Last month the United Kingdom Gambling Commission warned many retail betting outlets continue to have “inadequate controls for preventing underage gambling.” But not at the national chain William Hill which recently was named one of the top-performing retail betting outlets in undercover tests by independent ID check auditor Serve Legal. Across the U.K., William Hill staffers approached 18- and 19-year old individuals in 86 percent of the test visits. In Yorkshire, the rate was 87.1 percent. The rate is 82 percent for bookmakers in general.
Andrew Lyman, William Hill’s head of public affairs and U.K. compliance, said the bookmaker was “delighted” by the results, but “we will not be sitting back and resting on our laurels.” He noted William Hill uses two measures in age checks: the overall challenge rate and challenge on entry. “We are now focused on driving up the challenge on entry rate because we recognize the imperative of challenging straight away any young person who enters a betting shop before they can attempt to gamble,” Lyman said.
Serve Legal Commercial Manager Matt Eastwood said William Hill’s national results compare favorably with supermarkets and convenience stores. “The bookmaking sector has raised the bar significantly and improved performance in the past five years. In 2009 it was 50 per cent ID check rate. William Hill has improved every year and is a good example of how seriously the sector is taking this subject,” Eastwood said.
William Hill Compliance Manager Sonia Wasowska noted in 2007 the company instituted a “Think 21” policy under which staffers are trained to challenge any customer who may be under 21. “We constantly emphasize the importance of challenging young-looking individuals for ID on entry to our shop teams. Their training, operations management support and the general company focus on getting it right is demonstrated in our figures.”
Local authorities can revoke gambling outlets’ licenses if they repeatedly fail test purchasing.
