Responsible Gambling

While most people gamble for enjoyment and entertainment, there are some people for whom gambling is a problem that can cause financial and personal distress.

Make a smile lottery is committed to providing a safe environment for lottery players to buy and manage their lottery entries online and does not encourage excessive gambling or extending yourself beyond your financial means. If you feel that your gambling is no longer fun, please seek assistance.

We are committed to the three main objectives of the Gambling Act 2005:

• Prevent gambling from being a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime and disorder, or being used to support crime.
• Ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
• Protect children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling

As such, we abide by the Licensing Conditions and Codes of Practice, a condition which we have been granted a license by the Gambling Commission.

• Our terms and conditions including rules of play are set out clearly.
• The results of draw are published weekly.
• We have a published FAQ’s addressing questions such as where the money goes and how to cancel membership.

People playing make a smile lottery must be 18 or over. It is our policy to not allow anyone under the age of 18 to enter into a lottery. When joining make a smile lottery a declaration must be signed (or a box ticked online or over the telephone) to confirm the player is 18 or over, and they may also be required to provide their date of birth.

If for any reason it is established that an underage person or void entry has won a prize then the following procedure will be adhered to: If a situation arises that one of the weekly prize winners is under the age of 18 years, the Head of the Lottery will address this issue and explain that it is against our policy to gamble under the age of 18 and that their prize is therefore void. If upon winning, any individual unable to prove that they are 18 or over, any stake will be returned to the individual concerned. All winning positions below this void prize in the list of winners will now be moved upwards. This may result in some prizes increasing in value. The members who now have an increased prize value will be sent an additional cheque and written explanation. Moving all the prize positions below the void winner up one position will eventually leave the last position unfilled. In this instance the last remaining prize and position would be treated as a general donation to the charity which the “under age” individual was supporting.

Such an occurrence will constitute a reportable incident and will be reported to all Responsible Persons, Chief Executive, Gambling Commission and each associated hospice or charity partner.

Gamble Safely

Please play responsibly.

Make a smile lottery imposes a limit on the number of entries into our lottery that can be purchased by an individual (a limit of 5 subscription entries per week is imposed)

If you want to have a break from gambling you can self exclude by emailing us at hello@makeasmilelottery.org.uk with your name, address, and membership number(s). To find out more information on how to do this click here. We will then close your membership(s) for a minimum period of six months, during which time it will not be possible for the account(s) to be re-opened for any reason.

If you are worried about online gambling, ‘site blockers’ are available to download. There are links from the BeGambleAware website to some of these available services (please note these ‘site blockers’ are not endorsed by, nor have been tested by make a smile lottery).

We will provide any player with a 3 year history of their lottery membership, including complete payment and winnings history, upon request.

Tips for Safe Gambling

• Only gamble with money that you can afford to lose – don’t use money set aside to pay bills, rent, for food, etc.
• Don't borrow money to gamble
• Set a money limit and stick to it.
• Set a time limit and stick to it.
• Never chase losses – if you lose money, never try to get it back by going over your limit.
• Don’t gamble when you are depressed, upset or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Balance gambling with other activities – family, work, sleep, socialising, sport, hobbies, etc.

Problem Gambling Signs

GambleAware is administered and funded by the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT), an independent national charity. It recognises that the following signs may indicate a gambling problem:

• Don’t think of gambling as a way to make money – winning is not assured so it is not an income.
• Spending more money and time on gambling than you can afford.
• Finding it hard to manage or stop your gambling.
• Having arguments with family or friends about money and gambling.
• Losing interest in usual activities or hobbies like going out with friends or spending time with family.
• Always thinking or talking about gambling.
• Lying about your gambling or hiding it from other people.
• Chasing losses or gambling to get out of financial trouble.
• Gambling until all your money is gone.
• Borrowing money, selling possessions or not paying bills in order to pay for gambling.
  Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or for a longer time to get the same feeling of excitement or buzz.
• Needing to gamble with larger amounts of money or for a longer time to get the same feeling of excitement or buzz.
• Neglecting work, school, family, personal needs, or household responsibilities because of gambling.
• Feeling anxious, worried, guilty, depressed, or irritable.
  
  

Help and Support

Make a smile lottery is wholly owned by St Helena which is a member of the Hospice Lotteries Association, who on behalf of their members makes a financial contribution towards the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT), a leading charity in Britain committed to minimising gambling-related harm. As an independent national charity funded by donations from the gambling industry, RGT funds education, prevention and treatment services and commissions research to broaden public understanding of gambling-related harm. The aim is to stop people getting into problems with their gambling and ensure those that do develop problems receive fast and effective treatment and support.

If you have problems with gambling, or know someone who does, the following organisations may help.

National Gambling Helpline – call freephone 0808 8020 133 (open 8am to midnight, 7 days a week)

BeGambleAware aims to promote responsibility in gambling. It provides information to help people make informed decisions about their gambling. It will help you to find out more about gambling and what responsible gambling means, to understand and recognise problem gambling, and show you where to go for further information, help and support should you need it.

Site blockers – If you are worried about online gambling then you can download a ‘site blocker’ such as Gamblock or Netnanny, which can block access to online gambling sites. There is likely to be a cost for these services.

GamCare provides information, advice, support and free counselling for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling. GamCare aims to make it less likely for people to become problem gamblers, and easier for those who do experience problems to get the help they need. This is done by funding treatment services, by commissioning and supporting research on problem gambling, and through education and awareness programmes.