The N.C. Education Lottery has become only the 5th U.S. lottery to achieve a top certification from the World Lottery Association for its responsible gaming program.
The Level 3 certification attests that the Education Lottery has established the resources and programs to implement the elements of WLA’s principles of responsible gaming. The principles govern the protection of lottery players, cooperation with stakeholders, advertising practices and the monitoring of game activities. The lottery received the certification after a review by a WLA independent panel with expertise in corporate responsibility.
“Not all lotteries pursue this certification, but those that do make a significant commitment to conduct their operations in a responsible and accountable manner,” said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. “The Education Lottery has rapidly become a leader in responsible gaming, and what makes this certification meaningful is that it demonstrates a lottery is serious about following best practices in sales, advertising and marketing programs to try and minimize harm from gambling addiction.”
The Education Lottery has followed important principles of responsible gaming since its inception eight years ago, but has worked recently to strengthen its program. It partners not only with the N.C. Program Gambling Program, but also with the National Council on Program Gambling and other experts in the field.
“We want those who choose to play the lottery to play for fun and play within their means,” said Alice Garland, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “You should only play the lottery with money set aside for entertainment. We don’t want rent money, gas money or grocery money to be spent on the lottery. We can have a successful lottery and meet our mission of raising money for education without those kinds of sales.”
Garland said in the last year almost all lottery employees have participated in responsible gaming training and this year a training program will begin for all lottery retailers. She said the goal of the training is to ensure all involved in lottery operations know about problem gambling and can direct anybody who needs assistance to resources to help them. The lottery makes an annual $1 million contribution to the N.C. Problem Gaming Program. The funds not only cover the costs of a toll-free 24/7 helpline, but also the care and treatment for any kind of gambling problem. The number is (877) 718-5543 and is printed on all lottery tickets and advertisements.
A key part of the WLA program is ensuring lottery players have easy access to information about prizes and the odds of winning them. The lottery provides all the odds of playing its games, providing details, as feasible, on advertisements, marketing materials, and media releases. More extensive information on odds is kept up-to-date on the NCEL’s website. A customer service helpline fields questions Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The WLA program has four levels. Lotteries must renew their certification every three years. No U.S. lottery is at Level 4, but four others – California Lottery, Hoosier Lottery, Illinois Lottery, and Kentucky Lottery – are at Level 3.