Montana Lottery encourages responsible giving in an effort to curb youth gambling

HELENA — The Montana Lottery announced Monday that they are participating in the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Gift Responsibly Campaign Initiative. The council founded the campaign in the early 2000s to raise public awareness about the risks of youth gambling.

According to the council’s website, campaign goals include:

• Educate communities on the dangers of buying lottery tickets for children Raise awareness about the risks of youth gambling
• Support responsible gambling practices while remaining

Research shows that the earlier in life an individual’s participation in or exposure to gambling occurs, the more likely they are to develop gambling problems later in life.

In a press release, the lottery said its participation in the campaign would “include raising awareness about the dangers of underage gambling through lottery machine video screens and social media posts throughout December.”

“We’re proud to participate in the Gift Responsibly Campaign again this year; It’s an important initiative to promote responsible gift-giving during the holidays. While Lottery tickets can be exciting gifts, they are intended for adults only,” said Montana Lottery Director Rob Brown”’

The campaign includes three participation levels. The Montana Lottery is a Lottery Level 1 Participant.

Level 1 Campaign Activity Requirements:

• Register as a Participant of the 2024 Gift Responsibly Campaign
• Issue a press release about the campaign and its educational goals
• Post 4+ educational messages to social media (topics may include but are not limited to: promoting responsible gambling / appropriate age for lottery play/youth gambling stats / parental awareness tips).
• Complete a post-campaign survey.

According to the council’s website, only 15 US state lotteries are level three participants.

Level 3 Campaign Activity Requirements:

• Issue a press release about the campaign and its educational goals.
• Post 11+ educational messages to social media (topics may include but are not limited to: promoting responsible gambling / appropriate age for lottery play/youth gambling stats / parental awareness tips).
• Conduct retailer training or provide retailer educational materials about the risks of youth gambling.
• Run targeted print and/or paid digital ads advising parents to ‘Gift Responsibly’ and/or ‘Lottery Tickets are Not for Children.’
• Run a commercial (TV, Radio, Streaming) or digital campaign (Web, Social, Search, Display) advising parents against purchasing lottery tickets as gifts for kids.
• Pitch an editorial to the media about the importance of not gifting lottery tickets to children during the holiday season.
• Complete post-campaign survey.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, the Montana Problem Gambling Hotline can be reached at 888-900-9979, and the National Problem Gambling Hotline can be reached at 1-800-GAMBLER (800-426-2537).