If you’re looking for something to give your kid this holiday season, settle for toys or candy, not lotto tickets.
So warns the BCLC, as it’s reminding residents to give responsibly and remove lottery products from their list of gift ideas for kids.
“BCLC continues to promote healthy play and raise awareness about the risks of underage gambling, including through our annual #GiftSmart campaign,” said BCLC’s Chief Social Purpose Officer and Vice President of Player Experience Peter ter Weeme. “The research continues to demonstrate that children who have early exposure to gambling experiences are much more likely to develop a gambling problem, and although it may seem like a fun stocking stuffer for kids during this time of year, we are reminding adults to only give lottery products to those aged 19 and older.”
BCLC says some kids have their first gambling experience around the age of 9 or 11, with 10%-14% of adolescents at risk for developing a problem with gambling, while 4%-6% of youth presently have a serious problem with gambling.
As part of its annual GiftSmart campaign, BCLC is collaborating with the National Council on Problem Gambling and McGill University’s International Centre for Youth Gambling to educate players on the risk of gifting lottery products to children.
It includes providing reminders at 3,500 lottery retailers and on social media.
