In March, the N.C. Education Lottery will highlight its Play Smart™ program to help North Carolinians keep their lottery play healthy.

Play Smart, the lottery’s player education program, features information about all things lottery, from tips on how to budget to how to enter bonus drawings. Throughout the month, the lottery will raise awareness about the program through advertising, marketing, social media, and communication channels. The campaign also includes weekly Play Smart activities and games on the Play Smart website, sharing tools to help keep lottery play fun.

“As more people in North Carolina play the lottery, and we raise more money for education, it is important that we ensure North Carolinians play smart.” said Mark Michalko, chief executive officer of the lottery. “The Play Smart program encourages healthy habits that can keep the lottery from becoming more than a game for our players.”

The play and earn activities focus on Play Smart principles, found at https://ncplaysmart.com/, and provide:

•Tips about odds and how lottery games work. Watch “Scratch-off games. Make heads and tails of it all.”
•New and different ways to win. Visit Play Plus-Ups - NCEL Play Smart
•The truth about lottery superstitions and myths. Visit Lottery Myths - NCEL Play Smart

The lottery’s efforts support national Problem Gambling Awareness Month organized by the National Council on Problem Gambling. For more information on the national campaign, visit www.ncpgambling.org.

In North Carolina, the N.C. Problem Gambling Program provides free treatment and recovery services to anyone impacted by problem gambling, including:

•Treatment from a licensed clinician or recovery support from a peer support specialist.
•Gamban, free software for blocking gambling sites and applications which can be used on computers and other devices.
•Voluntary Self-Exclusion, a tool to exclude or ban yourself from legal NC gambling locations.

Free, confidential help is available 24/7. Help is only a text or click away:
•Text morethanagamenc to 53342
•Chat online at morethanagame.nc.gov
•Call toll-free at (877) 718-5543

Play Smart™ term is a service mark of the Illinois Lottery licensed to the N.C. Education Lottery.