Massachusetts Joins Stinky Trend Of Scented Lottery Scratchers
Massachusetts has joined a group of states with scented scratch-off lottery tickets for the holidays.
At an October Lottery Commission meeting, a Massachusetts Lottery marketing specialist said: “These are our first-ever scented holiday tickets, with both Candy Cane Cash Blowout tickets smelling like, what else, but peppermint.”
Source: WBUR.org
The new product comes amid lagging retail sales, as the state lottery expanded games online and online sports gambling continues to grow. Multiple studies have linked legalized sports betting to a drop in lottery sales.
Old Trick to Boost Sales
The Bay State is not alone in making scratchers smell.
At least a dozen U.S. state lotteries have introduced scented scratch-off tickets, including holiday-themed games dating back more than two decades.
The products have featured scents such as peppermint, pumpkin pie, gingerbread, chocolate, and hot chocolate.
The earliest example GamblingHarm.org found was Iowa Lottery’s pumpkin-pie scent in 2000.
New Mexico appears to be the earliest on the peppermint, launching a scratcher with the scent in 2007.
Why It Matters
The simple reason why this is an important topic: lottery addiction and financial harm. Gambling-related harm can affect people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds.
Some families use lottery products as so-called “stocking stuffers” for the holidays, which could expose children to gambling at an early age. Exposure can come through many channels, including video games. But lottery tickets may add a family element, potentially making the gambling more memorable.
Kim Freudenberg, founder of the California-based national nonprofit Parents Standing Together, said that these lottery tickets are a real concern for early normalization of gambling. Studies have indicated that gambling when young increases one’s risk of developing a problem with gambling later in life.
“I used to put lottery scratch tickets in Christmas stockings, too,” Freudenberg admitted. “At the time, I thought they were just a fun, harmless holiday tradition, but knowing what I know now about youth gambling addiction, I see them very differently.”
The Massachusetts Lottery has issued warnings to consumers not to give scratch-off lottery tickets to children as holiday gifts, including in Christmas stockings. Still, introducing peppermint-scented tickets could undermine these messages. “Responsible gambling” messages are generally controversial because they place the onus on consumers of addictive products.
Freudenberg stressed that scented scratch tickets given to children could “normalize gambling as part of having fun and celebrating with family.” The sports betting industry has taken a page out of the lottery playbook.
“As a parent who has experienced the devastating impact of gambling addiction in my own family, I wish I had understood how these seemingly harmless early exposures could shape a child’s relationship with gambling.”
Image via Helicon Design Group
The post Massachusetts Joins Stinky Trend Of Scented Lottery Scratchers appeared first on GamblingHarm.org.