DORCHESTER, Mass. (November 12, 2024) – The Massachusetts State Lottery is asking that its customers consider participating alongside them in its ninth annual Holiday Toy Drive. It benefits the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program and other local efforts, while raising awareness that lottery tickets are not suitable gifts for those under the age of 18.
“We sincerely appreciate our players and employees for their support in helping others every holiday season. This is also an important time to remind our customers that Lottery tickets are not appropriate gifts for anyone under the age of 18.”
Now through Wednesday, December 11, new unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Lottery’s Dorchester headquarters and at its prize claim centers in Braintree, Lawrence, New Bedford, West Springfield and Worcester. The hours are Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding holidays).
“Each year during the holidays, we are grateful for the kindness and generosity of our customers and employees,” said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. “Their donations to the Holiday Toy Drive bring joy and excitement to kids throughout the state.”
Coinciding with the toy drive, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Office of Problem Gambling Services, the Lottery is conducting a holiday awareness campaign to emphasize that Lottery tickets are not for children and young teens.
“We sincerely appreciate our players and employees for their support in helping others every holiday season,” said Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Mass Lottery. “This is also an important time to remind our customers that Lottery tickets are not appropriate gifts for anyone under the age of 18.”
Toys will be donated to holiday campaigns in the respective regions, including Toys for Tots and the New Bedford Firefighters’ Union Toy Drive.
The toy drive is part of the Mass Lottery’s participation in an annual holiday season campaign presented by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and supported by the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). The mission of the campaign is to discourage the giving of lottery tickets as gifts to children.
To learn more about the risks of youth and gambling, visit mass.gov/youthgambling.