Lottery tickets make popular gifts and stocking stuffers during the holidays, but while playing is fun, lottery games are intended for adults and not for teens or children.

To help remind players to give responsibly this holiday season, the N.C. Education Lottery is joining more than 50 lotteries around the world, the National Council on Problem Gambling, and the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University in increasing awareness about the impact of gifting lottery products to minors.

“We know North Carolinians enjoy playing our holiday games,” said Alice Garland, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “But from working with our partners in the area of problem gambling, we also know that some who develop a gambling problem report their first experience came when they were young. And to help stop that from happening, we encourage adults to be active partners with us in preventing lottery tickets from ending up in the hands of minors.”

Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said it’s vital to increase awareness of responsible gifting. And partnerships with organizations like the N.C. Education Lottery helps make that happen.

“We believe responsible gambling is a positive approach to minimizing gambling-related harm,” said Whyte. “The Holiday Campaign is a great way to encourage responsible gambling.”

The lottery’s commitment to being a socially responsible organization is its promise to beneficiaries and the state. Part of that commitment is taking steps to prevent those under 18 from playing the lottery. Besides supporting the holiday campaign, they include:

• Printing a “You Must Be 18 Years of Age To Play” reminder on every ticket and advertising and marketing materials.
• Training lottery retailers to check IDs before selling lottery tickets.
• Enforcing the no sales to a minor law in a partnership with state law enforcement agencies.
• Providing $1 million a year to support the N.C. Problem Gambling Program, which provides an evidence-based gambling prevention program to middle school and high school students in the state.

For more information on the National Council on Problem Gambling and the holiday campaign, visit www.ncpgambling.org/holiday.