Gamble: The winner will be able to use £25,000 of tailor-made fertility treatments
The worlds first IVF lottery, which will give would-be parents the chance to win a baby, is to launch in Britain.
Tickets for the controversial game will go on sale online later this month, costing £20 each.
The Gambling Commission has granted a licence to charity To Hatch, which offers fertility advice to couples who need IVF.
The jackpot winner will be able to take advantage of £25,000 worth of tailor-made fertility treatments at one of the countrys top clinics.
Last month a damning report by MPs found that nearly three-quarters of NHS trusts are denying women IVF treatment.
Every month, the lottery will offer couples struggling to conceive the chance to become a parent. If it is successful, it could run every two weeks.
But critics said the game, which is set to launch on July 30, demeaned the nature of human reproduction.
The game is not exclusively for couples. Single, gay and elderly players who could pass the prize on to friends or family will be allowed to take part.
Tickets could eventually be sold in newsagents nationwide.
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Winners will also be given accommodation in a luxury hotel.
And they will be whisked by a chauffeur to the clinic for their treatment.
If standard IVF fails, they will be offered donor eggs, reproductive surgery or even a surrogate birth. They will also get a mobile phone so they can maintain contact with medics at all times.
Fertility doctors at each centre will use their clinical judgment to establish the feasibility of each possible pregnancy.
If a woman is fit but over 45 the upper limit for UK NHS fertility treatment they are likely to suggest donor eggs.
If a single woman or man wins, they will be provided with donor sperm or a surrogate mother and donor embryo.
Betting on a baby: Every month the lottery by charity To Hatch will offer couples struggling to conceive the change to become a parent
Profits from the game will be reinvested into the charity which provides support on top of the NHS for childless couples and those experiencing trouble conceiving.
But the scheme is certain to attract criticism from religious groups.
Josephine Quintavalle, of ethical dilemma group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said last night: This demeans the whole nature of human reproduction.
Creation of human life should not be reduced to a public lottery. Instead of this, shouldnt more be spent on research into fertility problems?
To Hatch founder Camille Strachan said many NHS trusts had axed IVF due to budget restrictions and thousands of couples could not afford the £5,000-a-time treatment.
She said: We will offer struggling couples a completely tailor made service. We hope the To Hatch Lottery can ease the burden on the NHS and reduce the stress slightly on some of those who are struggling.
Around one couple in seven suffers from fertility problems, and 1 per cent of babies born every year in Britain were conceived via IVF.
Last month a report by MPs found that 73 per cent of NHS trusts do not offer couples three courses of IVF, as advised by medical watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The report warned that most trusts imposed strict rules on who is allowed treatment. Women are routinely turned down if they are deemed too young, too old or even if their husband has a child from a previous marriage.
And five trusts Warrington, North Yorkshire and York, West Sussex, Stockport and North Staffordshire do not offer IVF at all.
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Tags: Baby, Ivf Lottery