Are we scratchcard addicts?

It is remarkable to uncover in the annual CI Lottery report that not only do our scratchcard sales keep growing in the island, but that we’ve been way ahead of Jersey for years in our enthusiasm for scratch-to-win games.

Now too, we learn that islanders are particularly attracted to the bigger win opportunities offered by the £10 scratchcard, the biggest growth sector of the local lotto.

Ok, ultimately good causes in the island, or Beau Sejour, are the beneficiaries of our community’s largesse by gambling in this area.

But these trends don’t feel like cause for celebration over a better bottom line for a States trading entity – rare enough nowadays as it is.

Two years ago the lottery helped to fund local gambling research that revealed that a tiny proportion of islanders self-confessed that they could spend up to £200 a week on a gambling habit, though not necessarily with local scratchcards.

It did not seem to unearth a serious problem. Harmless fun? Or a hidden addiction?

It would be informative to know why local enthusiasm for the instant gratification – and potential addiction threat – of scratchcards in our community has long been so much higher than it is in Jersey, and whether something more should be done.