Gambling policy
Introduction
1. Crime Prevention
2. Social Responsibility Policy
1. Staying in Control
2. Direction to Counselling/ Advisory Services
3. Staff & volunteer training
4. Evaluation
5. Self-Help, Exclusion & Awareness Info
6. Employment of Children & Young Persons
3. Under Age and Vulnerable Persons
4. Fair & Open Draws
5. Queries & Complaints Procedure
6. Raffle Rules
Introduction
Wood Green, The Animals Charity wants everyone to enjoy gambling safely and within the three objectives that the Gambling Commission set out in the Gambling Act 2005:
· to keep crime out of gambling
· to ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way and,
· to protect vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited from gambling.
We are committed to endorsing a responsible attitude towards gambling and we have a responsibility as a provider of gambling services to be aware of the social consequences associated with gambling. We seek to not only comply with all legislation and guidelines provided but also endeavour to put in place as many measures as possible to protect people who are vulnerable to gambling.
The following is how Wood Green, The Animals Charity aims to prevent the misuse of their gambling activities by users.
1. Crime prevention
Any suspicious or fraudulent transactions will not be accepted. Any attempted suspicious transaction will be logged and reported to the police or SOCA where appropriate.
All players must have a declared permanent address within an accepted territory: UK mainland, Scottish Islands and Isle of Wight.
Addresses in the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man will be removed.
We will keep a record of all tickets sold and unsold.
We will be able to provide information for any police checks of a Lottery Ticket seller
that may be carried out. We will also be able to provide address details and details of any monies sent in for tickets received.
Our response handling house, Telebank Ltd, will process all entries and handle all monies received for the raffle, however all monies are paid in directly to our own bank account, and banking reports will be issued by Telebank on a daily basis.
In addition to this, we will sell tickets in our Thrift Shops. Wood Green Head Office will keep a record of all tickets sold and unsold in the Thrift Shops. Our own Finance Department will process all entries and handle all monies received for the raffle.
Wood Green, The Animals Charity will advise supporters not to sell tickets in the street. This advice will appear on the reverse of all tickets.
2. Social Responsibility Policy
1. Staying in control
Whilst the majority of our supporters gamble within their means, for some it can be more difficult. Our intention is to present supporters with incentives that do not encourage problem gambling and are set within sensible spending.
2. Direction to counselling/advisory services
We are committed to making clear information about the risks of gambling and treatment of problem gambling. Information about the support available for those who feel they have a problem will be made clear via raffle tickets and our web site.
3. Staff and volunteer training
All staff and volunteers involved in the selling of raffle tickets will be aware of our social responsibility. Procedures will be put in place to ensure gambling policies and best practice is followed. The latest developments on responsible gambling practices will be detailed frequently in the company’s internal communications.
4. Evaluation
We will re-assess and evaluate our policies on social responsibility in light of all new research and best practice which we are privy to.
5. Self-Help, Exclusion and Awareness Information
We will signpost our users who feel they may need support to the Gamcare website where there is an array of support and advice.
We will also remove, within 48 hours of receiving any request, the names from our mailing list of those who do not wish to receive any further gambling mailings. These names will be held on a register of those who have excluded themselves from gambling and no gambling materials will be sent to them again.
If you or a family member feels that they are experiencing problems with gambling, you can seek advice and support from trained counsellors at GamCare by calling 0845 6000 133 or via their website www.gamcare.co.uk.
6. Employment of children and young persons
All staff and volunteers will be given the option of not selling tickets. We do not employ staff or volunteers under the age of 18.
All staff and volunteers will be made aware that the law prohibits underage gambling and to only sell tickets to those aged 16 and over.
3. Under aged and vulnerable persons
Wood Green, The Animals Charity’s gambling activities are only open to those over the age of 16 and this will be clearly stated on our web site and back of all tickets. We will also train staff and volunteers selling tickets to only those over 16 and if in doubt request identification before selling tickets. Advertising promotional activity is not targeted at minors.
If anyone under the age of 16 is found to have entered any game, they will be automatically removed from the draw and removed from any mailing lists. The police will be contacted in the event of actual or potential underage gambling and no winnings paid on transactions accepted from anyone under 16.
We reserve the right to ask for proof of age from any customer and staff are trained to ask anyone who looks underage for proof of identity. If we are in any doubt we will not sell any tickets to that customer until proof of identity is provided.
4. Fair and open Draws
Rules for the draw will be listed on raffle tickets and explained in any mailings we send out with raffle tickets included. The full written rules will be available on request.
All draws will be drawn at Telebank’s premises in clear sight of staff - conducted at random using a blind draw.
Winners will be contacted by post, email or telephone no later than two weeks after the draw date. A list of the results will also published on the website. Winner’s information will be available on request.
Printed versions of rules will be available on request.
We have a complaints procedure in place.
5. Queries & Complaints Procedure
We will advise supporters to contact us by telephone, e-mail or post at our Head Office with any query or complaint in the first instance.
It will only be situations where an informal discussion of a complaint or problem has been tried, that a more formal complaints procedure will be used.
If the supporter is not satisfied with the initial response they receive, they will be asked to put their complaint in writing to the Director of Fundraising.
The Director of Fundraising will send an acknowledgement in writing of the complaint within 48 hours of receipt, and begin an investigation.
Every effort will be made to complete this investigation within seven days of receipt. The Director of Fundraising will then contact the supporter with the findings, recommendations and proposed actions.
In the unlikely event of an agreement not being reached between the Director of Fundraising and the supporter, the complaint will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for their intervention.
Only the Director of Fundraising or the Board of Trustees has the authority to agree a
resolution, when the formal complaints procedure has been instigated.
If this fails to bring about a resolution, then the complaint will be referred to IBAS (Independent Betting Advisory Service) for arbitration.
Telephone complaints
Initial complaints and queries will be dealt with over the telephone by Wood Green, The Animal Charity’s Supporter Services team.
If the initial complaint cannot be resolved by our Supporter Services team, the complaint is logged and forwarded immediately to our Director of Fundraising to be resolved.
Written Complaints
Initial complaints and queries will be responded to within 48 hours of receipt of
complaint by Wood Green, The Animal Charity’s Supporter Services team.
If the initial complaint cannot be resolved by our Supporter Services team, the complaint will be logged and forwarded immediately to our Director of Fundraising to be resolved.
6. Raffle Rules
The cost of entry is £1.
Due to Gambling Commission regulations this raffle is only available for residents of Great Britain and is not available for residents of Northern Ireland.
Entries are open to volunteers and employees of Wood Green.
Tickets are not for sale to or by anyone under 16 years of age.
No ticket to be sold to or by anyone on the street.
Entry closes on 3rd December 2012; the draw takes place on 7th December 2012.
Winners will be notified by post, phone or e-mail.
Prize money will be sent by cheque using registered mail within 5 working days.
A list of winners will also be published on our website.
Wood Green, The Animals Charity reserves the right to use the winner’s name for promotional purposes. These will only be in summary e.g. Mrs Smith from London.
Winners may be asked to take part in PR and promotional activity to help the Charity promote future fundraising draws.
Monies received after the 3rd December 2012 will be treated as a donation.