Published: December 13, 2019

Camelot achieves Advanced Level 2 of GamCare Safer Gambling Standard

Camelot achieves Advanced Level 2 of GamCare Safer Gambling Standard

Camelot, operator of The National Lottery, has become the first lottery operator and one of the first online gaming operators to achieve Advanced Level 2 of GamCare’s Safer Gambling Standard for its online and retail operations.

GamCare is the UK’s national centre for information, advice and practical help regarding the social impact of gambling. The Safer Gambling Standard is GamCare’s social responsibility quality standard for licensed gaming operators. It aims to increase overall standards of social responsibility practice across the industry, helping to make play safer for all.

The three-month accreditation process involved the completion of a multi-faceted assessment, with GamCare reviewing Camelot’s responsible play policies and processes, its website, visiting National Lottery retailers, and interviewing members of staff across various teams at Camelot. 

GamCare also found that the responsible play measures that are in place are well integrated into Camelot’s culture.

The new accreditation forms part of Camelot’s wider Corporate Responsibility strategy, which centres on promoting healthy play with National Lottery games in retail and online. To achieve this, Camelot has developed a range of initiatives and tools to make The National Lottery the safest place to play. For online players, this includes age verification checks carried out by Experian, weekly wallet load limits, daily Instant Win Game play limit, self-exclusion options, default weekly spend limits and the ability to reduce limits instantly. The use of credit cards on its digital platforms is also not permitted. In retail, Camelot carries out mystery shopper visits at its retail partners, with a record 91% pass rate in 2018/19, and trains and educates retailers through its ‘Being a Responsible Retailer’ programme. 

Camelot’s Head of Corporate Responsibility, Alison Gardner, said, “Camelot has developed tools and programmes to promote healthy play to all our players, as we continue to make The National Lottery the safest environment to play. Achieving Advanced Level 2 of the GamCare Safer Gambling Standard endorses our work in this area, and is an important part of our overall strategy, as we continue to improve how we support our players, encourage healthy play and prevent underage play.”

 Camelot UK Lotteries Limited is the licensed operator of The National Lottery® and is committed to raising money for National Lottery Good Causes designated by Parliament. Camelot is not responsible for distributing or awarding these funds.

  • On average, Camelot generates over £30 million each week for National Lottery-funded projects. In total, over £40 billion has now been raised and more than 565,000 individual grants have been made across the UK – the equivalent of around 200 lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
  • The National Lottery has so far awarded over £73 billion in prizes and created more than 5,500 millionaires or multi-millionaires since its launch in 1994.
  • Camelot runs one of the most cost-efficient major lotteries in Europe, with around 4% of total revenue spent on operating costs.
  • The UK National Lottery is ranked just 66th in the world in terms of per capita spend, despite being the sixth largest lottery in the world by sales – underlining the effectiveness of Camelot’s strategy to encourage lots of people to play but to only spend relatively small amounts (Source: La Fleur’s 2019 World Lottery Almanac).
  • Camelot continues to make its player protection activities best-in-class through its work to reduce excessive play, prevent underage play and promote safe play, as well as by working closely with partners such as GambleAware – as part of its Safer Gambling Campaign – and GamCare.
  • For further information on Camelot, The National Lottery and its games, please visit: www.camelotgroup.co.uk and www.national-lottery.co.uk .
  • Players of all National Lottery games must be aged 16 or over.