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Lottery policies

The RAF Benevolent Fund will only conduct its lotteries with a registered External Lottery Manager (ELM).

The ELM will:

  • keep a record of all tickets distributed and entries bought;
  • provide information for any possible police checks on raffle or lottery ticket sellers;
  • operate from secure premises, with fire safes in situ, and contractors such as G4S; and
  • process entries and handle entry payments, which are paid directly into the society lottery bank account. The society retains the appropriate banking reports and reconciliations.

Fair and Open Draws

Weekly lottery draws are conducted at the ELM. Draws are conducted at random using either a random number generator or using a blind draw.
Draw results are published on the RAF Benevolent Fund's website and winner information is available on request.
Rules/terms and conditions are published on the website. A copy of the rules is also available on request.
In the event that a weekly lottery is cancelled, advance entry payments will be refunded. In the event of insolvency, weekly lottery entrants who have made pre-payments will be priority creditors.

Responsible Gambling / Problem Gambling

The RAF Benevolent Fund have put in place the following procedures to encourage people to gamble responsibly and seek help should gambling become a problem:

  • The Gamble Aware website address is included on all entry forms and related websites.
  • The RAF Benevolent Fund is dedicated to encouraging people to gamble responsibly and recognise the signs of problem gambling (see the Gamble Aware website).
  • There is a limit to the number of weekly lottery entries that can be bought by an individual. The maximum for the lottery is ten weekly entries and 60 additional chances for any single weekly draw.
  • Players can request self-exclusion from the lotteries. Their details will be held on a log and they will be refused entry and excluded from raffle/lottery promotional mailings for a defined period.
  • Players can request the number of lotteries they would like to participate in on a yearly basis.

 

Protection of Children and the Vulnerable

The following procedures are in place to prevent underage players from participating in the weekly lottery:

  • It is clearly stated that it is an offence for lottery entries to be sold to, or by, a person under 16 years of age. The minimum age for entry is detailed on all marketing materials and entry forms.
  • Individuals under 16 years of age are excluded from any 3rd party data or our own supporter data to be used for raffle or lottery promotional purposes.
  • For individuals who have paid online or over the telephone with a debit card, a search may be undertaken with a third party for the purpose of verifying that they are aged 16 or over.
  • Any player who is found to be less than 16 years of age will automatically forfeit the right to any prize. This fact is stated on the reverse of all entry forms. They will have any monies paid in relation to the weekly lottery returned to them.
  • In the event that a vulnerable person's carer requests that they no longer receive promotional mailings, we will suppress the vulnerable person's details from our mailing database immediately. If the person has been sent a lottery pack as a result of their details being supplied to us through an acquired list, we will give the carer details of how they can contact the list owner to request details are removed from the original list.

Complaints Procedure

Complaints are dealt with by an ELM or the society and details are formally recorded on the Complaints Log.

The Complaints Log and written complaints will be kept on file for three years.
The Complaints Manager aims to respond within five days of receipt of the complaint.
If the complainant is unhappy with the resolution, they are further advised to put their complaint in writing to the Qualified Person: Complaints Manager, RAF Benevolent Fund, Sterling Management Centre Ltd, Furness Gate, Peter Green Way, Furness Business Park, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 2PE.