The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and the Massachusetts State Lottery Say Lottery Gifts Aren't for Kids
This Holiday Season, Send a Responsible Message to Minors
Boston – It's the season for gift giving for Bay Staters of all ages. But the Massachusetts State Lottery and Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling are urging parents and other adults to refrain from giving Lottery products as holiday gifts to minors.
Research suggests that 70 to 80 percent of adolescents report having gambled for money in the past year, according to the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High Risk Behaviors at McGill University. Approximately 30 percent report gambling on a weekly basis. Problem gamblers, meanwhile, report beginning gambling during childhood - as early as ages 9 to 10 - according to McGill's International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High Risk Behaviors.
The choice to gamble responsibly is an adult choice. Lottery instant games and other popular lottery products are not appropriate gifts for minors. The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and the Massachusetts State Lottery are working together this holiday season to increase public awareness of this issue.
"Lottery products, like any other form of legal gambling, are for adults ages 18 or older," said Kathleen M. Scanlan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. "This holiday season, if you do choose to offer a lottery product as a gift, it's important to keep the recipient's age in mind."
Massachusetts Lottery Director Mark Cavanagh said the Lottery's more than 7,000 sales agents are well trained in the Lottery's policies prohibiting sales of all Lottery products to minors. Such sound judgment should be used by all adults, according to Cavanagh.
"Lottery season tickets and instant games are increasingly popular gift items at this time of year," Cavanagh said. "But we urge parents and other adults to find more suitable gifts for children and teenagers."
About the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling
The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling is a private, non-profit health agency dedicated to reducing the social, financial and emotional costs of problem gambling. The Council provides prevention, information, education, advocacy, and referral services for problem gamblers, their loved ones, and the greater community.
About the Massachusetts State Lottery
The Massachusetts State Lottery was created in 1971 to raise revenues for the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns. Since 2003, the Lottery has raised more than $5.6 billion for police officers, firefighters and teachers and other essential public services.
Ashley Hause
O'Neill and Associates
Thirty-One New Chardon Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617)646-1000 | Fax: (617)646-1290
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