As part of a targeted enforcement operation by police in southern Israel against the sale of lottery tickets to minors, several young undercover operatives were used to locate businesses that offer lottery and gambling tickets to minors in violation of the law.
During the operation, several dozen attempts to buy lottery and gambling tickets were refused by the businesses selling them. In eight businesses, fifteen purchases were made by minors.
The businesses that sold to minors were summoned to a hearing in the Southern Precinct.
The operation was precise and protracted, led by the Youth and Family Department of the Investigative Division, along with the Youth Departments in Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi, Dimona, and Arad, and was intended to prevent gambling among minors.
Mifal HaPais, the national lottery of Israel, stated: “Mifal HaPais sees as a grave offense any breach of the sweeping ban on selling to minors. The management takes all possible enforcement measures, including executing thousands of inspections per year, which in turn include undercover inspections, joint operations with the Youth and Family Department of the Israel Police, education and instruction to vendors, and at need disciplinary actions that can include loss of the license to sell tickets. Mifal HaPais has no legal option to execute inspections with minors, and so we welcome the cooperation of the Youth Department of the Israel Police, which is intended to prevent this situation. Mifal HaPais will accompany the investigation and work with law enforcement until the matter is fully clarified.”
“According to the data presented to us, there is a steady decline in incidents of this kind among licensed vendors, most of whom act correctly. Nevertheless, Mifal HaPais takes a zero-tolerance policy to breaches of this kind, and if they are discovered, our investigative committee will summon the seller and work uncompromisingly against those breaching the regulations.”
The Israeli Sports Betting Council stated: “The Israeli Sports Betting Council cooperates fully with the Israel Police to prevent the sale of lottery and gambling tickets to minors. The Council operates according to our responsible gaming principles and uses a variety of means, including education, inspections, and undercover customer inspections, which since the beginning of the operation have caused dozens of vendors to be closed or suspended. As part of the operation, it was clarified to all vendors in the country that the council would take a zero-tolerance policy against vendors found selling to minors, and they were even required to sign a declaration that if they were found doing so they would be shut down immediately for at least a year. The findings of the Israel Police operation proved that effective cooperation with the Council is effective in preventing this phenomenon. The Council sees as a grave offense any seller who continues to violate the law openly and allows minors to gamble. Vendors found doing so will be closed immediately, pending a hearing.”