NZ Lotto has launched a new service that will allow players to purchase lottery tickets at grocery store checkouts. While the service aims to offer more convenience for players, it has attracted a great deal of opposition from residents across the country. Now, the Salvation Army has gotten involved, and plans to protest the new lottery sale service.
The Salvation Army has released a statement on its website about the detrimental impact that the new lottery sales will have. The organisation believes that selling lottery tickets at grocery store checkouts will tempt players who would not have otherwise had the urge to play.
“This sort of sales promotion without fully understanding the damage the product can have on an individual and their family is irresponsible,” reads a statement from the Salvation Army. “New Zealand is moving toward food labelling that identifies additives dangerous to health. Yet Lotto tickets are sold without any warning that they can lead to health dangers through addiction.”
Although the lottery is a low-risk form of gambling, it is considered a gateway. Lottery checkouts are not areas in which individuals expect to see gambling terminals, and it is a risk to compulsive players to place them in these locations. There are also concerns that the new terminals may further normalise gambling for young people.
“People should have to make a deliberate decision to buy a Lotto product and not just have it slipped in as part of a normal part of the grocery shop,” says Commissioner Alistair Herring. To combat the issue, the Salvation Army will spread the word about the new lottery sales and their potential impact on problem gambling rates.
The group aims to campaign for stricter controls on lottery sales, which would include the ban of sales at grocery store checkouts.
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