New Zealand’s Government Faces Criticism for Allowing Children to Purchase Lotto Tickets
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New Zealand's Government is being criticised for allowing children to buy Lotto tickets. Maria Bellringer studied the gambling habits of almost 900 children in the Pacific Islands, aged 9, who live in New Zealand. She found that 7% of them had already purchased a Lotte ticket. The only age limit on the games offered by the Lottos is an R-18 restriction on Instant Kiwi. Chris Lyman, the CEO of Lotos, claims that introducing age restrictions would require a legislative overhaul.
Jan Tinetti, New Zealand's Minister of Internal Affairs, is considering introducing an age restriction on buying Lotto tickets. Problem Gambling Foundation spokesperson Andree Froude was alarmed to find out there were no age restrictions imposed on Lotte ticket purchases. In 2015, 874 children from the Pacific Islands, aged 9 and living in New Zealander, received Instant Kiwi scratchcards as a gift. The product is illegal for people under 18 years of age.
