Members of the Lithuanian Lottery Association, in operating lotteries, abide by the Responsible Gaming Standards where are promoted by the European Lotteries.
What is responsible gaming? The basis of the standards of responsible gaming are transparency of operations and keeping lottery participants properly informed. Players should know that lotteries are a form of entertainment and a game of chance, and it is the duty of their operators to present all rules clearly. The purpose of the standards is through prevention and education to ensure the safety of lottery participants and vulnerable groups in society (first of all, children and minors), and to thoroughly explain to players the rules of play and the role of chance in the game.
First in Lithuania. Lithuanian Lottery Association member Olifėja was the first lottery operator in the country to obtain responsible gaming certification. Olifėja worked for several years to get this recognition, steadily implementing all the requirements of the Responsible Gaming Standards. It was presented with the Responsible Gaming Certificate by the European Lotteries, the association that unites major lottery operators across the continent, based on an assessment of the company’s lottery operations and the results of a comprehensive six-month review by independent international auditors.
The other members of the Lithuanian Lottery Association, Euloto and Lotelita, also consistently implement the requirements of the Responsible Gaming Standards and base all their activities on the principles of responsible gaming.
Regulated areas. Lottery operators’ alignment with the Responsible Gaming Standards in Europe are assessed in terms of 10 aspects: research-based minimisation of harm, employee training, responsible design of lottery tickets, use of remote gaming channels, responsible advertising and marketing, collaboration to help problem players get assistance, player education, stakeholder engagement, transparent reporting, and openness.
Further extension. To ensure that lotteries are an enjoyable form of entertainment for society, the Lithuanian Lottery Association together with the lottery operators it unites will continue to extend and develop the measures for responsible gaming that they have implemented, involving market regulators, healthcare professionals and the society in this process.
The European Lotteries promotes unified responsible gaming standards. The European Lotteries, the leading European Association for state-owned and state-licensed lotteries, which works closely with European Union institutions, promotes common operating standards. The European Lotteries currently unites 73 lottery operators in 43 countries. The organization was created in 1983 in Switzerland, and in 2007 it set up an office to EU institutions in Brussels. It adopted the Responsible Gaming Standards in 2007, and in 2009 approved a framework for the certification of lottery operators. These arrangements are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the latest research results and changes in the legal environment.
Ability to control one’s participation in lotteries. The members of the Lithuanian Lottery Association care for the welfare of their players and feel responsibility for them. For the eventuality that some people may find it harder to control how much time they spend playing a game, a feature has been added to the websites of Olifėja and Euloto with their lottery games which allows players to set time and money limits for themselves. This practice is supported by the European Lotteries and is used in progressive lottery markets which value and promote their players’ interests.
All these measures are part of an ongoing responsible lottery programme. It is important to the Lithuanian Lottery Association and to the lottery operators it unites that all lottery participants play responsibly, as a form of entertainment and a pleasant pastime, enjoying the prizes. The game should be something fun, and not a source of problems for society or the state.
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