Holiday instant tickets have become a tradition in North Carolina. This year’s games are: Merry Monday, Winter Winnings, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Holiday Riches, and Holiday Millions.
They’re colorful. They can be great gifts for holiday gatherings both at home and at work. They’re a chance that a small gift can instantly become a big one. That's why they are one of the most sought after gifts at those White Elephant gift exchanges.
But what they are not is an appropriate gift for someone who is under 18 years old. This year, as every year, the lottery would like to ask its players to gift responsibly.
With its games and drawings, the lottery tries to keep the interest of its players uppermost in mind. And the lottery has partners to help with that, including the N.C. Problem Gambling Program and the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Research that those groups have shared shows that some who develop a gambling problem report their first experience came when they were young. Let’s don’t let that happen this year. Give responsibly, keeping in mind that lottery tickets are not child’s play.
Throughout the year, the Education Lottery makes many efforts to prevent those under 18 from playing the lottery. 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.
Good luck with those holiday tickets. And Happy Holidays.
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