Responsible Gambling Policy

 

What is Responsible Gambling?

Responsible Gambling is an overall concept that any form of gambling should uphold the principles of the Gambling Act and should also be conducted safely and responsibly so that gambling can be enjoyable but never harmful to individuals or their families.

 

The 3 objectives of the Gambling Act are:

  1. preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime
  2. ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
  3. protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

Gambling can be a fun and enjoyable form of entertainment, however if not properly managed individually or as the promoter, it can also lead to negative consequences.

Customers should always be made aware of the odds or chances to win, all the terms and conditions and should be encouraged to only play with what they can afford, and an amount which they find enjoyable to gamble with.

Our policy is to take a considered approach to offering support to any customers for example recognising the signs of problem gambling and to protecting potentially vulnerable customers, and to be aware of this whilst proceeding to promote any gambling activity.

We will offer support and help to anyone who requests it, and to anyone who is or appears to be affected by problem gambling in a confidential, transparent and compassionate way.

BriteVox also requires that its staff, contractors and marketing companies it contracts with uphold the values of this policy, and comply with the Gambling Act 2005 and the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice as provided by the Gambling Commission, and that they understand and enforce the importance of socially responsible gambling.

This document outlines the company’s policies towards the various aspects of responsible gambling.

 

1. Prevention of Crime & Disorder

  • BriteVox will prevent gambling activity it promotes from being a source of or a support to crime and disorder.
  • It will do so by minimising the stakes which customers can enter into the lottery and by always ensuring that proceeds for the lottery are only paid via direct debit into the society’s/charity’s nominated bank account.
  • All brand ambassadors and customer facing personnel should immediately report to the marketing company or to BriteVox if they have any concerns or suspicions regarding criminal activity related to a lottery.

 

2. Fair & Open Gambling: Clear and transparent language and marketing

  • BriteVox believes in ensuring that promotion of a lottery must be done in a fair, open and compliant way.
  • It is our policy to ensure all materials are written in a clear and plain English and are easy to understand and the terms of a gamble are made clear and are available in advance to all customers.
  • All brand ambassadors and customer facing personnel must be trained on compliance and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and are required to conduct marketing activity adhering to these guidelines.
  • All brand ambassadors and customer facing personnel should direct customers who wish to have further information about the lottery to the terms and conditions or to contact BriteVox or the society/charity for further information.

 

3. Protecting Children & Young Persons

  • BriteVox’s policy is to ensure that only persons aged 16 or over (according to the law) are permitted to enter the lottery campaigns it promotes.
  • BriteVox’s clients will often set a higher age limit for face to face sign ups of lottery players, this is often 25 and over but will be confirmed for each campaign. If customers wish to enter the lottery are 16 and over, but under the face to face limit as agreed by BriteVox’s clients, they will be directed to enter the lottery directly with the society.
  • Each customer will need to affirm their own age as part of the sign-up process.
  • If a brand ambassador or member of BriteVox’s own staff is concerned about a customer’s age, they should request confirmation from the customer in line with the Age Verification Procedure.

 

4. Protecting the Vulnerable

  • BriteVox’s policy is that customers who are vulnerable or potentially vulnerable should be protected from the potential harm which can be caused by gambling. With this in mind, customers who are vulnerable or potentially vulnerable should not be approached or signed up for the lottery campaigns BriteVox promotes. For further information please refer to the Vulnerability Policy.
  • Vulnerability in the context of lotteries can take many forms: including but not limited to someone who cannot make an informed decision, or who has a lack of understanding of the lottery or if they are not fluent in English, someone who cannot afford to enter a lottery, someone who is elderly or very young and not able to make their own financial decisions, someone who wants to gamble too frequently or with high stakes, or someone who is distressed or under pressure.
  • All customer facing personnel and brand ambassadors are trained on how to recognise vulnerability and how to politely disengage from a sales conversation and where necessary provide information on where to obtain further support.

 

5. Customer Interaction

  • Customer interaction is about how to react if you identify customers who may be at risk of developing problems with their gambling, or who exhibit suspicious behaviour, appear vulnerable or who simply wish to exceed the pre-set limit of entries.
  • BriteVox’s policy is to train and educate all customer facing personnel and brand ambassadors on responsible gambling and how we can collectively spot this and support individuals who may have a problem with gambling, or how to report any concerns.
  • In order to ensure the best outcome for the society/charity and to mitigate any risks of problem gambling, no more than 2 entries per customer can be sold to a customer at any one time or cumulatively, and if a customer wishes to exceed this limit there is a customer interaction procedure.
  • This interaction can include advising them of organisations they are able to contact to discuss their situation further, such as BeGambleAware, GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline. The details of these organisations are at the bottom of this document.

 

6. Self-exclusion

  • BriteVox supports any customers who wish to self-exclude and restrict their own gambling and will ensure that those options can be discussed in a private and wherever possible confidential manner between the customer and the brand ambassador and/or customer facing personnel.
  • BriteVox’s policy is to ensure that any customers who do wish to self-exclude are made aware of the process and the repercussions, including:
    • We encourage them to self-exclude all forms of lotteries which BriteVox markets, and also any other form of gambling they may partake in.
    • It is binding and irrevocable for at least 6 months once the customer confirms their wish to self-exclude
    • Only a positive action by the customer after the initial period of 6 months will mean the customer can then take part in a lottery which BriteVox is promoting.
    • They will be directed to organisations which can offer further help, support and information, i.e. BeGambleAware, GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline.

 

7. Problem Gambling: What to do if you or a friend’s or family member’s gambling becomes a problem

  • BriteVox’s policy is help and support any individuals who require any assistance but particularly those who require assistance with their gambling by promoting the work of specialised organisations who can assist individuals and their families with problem gambling. These conversations are welcomed and will be handled sensitively and confidentially.
  • If brand ambassadors and customer facing personnel have any concerns about an individual’s gambling, or if a member of the public raises concerns about a friend’s or family member’s gambling, BriteVox will provide information to them about getting in touch with organisations who can confidentially discuss the matter with them, such as BeGambleAware, GamCare and the National Gambling Helpline.
  • BriteVox is a member of the Lotteries Council and through this membership provides an annual donation to organisations which support people affected by problem gambling.

 

8. Complaints

  • BriteVox is committed to upholding a high standard of customer service with the public.
  • If any member of the public is concerned or has any feedback regarding the method of promoting the lottery or the lottery campaign itself, it can contact BriteVox to raise its concerns at customerservice@britevox.co.uk
  • All complaints and feedback will be treated individually, professionally and will be acknowledged and initially responded to within 48 hours.
  • For more information on BriteVox’s complaint policy please visit our website or contact us directly.

 

9. Information Sources

The following organisations are able to provide specialist advice and support to enable responsible gambling and to assist in the case of problem gambling:

BeGambleAware – www.begambleaware.org

GamCare  – www.gamcare.org.uk

National Gambling Helpline – 0808 8020 133