August 1, 2017

The Commission’s latest consultation sets out proposals for new rules for society and local authority lottery operators, as well as external lottery managers (ELMs), which seek to improve transparency for society lottery players.  This includes:

• making it clear to consumers before they buy a lottery ticket exactly which society or charity the lottery proceeds are going to; and
• publishing how much money raised from lottery ticket sales is being returned directly for the purposes of the society.

The consultation also addresses what the Commission views as an “instant win” and “low frequency lottery”, and incorporates recent changes to the remote technical standards required by online gambling businesses.  In addition, the consultation contains updates relating to changes to regulatory data collection requirements.

Sarah Gardner, executive director explains: “Society lotteries are a crucial source of income for many good causes across the country, whether a hospice, air-ambulance services, community groups or other charitable causes.  We want to improve consumer confidence in the lotteries sector to protect those much needed funds that benefit so many societies across the country.

“Transparency plays a vital role in this, as ultimately consumers need to be confident that the money they are contributing via ticket sales is going to the people and organisations that needed it the most.

“While the proposed changes will come as no surprise to the lottery sector, we want the wider industry and public to give their views on the proposals.”

The consultation is open for responses until 30 September 2017.  To access the consultation, click here.