Responsible Gaming Advocates Stress Lottery Tickets Make Poor Gifts for Kids

Posted on: December 11, 2024, 02:21h. 

Last updated on: December 11, 2024, 02:52h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Responsible gaming advocates are reminding the public that lottery tickets aren’t appropriate gifts for teens and children this holiday season.

responsible gaming lottery tickets gifts
A promotional image from the Florida Lottery shows stockings stuffed with lottery tickets. Lottery tickets make bad gifts for youth, say responsible gaming advocates. (Image: Florida Lottery)

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in Washington, DC, is once again running its Gift Responsibly Campaign for the 2024 holidays. The program in its seventh year is in conjunction with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, and aims to spotlight the risks associated with purchasing lottery tickets for those not old enough to play legally.

The NCPG says 100% of eligible lotteries in the United States and Canada have signed on to participate in the campaign. The initiative is supported by 74 lotteries and 101 community organizations worldwide.

This year’s record participation is a heartwarming way to enter the holiday season as we continue our work to educate the public about the dangers of underage gambling. The Gift Responsibly Campaign promotes global awareness and understanding that lottery tickets are not appropriate gifts for children or teens,” said Keith Whyte, the executive director of the NCPG.

“I applaud and thank the numerous lotteries and community organizations who have joined the campaign for the first time or have reaffirmed their support in 2024. While our communities, languages, and legal gambling ages may differ, one message is always consistent: Lottery tickets are not for kids,” Whyte concluded.

Campaign Underway

The NCPG is the only national nonprofit working to mitigate gambling-related harms. The organization doesn’t support or oppose legal gambling.

The 2024 Gift Responsibly Campaign includes public service announcements, social media messaging, digital advertising, in-store signage, retailer training, and other activities designed to support the singular message that lottery products should not be given as gifts to children and teens who aren’t old enough to make a purchase themselves.

US lotteries sold a record $113.4 billion in tickets last year. The state lotteries generated record revenue after payouts of approximately $37 billion. That was a 32% year-over-year surge on the roughly $28 billion the state lotteries generated in 2022.

Holiday Season is Big for Lotteries 

While lotteries and the NCPG are encouraging adults not to purchase tickets as gifts for kids, the holiday season is typically the busiest time of the year for the lottery industry.

Nearly all US lotteries offer special holiday-themed games in November and December. In Virginia, for example, the Virginia Lottery currently offers scratchers and online instants like Winter Wilds, Merry Money Mania, Frosty Fair Fortunes, and $crooge.

Lotteries also advertise heavily during this time of the year. In Pennsylvania, the state-operated lottery for years has been running the very same commercial that tells viewers that “lottery tickets make great gifts.”

The California Lottery, the third-richest in the country in terms of gross sales at more than $9.2 billion last year, is currently running a promo encouraging the public to “Give the Gift of Play.” But on the state’s lottery website, in part of the Gift Responsibly Campaign, the lottery adds that “scratchers aren’t toys.”