The UK government has ended a consolatory period on whether to release weekly updates on sales at social lotteries benefitting charities and decided not to release the information.
The government had said that “society lotteries play a vital part of the giving landscape by enabling charities and other societies, such as sports clubs, to run lotteries for good causes.” Officials want to increase the amounts such lotteries are allowed to raise and suggested better reporting of sales.
However, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said releasing sales figures will not identify any trends and patterns in society lotteries.
“The department does not receive this level of granular data from the Gambling Commission and questions the added value it would bring,” the department said in a press release. “Sales vary week by week due to a diverse range of factors, in particular, whether there have been any rollover jackpots, limiting the robustness of any conclusions regarding trends that could be drawn on a week by week basis.”
Meanwhile, the UK Gambling Commission has issued a new report that highlights requirements for gambling companies to protect gamblers and also stop money laundering.
“Overall the companies can do a lot more to demonstrate they care about consumers and want to treat them right and keep them safe,” Neil McArthur, head of the commission told the BBC. We want to use our powers to hopefully drive a culture where operators’ compliance is set right from the start and which innovates to protect consumers, plus drive profits.
“Our hope is that the report will be received as a call to action for the leaders of the industry,” he said. “We want them to set the tone from the top in terms of leading a culture of compliance and really try to do the right thing for the consumer and work to raise standards for them.”
McArthur said the commission is especially focusing on money laundering issues.
“Firms need to know their customers and from where they get their money and how they can afford it. If the VIP team is involved then that’s what their relationship is all about,” he said.
