Center for Evidence to Practice working to improve behavioral health

The Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral
Health would like to remind parents that lottery tickets and scratch-offs are
not suitable gifts for children. Often, we are looking for simple gifts and
stocking stuffers to serve as quick and easy gifts around the holidays. Lottery
tickets and scratch-offs are not a good idea because of the potential harm these
gifts might cause for some children.

Many problem gamblers report early exposure to gambling,
as youths. Often, parents and children participate in gambling behaviors that
appear to be harmless — however, research shows that this early exposure can trigger
the start of a very serious gambling addiction.

A 2017 study by the
Imperial College London says gambling addiction triggers the same
brain areas as drug and alcohol cravings. “Giving a lottery ticket or
scratch-off to a child may seem like a cheap, fun and harmless gift, but such
gifts can increase risk factors for an addiction problem further down the road.
That’s why we discourage the giving of such presents to children,” said Kenneth
Saucier, Program Manager, Office of Behavioral Health. “These games are meant
for adults and are age restricted for a reason.”

“Disordered gambling among youths is frequently linked
with … greater gambling expenditures, academic difficulties, poor or disrupted
family relationships, both concurrent and later alcohol and substance abuse
problems,” Renee St-Pierre and Jeffrey Derevensky report in Youth Gambling
Behavior: Novel Approaches to Prevention and Intervention.

According to the 2020 Louisiana Caring Communities Youth
Survey, 33% of youths (grades 6, 8, 10 and 12) in Louisiana have reported
gambling in the past year, down from 40% in 2018. In Louisiana, 13.7% of 6th
graders, 15.3% of 8th graders, 12.1% of 10th graders and 9.3% of 12 graders
have reported playing the lottery or scratch-off tickets in the past year, as
well as other forms of gambling. 

Louisiana provides problem gambling resources at no cost
to residents. If you or someone you love would like more information on problem
gambling or to talk to someone about a gambling problem, please call the
Louisiana Problem Gamblers Helpline at 1-877-770-STOP (7867). The helpline provides
confidential support and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to
potential gamblers and/or family. Help is also available online at ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/1545
and helpforgambling.org.

Problem gambling is a hidden addiction that goes
undetected. Know the signs and the things to look for, before it is too late.