Lottery ticket vendors in Beijing are now required to post signs where they work to warn minors it is illegal for them to buy lottery tickets, as part of China's latest effort to stop its youth from gambling.

The Beijing Times reports six government departments endorsed a joint circular that bans vendors from selling lottery tickets and distributing prizes to anyone under 18 years old.

The ministries of finance, education, public security and civil affairs all signed the document, as well as the industry and commerce administrations, and the sports watchdog.

The circular also prohibits vendors from selling lottery tickets within a 200 meter radius of all schools and warns serious punishment will be doled out to anyone who violates it.

The main organizations tasked with distributing and organizing the lottery in the city will conduct a census of all lottery vendors. They will move anyone found operating their business near a school to another place in line with the requirements of the circular.

Earlier this year, Nanguo Metropolitan Newspaper reported students in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, were becoming addicted to gambling after street vendors near their primary schools sold them tickets.

(CRI December 18, 2006)