Self-Exclusion

People's Postcode Lottery is committed to providing a responsible gaming environment. If you are concerned that gambling may have become a problem for you and would like to self-exclude to prevent your participation in lotteries managed by People's Postcode Lottery, then please follow the advice below.

What is Self-Exclusion?

Self-Exclusion is a formal process whereby you request to be prevented from participating in the multiple society lottery draws managed by People's Postcode Lottery for a minimum period of at least six months. You can choose to self-exclude for up to five years. The period of self-exclusion may, on request, be extended for one or more further periods of at least six months.

You should be aware that Self-Exclusion is an irreversible process. Once you self-exclude, we will block your account and you may not apply to play again, until the Self-Exclusion period you have chosen has expired.

When a Self-Exclusion is activated:

• You will not be able to sign-up to play during the chosen minimum term of self-exclusion, either online or over the phone;

• Once a Self-Exclusion is activated, it cannot be cancelled;

• Any active lottery subscriptions on your account will be cancelled, subject to the following:

  • Paid subscription for a draw which has already taken place will not be refunded. Any resulting wins from such a draw will be paid out in the normal manner.

  • If at the point a self-exclusion is processed, funds from the relevant account have already been collected for an upcoming draw (or a request to the payment provider has already been sent for collection for the upcoming draw), People's Postcode Lottery may be unable to remove the ticket from the draw. In such circumstances payment for that ticket will not be refunded, and any wins resulting from that draw will be paid out in the normal manner.

  • Subsequent payment collections will be stopped as a result of the subscription cancellation.

I only want to stop playing the lottery

If you are not looking to self-exclude but wish to reduce your number of subscriptions, change your subscriptions or cancel completely, simply call us on freephone number 0808 109 8765. Discussing changes in a telephone call allows us to obtain all the necessary information from you and we can confirm back to you that the change is in place and when your last draw date will be.

Alternatively, you can e-mail us at info@postcodelottery.co.uk with instructions. You should include your full name and address including your postcode.

I only want to stop receiving communications/suppress marketing

Please call our Customer Experience staff on freephone number 0808 109 8765 and they can change your contact preferences for you.

I DO want to Self-Exclude – what should I do?

To self-exclude, please send an email to People's Postcode Lottery at info@postcodelottery.co.uk with 'Self-Exclusion' in the title and include your full name and address, including your postcode, and confirm the minimum period you would initially like to be self-excluded, which can be from six months to five years. Please note that your request can only be processed on receipt of your e-mail, if you provide these details fully and accurately.

Alternatively, you can call us on freephone number 0808 109 8765.

We shall mark your record accordingly within two working days of receipt of your self-exclusion notification and will send you confirmation that your instruction has been applied to your account. We will hold your details on a register to ensure that you aren't entered into any future draws and that we don't send you any promotional material. This information will be held for seven years after the end of your self-exclusion.

If you have purchased tickets in our lottery and subsequently send us a self-exclusion notification your subscription will be stopped immediately. As People's Postcode Lottery operates multiple society lotteries, a notification of self-exclusion will automatically exclude playing from all lotteries we manage.

You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 72 hours, detailing when your self-exclusion commenced and indicating the date when you may request to play the lottery again.

We will opt you out of all marketing communications. However, this may not prevent you from receiving marketing material which is already in the process of being dispatched, or blank marketing materials, e.g. door drops. We would ask you to please disregard any such material received accordingly.

What happens once the initial self-exclusion period has expired?

Once the self-exclusion period has expired, your account will remain in this status unless you contact our Customer Experience Team on 0808 109 8765 to reactivate it. If, at that time, you do choose to re-commence play, your account will be subject to a further 24-hour cooling off period. Marketing communications will not be reactivated unless you specifically request to opt back in to receiving them.

Personal Responsibilities

By requesting self-exclusion, you are entering an agreement with us. During the self-exclusion period, we will undertake automated checks to endeavour to ensure that you can no longer access our lottery draws. At the same time, you also agree that you will not attempt to try to circumvent the agreement by continuing to participate in our lottery draws.

Accordingly, neither People's Postcode Lottery, nor any of the society lotteries we operate on behalf of, take responsibility or liability for any subsequent consequences or losses that you may suffer or incur if you commence or continue gambling by providing misleading, inaccurate or incomplete details or otherwise seek to circumvent the self-exclusion agreed. If you need any further assistance, please see Help or Contact Us.

If you are self-excluding from our lottery draws, we would advise that you also self-exclude with any other gambling operators where you hold accounts.

GAMSTOP

GAMSTOP is a free service that enables you to self-exclude from certain types of online gambling companies licensed in Great Britain. People's Postcode Lottery is not specifically covered by this service (as People's Postcode Lottery does not manage instant win lotteries), so GAMSTOP is not a replacement for self-excluding with us directly. Please follow the instructions provided in order to register a self-exclusion with People's Postcode Lottery. However, if you wish to self-exclude from a range of other gambling organisations, GAMSTOP may be helpful. To find out more and to sign up with GAMSTOP, please visit www.gamstop.co.uk.

Further help

Anyone who is experiencing problems with gambling should seek help. If you need to talk to someone about problem gambling, the following help is available:

The Gambling Commission has a list of some of the organisations that provide help and advice on gambling matters at http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/Safer-gambling/Safer-gambling.aspx.

GamCare is a provider of information, advice, support and free counselling for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling. Visit their website or call their free UK Based Helpline at 0808 8020 133.

BeGambleAware aims to promote responsibility in gambling. They provide information to help people make informed decisions about their gambling. Visit their website or call their free National Helpline at 0808 8020 133.

Gambling Therapy is a free online service that provides practical advice and emotional support to people affected by problem gambling.

Gamblers Anonymous is a support group for people who wish to do something about their gambling problem and help others do the same through attending meetings.

Further controls

There are a number of third party software that can be used to restrict access to gambling sites on your PC, laptop or mobile devices. A list of these can be found at http://www.gamcare.org.uk/get-advice/what-can-you-do/blocking-software.