Published: November 26, 2020

New York's Lottery Division joins 'Gift Responsibly' campaign

The New York Gaming Commission announced that its Lottery Division has once again joined the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Gift Responsibly advocacy campaign.

This is the seventh consecutive year the Commission in conjunction with its Responsible Play Partnership colleagues, which include the N.Y.S. Office of Addiction Services and Supports and New York Council on Problem Gambling, has championed the effort to raise awareness of the risks associated with giving lottery products as gifts to minors.

New York Lottery Director Gweneth Dean said, “We’ve spoken with subject matter experts and reviewed available research linking youth gambling to other risky youth behaviors. We believe that it is important to make every effort to work with retailers and the public to enforce the law prohibiting the sale of Lottery products to young people. These principles serve as the foundation for our annual Gift Responsibly messaging.”

The central theme in the Lottery’s Gift Responsibly public service campaign isAge Matters when it comes to selecting gifts for family and friends.

National Council Executive Director Keith Whyte commended the New York Lottery for expanding what started as a limited, holiday-themed reminder that lottery tickets are not child’s play into an evergreen message that sustains public awareness year-round.

“We appreciate that New York has long been a leader in underage gambling prevention efforts,” said Keith. “The research is clear that the earlier children start to gamble the more likely they are to have gambling problems later in life. We applaud the Commission and Lottery for their efforts to remind retailers and customers to refrain from giving lottery tickets as gifts to kids.”

New York’s extended Age Matters public service campaign will kick off this month and run through January 2021. The campaign will be added into rotation with the Lottery’s other Responsible Gaming messaging which focuses on the need to talk to children about gambling, the benefits of voluntary self-exclusion, and dispelling the myths associated with gambling.

The New York Lottery is one of 55 U.S. and 15 international Lottery jurisdictions participating in the Gift Responsibly initiative. The global campaign is endorsed by the World Lottery Association, which, in 2019, certified the New York Commission at the highest level for its demonstrated ability to incorporate Responsible Play into its day-to-day operations and for its commitment to continuous improvement. The Gaming Commission is the only regulator in North America to earn the WLA’s Level 4 accreditation across multiple gaming divisions.

https://fingerlakes1.com/2020/11/23/new-yorks-lottery-division-joins-gift-responsibly-campaign/

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