Chinese lottery vendors risk being punished if they sell lottery tickets to young people, Monday's Beijing Times reported.

"Selling lottery tickets to youth under 18 years old is prohibited," according to a notice jointly issued by six ministries concerning finance, education, public security, civil affairs and sports.

The notice said lottery kiosks should be at least 200 meters away from schools and stores that sell lottery tickets should be at least 600 meters away. Sellers will face serious punishment if they violate the rules, the notice said, without providing details of the punishment they may face.

China launched its first lottery in June 1987. Lottery ticket sales are one of the major sources of fund-raising for sports facilities and the country's social welfare programs.

Sales of China's welfare lottery in 2005 reached 41 billion yuan, raising 14.3 billion yuan for the state's social welfare fund.

The spread of betting games has also aroused public concern as the games have attracted an increasing number of students, who bet their pocket money on the slim chance of winning a fortune.

Some food or stationery stores near schools were found to be creating their own fake lotteries to cheat students, according to the Beijing Times.

The newspaper said the Beijing Lottery Center has started to check the location of the city's lottery vendors. It has also required sellers to post signs in their stores explaining that the sale of lottery tickets to minors is prohibited.

(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2006)