn’t go far enough.
Jane, of Edinburgh, who’s been blackmailed and threatened with violence since scooping £1million in 2013, said: “The lottery should come with a health warning similar to smoking and drinking.
“I understand they can’t make winning sound awful but they have a responsibility to not mislead the public.”
Jane — who wants ads for the game aired later at night — doesn’t think Lotto chiefs should wait for a win to warn players they could face hassle.
She added: “The adverts should be aired later in the evening and advertising should be out of the way from children.
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"It sounds silly but children dream of either being famous or winning the lottery, and if it wasn’t so glamorised maybe there would be more ambition rather than gambling.
"People always refer to the lottery as 'playing the lottery', but it’s not ‘playing’, it’s just plain gambling, apart from picking some number there is no game element to it.
";How it wasn’t held to the same legislation as gambling from the beginning baffles me.”
Jane previously spoke publicly about her fight to increase the age limit.
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She said: “I was prepared to go to court to get my argument known, but the media attention it received got my point heard by the right people and I didn’t need to go that far in the end.
“I know that is directly because of the attention I brought to the subject.
“Part one of my mission was to have the age range increased, part two is to try and make advertising the lottery more truthful."
She revealed she’s bombarded with pleas for cash aid from strangers.
She added: “It may be parents with terminally-ill children or needing life-changing surgery. Uni students want me to pay for their education.
“I also get a lot of marriage proposals, I’d say I get at least one a week. It’s not from anyone interested in me, it’s from people interested in the money.”
She says it’s “wrong” that winning “dream come true money” is glamorised and describes it as a “twisted fairytale” where strangers ask about her bank balance daily.
She added: “I’m proud that I have invested my money wisely and nine years later I’m still living a good life, it just feels like people are waiting for the day I become broke and homeless, but I won’t let that happen.”
Last night a spokesperson for the Department of Media Culture and Sport said: "Last year we changed the law to protect young people from the risks of gambling and increased the minimum age to play the National Lottery from 16 years old to 18 years old.
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"The National Lottery is regulated by the Gambling Commission and we will not hesitate to act further if we consider it necessary."
A Camelot spokesperson said: “Camelot takes its duty of care to winners very seriously and all major winners are offered support and advice for as long as they wish. That support is tailored to each winner's situation and circumstances – and for younger winners, their age will obviously be an important factor in the advice and support offered.
"Following her win, Jane received extensive support from Camelot. A dedicated winners’ advisor visited Jane at home to pay out her prize, arrange private banking and support her through the publicity when she chose to share news of her win. An independent financial and legal panel was set up shortly after her win and we put Jane in touch with another winner who won at the same age, to share their experience and help Jane adjust to the win.
"We keep in contact with all major winners for as long as they wish and have been in touch with Jane from time to time since her win to offer ongoing support. Of course, it is always up to the winners themselves as to whether they want to take up that ongoing support and advice – but the door is always open and we will continue to support Jane in any way we can if that is what she decides she wants."
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