Gaming Board meets to debate illegal sales promotions

The Gaming Board is meeting to consider its position on the legality of sales promotions and instant win schemes following concerns raised by a story in Marketing Week (May 3).

The board declared the Royal Mail’s first scratchcard promotion illegal on the ground that the competition did not offer a free entry route as easy to use as the route offered through making a purchase. The Royal Mail disputes the claim, saying its promotion is legal.

Tom Kavanagh, secretary of the Gaming Board, says hundreds of similar sales promotions including newspaper promotions are also illegal.

“There is illegal gaming in this country and there’s no point in denying it,” he says.

Kavanagh says the Gaming Board, a Home Office-funded governing body which exists to ensure gaming is run fairly, in accordance with the law, is considering its position on the promotions industry.

The board also advises the Home Secretary on developments in gaming to enable the law to respond to changes in the market.

See Cover Story, page 40

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