In a case involving the illegal sale of sports lottery tickets to a minor, Taiwan’s Supreme Administrative Court handed down a landmark reversal on June 18, 2026. The court significantly reduced the amount the retailer was ordered to credit to the sports lottery surplus, dropping it from approximately NT$12.52 million to NT$5.15 million. 

The case originated when a high school student used a messaging app to place bets totaling around NT$7.85 million over a short period. Although the student won NT$4.66 million, a large unpaid balance brought the illicit transactions to light. Under Taiwanese law, selling lottery tickets or paying out winnings to minors is strictly prohibited. Consequently, the competent authority ordered the retailer to credit about NT$12.52 million—the exact sum of the total sales and the paid winnings. The Taipei High Administrative Court initially upheld this decision, deeming it a legitimate measure to protect minors. 

However, the Supreme Administrative Court, the court of last resort, ruled that demanding the entire sales amount violated the constitutional “principle of proportionality.” By adopting a constitutionally conforming narrower interpretation of the law, the court concluded that the appropriate amount should only consist of the sales administration fee actually earned by the shop (about NT$490,000) plus the paid winnings, totaling approximately NT$5.15 million. This ruling is a highly significant precedent in Taiwan’s legal practice. It strikes a careful balance between upholding the legislative intent of protecting youth and preventing excessive administrative dispositions.