Minors Awareness Campaign for Lottery Tickets

Under-18 Minors Awareness Education Campaign

You may have seen the Under-18, All Bets are Off! campaign posters displayed by lottery ticket retailers across Alberta.

According to AGLC policy, lottery ticket product retailers are required to post an Under-18 campaign poster year-round. The goal is to remind retailers that they “shall ensure that Minors are not sold, allowed to play or to receive payment of prize monies for Lottery Ticket products under any circumstances” and remind Alberta adults that they also have a role to play in preventing under-age gambling, by not giving lottery or scratch tickets to minors.

Every year, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission promotes the campaign, by issuing new posters and running small ads in major newspapers across the province.

This promotion strives to raises awareness among lottery ticket retailers and the public about the need to prevent youth from accessing lottery products. The campaign’s tagline, “You bet, we’ll check. ID required.” reminds lottery ticket retailers to request proof of age from anyone who appears to be a minor.

While some people believe that purchasing or playing lottery tickets is not really gambling and that minors should be allowed to play, lottery tickets are a form of gambling and should be restricted to adults only. Restricting minors’ access to all forms of gambling is a joint responsibility of government, licensees and the community.

Since lottery tickets were first introduced in Alberta in 1975, the AGLC has had a policy prohibiting the sale, scratching or redeeming of lottery ticket products to or by, minors.

Research initiated by AADAC (now Alberta Health Services) in 2008 (The Alberta Youth Experience Survey – TAYES) showed that close to half of all Alberta students participate in some form of gambling, with scratch tickets being the most common activity of choice. The research also indicated that the earlier an individual begins gambling, the more likely he or she is to experience problems with gambling later in life.