The Virginia Lottery reminds you to Gift Responsibly this Holiday season

Whether you’re headed to the office Holiday party or buying stocking stuffers for your in-laws, Virginia Lottery games make the perfect gift – but only for those 18 years and older. The season of giving is here, and the Virginia Lottery and the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling (VACPG) want to encourage everyone to Gift Responsibly by only giving the gift of the Virginia Lottery to adults.

The Virginia Lottery is good fun for a great cause – but only in the right hands. When giving Lottery tickets as gifts, please make sure to keep the person’s age in mind. It is against Virginia law to give Lottery tickets to minors.

For the 12^th year in a row, the Virginia Lottery has teamed up with the VACPG, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors at McGill University and dozens of other lottery corporations around the globe to increase public awareness about the impact of giving lottery products as gifts to children.

“The earlier in life a young person starts to gamble, the more likely they are to develop gambling problems later on,” said Carolyn Hawley, Ph. D., VACPG President. “So during this time of giving, please remember that lottery tickets are not toys, they are for adults only.”

The next time you’re at your favorite Virginia Lottery retailer picking out which Holiday Scratchers you’ll be delighting friends and family with, please remember that Lottery games are not for kids. And if you don’t want to take our word for it, our friend Ebenezer Scrooge is helping to get the word out with a radio public-service announcement. He knows a thing or two about the perfect gift.

Happy Holidays from the Virginia Lottery, and please Gift Responsibly!

_{Last updated 12/13/19}