Can you be too young to scratch a lottery ticket in a GA store? Here’s what the law says
Georgia’s lottery rules set a hard age limit at 18, and it’s not just for buying a ticket, but for holding it, scratching it, or cashing in a win.
Even if an adult purchases the ticket, Georgia law and the official lottery guidelines are clear. Here’s what to know.
The buying age is 18, no exceptions
Georgia Code § 50-27-23(d) is unambiguous on this point.
- No lottery ticket or share can be sold to anyone under 18
- Retailers who knowingly sell to a minor face penalties
- Electronic or mechanical ticket-vending devices must carry a visible label warning off anyone under 18
An adult can gift a ticket to a minor
Anyone over 18 can buy the ticket at the register, and that’s the only transaction the law cares about.
- If that ticket wins, the Georgia Lottery Corporation directs the payout to an adult family member or legal representative of the minor
- That adult acts as a custodian with the same powers and duties as any custodian under Georgia’s Transfers to Minors Act
Scratching in store is a gray area
The law’s language centers on sale and purchase and a retailer selling directly to a minor is the violation. It does not address a scenario where an adult buys the ticket and hands it to a minor to scratch off in the store, separate from the formal gifting provision.
The safest reading of the law is that the ticket has to be purchased by an adult, and if a minor ends up holding or scratching it, that only holds up legally under the gift exception with the adult still on the hook to claim any prize.
Retailers caught violating the age rule face state-imposed penalties, and repeat violations can jeopardize a retailer’s lottery contract entirely.
If you have any questions you’d like answered or anything you would like to read more about, email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.