Gambling Commission consultation on transparency over destination of money raised for good causes
Melanie May | 6 September 2017 | News
The Gambling Commission is running a consultation until the end of this month seeking views on whether society lotteries should be more transparent about where money raised for good causes goes.
The consultation sets out proposals for new rules for society and local authority lottery operators, as well as external lottery managers (ELMs), with the aim of improving transparency for society lottery players.
The Gambling Commission’s proposals include:
- Making it clear to consumers before they buy a lottery ticket exactly which society or charity the lottery proceeds are going to
- 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’, incorporates recent changes to the remote technical standards required by online gambling businesses, as well as updates relating to changes to regulatory data collection requirements.
Sarah Gardner, Executive Director said:
“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.”Advertisement
The consultation is open for responses until 30 September 2017.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.