Illinois, It’s Illegal To Give Kids Lottery Tickets For Christmas

If you read the headline and thought to yourself, "Duh," that's good. Some people in Illinois and even Iowa forget that you can't give kids and some young adults lottery tickets as a present during the holiday season.

Yes, scratch-off tickets make great stocking stuffers and Powerball tickets worth millions don't hurt either. But you can't be stuffing little Johnny's stocking with a lottery ticket if he isn't of age. It's illegal and you know better.

Illinois Lottery Tickets Are A Good & Bad Christmas Gift

With the holiday gift-giving season underway, the Illinois Lottery is reminding players that lottery games are for grown-ups, not kids.

This holiday season, the Illinois Lottery is once again partnering with the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling (ICPG) in the Gift Responsibly Campaign. The annual holiday campaign, spearheaded by the National Council on Problem Gambling, is designed to increase public awareness of the impact and inappropriateness of giving lottery products as gifts to minors.

The legal age to play the lottery in both Illinois and Iowa is 18. Anyone under that age is gambling illegally and adults helping them could face serious consequences.

Harold Mays, Illinois Lottery Director said,

“Lottery products, especially Instant Tickets, are a popular gift during the holiday season but they are not an appropriate gift for those under the age of 18. Responsible gaming is an integral part of the Illinois Lottery, and we are pleased to once again support the Gift Responsibly Campaign this holiday season by reminding players that lottery games are for adults only.”

The Illinois Lottery joins a network of more than 80 national and international lotteries encouraging players to gamble responsibly and to help keep the holiday season festive by gifting lottery tickets only to adults. Non-lottery organizations are also participating in the campaign as an effort to increase awareness of the risks of underage lottery play during the holiday season.

In addition to the Gift Responsibly campaign, the Illinois Lottery promotes responsible play year-round by reminding players to Be Smart, Play Smart®. Players are encouraged to play for fun, not funds, and to set a budget and stick to it. For more information on how to play and gift responsibly, please go to the Illinois Lottery website and visit the Responsible Gaming page.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing problems when playing lottery games, please call 1-800-GAMBLER. This toll-free helpline is answered by trained specialists 24/7/365.