Stocking Stuffer No-No: Virginia Lottery Tickets

RICHMOND, VA — Looking for last-minute stocking-stuffer items for the kids? Well, if you buy a Virginia Lottery ticket and put it in Junior's stocking, you're breaking the law. No, really. That's the word from the Virginia Lottery and the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling.

Here's the Virginia law that states as much: "No ticket or share shall be given as a gift or otherwise to any person under the age of eighteen years. Any person who knowingly gives a lottery ticket or share to any person under the age of eighteen years is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor."

So you might not go to jail for giving the kids a lottery ticket, but you're nonetheless sending a signal, according to Carolyn Hawley, the VACPG president. "The earlier in life a young person starts to gamble, the more likely they are to develop gambling problems later on," Hawley said in a release. "So during this time of giving, please remember that lottery tickets are not toys."

Adds Virginia Lottery executive director Paula Otto: "Part of being game means sending a responsible message to adults and young people during the holiday season. Lottery tickets can be great gifts for adults, but definitely not for anyone younger than 18."

According to the DC-based National Council on Problem Gambling, research shows that lottery products such as scratch-off tickets can "be a gateway to excessive or probem gambling." As such, this is the 10th consecutive year the Virginia Lottery has teamed with NCPG to spread the word.

From NCPG executive director Keith Whyte: "The Holiday Lottery Campaign is a great way to encourage responsible gambling and help keep the fun in the holidays by gifting lottery tickets responsibly to adults."

Image via Virginia Lottery