Are Lottery Tickets Good Holiday Gifts? The Ultimate FAQ Guide

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Especially if someone hands you a piece of paper as a holiday gift and it turns out to be worth a lot of money.

That’s the receiving end of things. On the giving end, the holidays can be a challenging time of year because you have to think of gifts for so many of the people in your life. Gifts for your immediate family. Gifts for close friends. Gifts for co-workers, maybe bosses, possibly employees. Gifts for the people who deliver your mail or clean your house or walk your dog. Gifts for the white elephant exchange at the office. Gifts for that random annoying Pollyanna party you’ve been trying for years to get dis-invited to.

Look, you’re spending money at this time of year, whether you like it or not. And if you’re the sort of person who wants every gift you give to be unique, memorable, personal, etc., then you’re also spending time and brain power.

Enter lottery tickets.

Other than cash or gift cards, it’s the easiest way to put almost no thought or effort into the gift-giving process. But are lottery tickets actually a good holiday gift? Short answer: It depends.

You have questions. Lottery Geeks has answers. Here is your ultimate guide, in Q&A format, to the when, the how, and the how much of stuffing stockings with scratchers and the like:

Are lottery tickets an acceptable “main gift” for a loved one?

On the one hand, other than cash or gift cards, nothing says, “I put no thought into this” quite like lottery tickets. On the other hand, it’s perfectly thoughtful if you know your loved one is big into playing the lottery and this is in fact personally tailored to them. (Even better if you can find a scratch game with a theme they’ll connect with.) So, basically, no, you shouldn’t be giving your spouse, parent, etc., lottery tickets as their primary gift this holiday season unless (a) you know for a fact that they love the lottery, or (b) you want them to question their relationship with you.

What about as an extra little side gift for a loved one?

This is a whole different story. Any gift for anyone (of legal gambling age and who doesn’t have a gambling problem) can be enhanced with a little supplemental lottery action. New shirt? Cool. New shirt plus a $5 scratch card? Undeniably cooler.

You mentioned “of legal gambling age.” Should I not give lottery tickets to minors?

No, you shouldn’t. If they’re under the legal age to buy lottery tickets themselves (18 in most states, 21 in a few), it’s inappropriate to give them tickets as gifts. I know it seems harmless. “It’s just a $2 entry in Mega Millions, it’s never going to win anyway!” It may indeed prove harmless, but it’s not worth even a small risk that you start some kid on the road to addiction — a risk that studies show is greater if you start young.

OK, but I’m the sketchy uncle. That’s my role. That’s my reputation. Can’t I give my nieces and nephews a cheap scratch-off?

Sorry, no. It isn’t about you. It’s about them. Find other ways to be sketchy.

You also mentioned people with gambling problems. They shouldn’t get lottery tickets as gifts either?

Nope. Of course, you don’t always know who does and doesn’t have a gambling problem, and innocent mistakes can happen. But if you know, or even suspect, that someone is a problem gambler or just has a highly addictive personality, find something that cannot be categorized as a vice to stuff in their stocking.

OK, so give me some examples of when a lottery ticket is a wholly appropriate gift.

Sure thing. For starters, people who weren’t necessarily expecting a gift from you. Like your next-door neighbor. You’ve never given each other holiday gifts before; it’s a nice gesture to hand him a couple of inexpensive lottery tickets (and make him feel like he owes you something, always a good position to be in). Or maybe your kid’s teacher — although in that case it’s probably a little better to do it as an add-on, not as their entire gift.

In a white elephant exchange, you can’t go wrong with lottery tickets (provided there aren’t known problem gamblers or kids involved). Once it’s revealed that one of the options is a handful of lottery tickets, the people who have no interest in them won’t go after them, and the people who want them can make a move to “steal” them, per white elephant rules.

Service workers are a little more of a gray area — it depends on whether you’re fully expected to give them a gift or not. If so, lottery tickets that could end up being worth zero dollars and thus could end up not being a gift of any value at all, and that doesn’t really cut it as a thank you for a year of hard work. But if it’s, say, the crossing guard who rarely gets gifts from anyone and is thrilled to receive anything at all, sure, a lotto ticket is a lovely gesture.

What’s the better form of lottery tickets as gifts: scratchers or draw games?

No-brainer here — it’s scratchers. There’s nothing wrong with a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket (or stack of tickets), but scratch-offs come with an added layer of fun in the process of scratching off that weird silver coating. The excitement of the reveal is part of the gift. Staying up late to watch ping-pong balls come out of a machine? Not quite as rewarding from an experiential point of view.

All right, let’s get to the big question on everyone’s mind. If you give a lottery ticket that’s a big winner, you’ll probably share in the upside, right?

Yep. It’s human nature to give the person who gifted you the ticket a cut (as long as it wasn’t given anonymously in a gift swap). For small prizes, don’t hold your breath. But if you give someone a scratcher than turns out to be worth $10,000, they’re almost certainly going to want to reward you with a couple hundred bucks, or treat you to a meal at a nice restaurant or something. If you happen to gift someone a draw ticket that ends up being worth a million dollars, don’t be surprised if they insist on giving you back 10 or 20 grand, or buying you a car.

All that said, remember that they are under no legal or even moral obligation to give you a penny. Possession is ten tenths of the law in this case. The ticket is theirs. You aren’t justified in resenting them for keeping all the proceeds of the gift you gave them.

Speaking of resenting people, is there downside risk in giving lottery tickets that the receiver will resent you if they win nothing?

Yeah, this is one of the risks you’re taking when you give someone lottery tickets for the holidays. Any other gift you can buy them has some inherent value. But lottery tickets could turn out to be the same as a handful of air. That’s why it’s often best to give a ticket as a supplement to a larger gift, to someone who wasn’t expecting anything from you at all, or to someone who is a lottery enthusiast and understands emotionally how the game works.

Last thing: What’s the right amount to spend on lottery tickets as a gift?

Well, like the way we started this whole thing … it depends.

For formatted gift exchanges, usually there’s a spending guideline. If the Pollyanna rules say aim for about $25 per gift, then buy exactly $25 of lottery tickets, easy-peasy.

If it’s as a supplement to a larger gift, or if you’re just handing out one ticket to each of your co-workers as a nice gesture, a $5 ticket is fine.

If it’s for your dad who loves the lottery, and people in your family usually spend about $100 on holiday gifts for each other, give him $100 worth of lottery tickets.

And whatever amount you’re spending, remember that variance is a good thing. If you get someone a single $50 ticket, and the overall chances of winning a prize are 18%, that means there’s an 82% you just gave them zilch. But if you give them 10 tickets that cost $5 each, well … we’re not doing the math for you, but just know that it’s much less likely that they walk away with absolutely nothing.

And with that … happy holidays, win big, and hope that the people to whom you gift lottery tickets win so big that they feel obligated to cut you in.