Social Responsibility and Responsible Gambling

1. Introduction

Woking & Sam Beare Hospices operate a Society Lottery for the general public in Woking and the surrounding area, for the sole purpose of raising funds for the Woking & Sam Beare Hospices.
The Society is committed to ensuring that the lottery is operated in a secure, fair and socially responsible way and to endorse responsible gambling amongst its members.The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the public interest. The regulatory framework introduced by the Gambling Act 2005 is based on three licensing objectives:

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime and disorder, or being used to support crime.
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
• Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

2. Purpose and Scope

This document sets out the Societies policies and approach to ensuring we approach any gambling activities in a socially responsible way.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

Preventing gambling from being a source of crime and disorder

• When an individual joins the lottery we will check that:
• The individual is aged 18 or over.
• The individual is resident in Great Britain.
• We also retain the right to cancel any membership should we suspect criminal activity.
• We limit the maximum number of entries to £10 per person per week.
• We do not accept cash for memberships.

Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way

We will ensure that:

• Players have access to clear information on matters such as the rules of the lottery, the prizes that are available and the chances of winning.
• The rules are fair.
• Any advertising and promotional material is clear and not misleading.
• The results are made public.

Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling

We will use our best endeavours to address the following issues:

• Under age Gambling. It is illegal for individuals under the age of 16 to enter into a lottery. However, the terms & conditions of the Woking & Sam Beare Hospices lottery state you must be aged 18 or over to play. If, for whatever reason, upon winning any individual is unable to prove that they are 18 or over then any winnings will be forfeited.
• Gambling Limits. The Society may impose limits on the value of entries into a lottery that can be purchased by an individual.
• Self-Exclusion. On request, we will close any player’s lottery membership(s) for a minimum period of six months during which time the membership(s) cannot be reinstated. During this period we will also try to ensure that the individual does not try and open a new membership.
• Access to Player History. We will provide any player with a full history of their lottery membership, including complete payment and winnings history upon request.
• Provide Information on Gambling Support Organisations. We will provide contact details or links on any lottery websites or via other appropriate media to GamCare and other relevant / appropriate organisations.
• Self Help and Awareness Information. We will provide self-help and awareness information on any lottery websites or other appropriate media together with links to or contact details of GamCare and other relevant / appropriate organisations.

Gamble safely

Playing our lottery is a way to support a worthwhile local charity and gives our members the chance to win one of 25 cash prizes offered every week. In common with all society lotteries it represents a very small risk of encouraging people below 18 years of age to participate or to induce people to gamble to excess.

Whilst the majority of people do gamble within their means, for some gambling can become a problem. It may help you to keep control to remember the following:

• Gambling should be entertaining and not seen as a way of making money
• Avoid chasing losses
• Only gamble what you can afford to lose
• Keep track of the time and amount you spend gambling
• If you want to have a break from gambling you can use our self-exclusion option by downloading a copy here, requesting a self-exclusion form from us at lottery@wsbh.org.uk or you can self-exclude on our website. We will then close your membership(s) for a minimum period of 6 months, during which time it will not be possible for the account(s) to be re-opened for any reason.
• If you need to talk to someone about problem gambling then contact GamCare.
• GamCare is a registered charity that provides confidential telephone support and counselling to anyone who is affected by problem gambling. GamCare can be contacted on 0808 8020 133 (local rate from UK).