Lottery tickets don’t make good gifts for minors

Lottery officials are asking players not to give lottery tickets to minors as Christmas gifts, according to a news release from the Virginia Lottery.

A national study found that 30 percent of high school students received lottery tickets as a gift during the last year. Virginia residents who give a lottery ticket to a minor can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined as much as $500.

Lottery tickets are given as presents and stocking stuffers. Sometimes they’re given with other gift cards, according the release.

The Youth Gambling Centre at McGill University and the National Council on Problem Gambling have teamed up this year to increase public awareness of adults giving minors lottery tickets.

Virginia Lottery profits help fund public education in Virginia. Since 1999, the lottery has earned $4 billion for grades K through 12 in Virginia’s public schools. The latest annual profits represent about 7 percent of state funding for its schools.

The lottery has sold more than $21.1 billion in tickets and paid more than $11.6 billion in prizes to its players over 21 years.