Chinese lottery vendors risk being punished if they sell lottery
tickets to young people, Monday's Beijing Times
reported.
"Selling lottery tickets to youth under 18 years old is
prohibited," according to a notice jointly issued by six ministries
concerning finance, education, public security, civil affairs and
sports.
The notice said lottery kiosks should be at least 200 meters
away from schools and stores that sell lottery tickets should be at
least 600 meters away. Sellers will face serious punishment if they
violate the rules, the notice said, without providing details of
the punishment they may face.
China launched its first lottery in June 1987. Lottery ticket
sales are one of the major sources of fund-raising for sports
facilities and the country's social welfare programs.
Sales of China's welfare lottery in 2005 reached 41 billion
yuan, raising 14.3 billion yuan for the state's social welfare
fund.
The spread of betting games has also aroused public concern as
the games have attracted an increasing number of students, who bet
their pocket money on the slim chance of winning a fortune.
Some food or stationery stores near schools were found to be
creating their own fake lotteries to cheat students, according to
the Beijing Times.
The newspaper said the Beijing Lottery Center has started to
check the location of the city's lottery vendors. It has also
required sellers to post signs in their stores explaining that the
sale of lottery tickets to minors is prohibited.
(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2006)