With the winter holidays just around the corner, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has reminded parents and adults in Ontario to not gift lottery tickets to children. With its press release, OLG reiterates that all lottery products, including Instant tickets, are a form of gambling and should not be given as holiday presents to children and minors.
As a state-run Crown corporation, OLG provides gaming entertainment to Ontario and oversees brick-and-mortar casinos, the sale of lottery games, iGaming, and the delivery of bingo and electronic gaming products to charitable gaming centres. It also invests its proceeds in the province and has provided over CA$59 billion to the province since 1975.
Great Holidays Gifts but Not for Children
In its release, OLG noted that lottery products are a tremendous gift idea for special occasions but they should be gifted to adults only. It reminded that it is important for parents and adults to understand the risks and impacts related to underage gambling. When buying lottery tickets as gifts, the giver should ensure that the recipient is at least 18 years of age or older.
OLG remarked that there is plenty of free information and resources on dealing with youth and gambling. For instance, The YMCA Youth Gambling Awareness Program is a free service funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and its objective is to raise awareness among youth of the gambling risks, how to make informed decisions, and healthy active lifestyles.
There is also the Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health which supports addictions and mental health service providers via continuing professional development, online tools and resources, and by leveraging knowledge mobilization activities related to problem gambling, video gaming, and internet addiction.
Additionally, the Responsible Gambling Council, an independent non-profit organization focused on tackling problem gambling, also offers information on Teens or Young Adults and gambling. OLGās PlaySmart can also help parenting in familiarizing with the facts when it comes to games, and concepts such as odds and randomness, with resources on even more topics.
Holiday Exclusive Tickets Now at Retailers
For this yearās holidays, OLG also introduced Merry Millions. It comes with a total of 408 prizes from CA$1,000 to CA$1 million and due to its raffle-themed structure, all prizes are guaranteed to be claimed. Tickets are available from now until January 9, 2024, and cost CA$20. Early buyers will be eligible for the Early Bird draw for a chance at CA$50,000.
In addition to that, the Crown agency announced the return of its CA$100 Ultimate Instant Ticket which launched for the first time in 2022 and was a massive hit among players. It offers 1 in 25,000 chances of winning the top prize. Also, 40 CA$ 1 million windfalls will be drawn on January 4, 2024. It also reintroduced gift cards varying between CA$5 and CA$100.
Source: āLottery Tickets: a Joy to Give This Holiday Season ā But Not to Kidsā PR Newswire, December 4, 2023
