Even breaking the law and committing crimes, be wary of the popularity of "one yuan lottery" in primary and secondary schools: there are minors addicted to students | administration | surrounding | campus | toys | prizes | minors | lottery tickets

A "small lottery ticket of one yuan" sold by merchants. Interviewees provided pictures

"I saw that the door of the car was not tightly closed, so I took some change from the car." On May 23rd, Xiao Wei, a minor suspected of theft, confessed to the prosecutor about the crime. Xiao Wei dropped out of primary school and wandered around. At the beginning of this year, he stole 5 times by pulling the car door, and the one with the least profit was only 10 yuan. When asked what he did with the money, Xiao Wei said, "I went to the small shop next to the school to buy food and drink, and also bought a few small lottery tickets to play with."

What is a "small lottery"? After a detailed inquiry with Xiao Wei, the director of the Third Prosecutor's Department of the court, Xi Xiaowen, and the police officers launched an investigation. They found that many stationery stores, book bars, and small shops around some campuses were selling "small lottery tickets". These small lottery tickets are priced at 1 yuan each and come in small cards with different designs. There is no standard manufacturer or printing factory, and they have a gambling nature similar to "scratch". After opening one layer, there will be "a number" or "thank you for your patronage". Buyers can exchange corresponding rewards based on the number, generally divided into "cash reward type" and "toy reward type", which can only be purchased and opened immediately and cannot be taken away from the store.

Recently, the People's Procuratorate of Huishan District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, found that some minors involved in multiple criminal cases such as theft and group fights were addicted to buying "one yuan lottery tickets", and some even embarked on illegal and criminal activities. On June 2nd, the court issued a prosecutor's recommendation to urge administrative agencies to carry out special rectification, leaving minors with a clear space.

Xi Xiaowen learned that these "one yuan small lottery tickets" are selling well, and students come to buy them constantly after school.

On the "Huiyou Future Handy Auction" mini program developed by the institute, some parents of students have reported that many minors are addicted to it. Due to the low probability of winning, it often takes tens of yuan to win a prize. Some minors are willing to spend hundreds or thousands of yuan to get their desired prize. Xiaowei and others, in order to satisfy their curiosity, even embarked on the path of crime.

In the survey, school teachers believed that the practice of merchants selling "one yuan lottery tickets" has a negative impact on children's physical and mental health, and can lead to early formation of speculative psychology.

Redemption of prizes is another issue brought about by the "one yuan lottery".

"One yuan lottery tickets can usually be exchanged for bouncing balls, dragon balls and tops," said suspect Xiao Wei. "They are all toys that students prefer."

Taking the elastic ball as an example, students spend one yuan to draw a small lottery ticket. After tearing it open, the number on the card corresponds to the size of the elastic ball. The smaller the number, the larger the corresponding elastic ball. These prizes are all low-quality "three no products" without a clear production date, product qualification certificate, or manufacturer, which are harmful to the health of minors.

The investigation found that in addition to low value prizes such as elastic balls, there are also children's toys containing vulgar, violent, soft pornography and other text or image content in the prizes, as well as "toys" such as infrared pens, simulation knives, and even electric shock sticks. These dangerous "toys" are often set as "special prizes", and under the conscious control of merchants, students occasionally buy them once or twice and cannot even "draw" them, further stimulating the psychology of "gambling".

The procuratorial officers randomly picked up an electric baton from the "prizes" seized by the administrative organs. The instantaneous voltage generated by this electric stick type electric shock toy exceeds 120 volts, far exceeding the national safety voltage for the human body, which may have fatal effects on patients with heart disease and other conditions. The relevant person in charge of the Market Supervision Bureau of Huishan District believes that these "prizes" are highly likely to form negative inducements for children and pose a potential threat to campus safety, and the risks should not be underestimated.

There are so many risks and hidden dangers in the "one yuan lottery". In order to prevent it from further breeding and spreading around the campus, the People's Procuratorate of Huishan District, Wuxi City, based on the investigation results, has issued pre litigation prosecution suggestions for public interest litigation to relevant departments.

According to the newly revised Law on the Protection of Minors in June 2021, new provisions were added regarding the prohibition of setting up lottery sales outlets around schools and kindergartens, the prohibition of selling lottery tickets to minors or redeeming lottery bonuses, and Article 41 of the Lottery Management Regulations, which stipulates that selling lottery tickets to minors in violation of regulations shall be subject to administrative fines and confiscation of illegal gains. The court issued prosecutorial suggestions to relevant departments, urging administrative authorities to resolutely ban private lottery sales outlets around campuses, and conducting special supervision on issues such as low-quality, soft pornographic products, simulation tools, and electric shock toys that are marketed to minors without bottom line.

"One yuan small lottery tickets are usually illegal private lottery tickets made by merchants themselves, making supervision more difficult," said Xi Xiaowen. The provisions of the Law on the Protection of Minors and the Regulations on the Administration of Lotteries are relatively principled and general, and there is no refinement of "lottery". The basis for administrative penalties is not clear, and the punishment intensity is not strong enough. In this regard, the procuratorial organs suggest rapidly advancing legislation, refining the provisions of laws and regulations, and mobilizing the joint efforts of public security, education, market supervision and other departments to jointly carry out the special rectification of the sale of "one yuan small lottery tickets" around the campus.