Free entry to ITV and other prize draws.
Dear Gambling Commission,
I have read your responses to others who have made similar requests and am far from satisfied with your negative responses so perhaps I can make mine in an easy way for you to understand and answer.
1. Who is responsible if not yourselves for ensuring that ITV and other competition organisers do not ignore/bin/destroy free entries to their prize draws.
2. I have spent £100's over the last years in postal costs for free entries to these draws and one obvious thing is that nearly all of them from ITV & others have the same Derby Post Box address, although the code for the different draws varies. I cannot see it being financially viable for them to employ personnel to sort and separate the thousands of entries they must receive to this one post box. Or is it a 'dustbin'?
Saying they have a code of ethics is not sufficient for you to wash your hands of protecting the public from what could potentially be a multi million pound fraud?
3. WHO IS LOOKING AFTER OUR INTERESTS IF NOT YOU?
Yours faithfully,
tony lowery
Dear Sir
Thank you for your request for information which we are processing as a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We aim to deal with all requests promptly and in any event, no later than 20 working days in line with the statutory requirement. In this case 31/01/2019
If you have any queries about this email, please contact us.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
Gambling Commission
This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please return it to the address it came from indicating that you are not the intended recipient and delete it from your system. Do not copy, distribute or take action based on this email. Freedom of Information requests can be submitted either by email ([email address]) or by writing to: FOI request Gambling Commission Victoria Square House Victoria Square Birmingham B2 4BP Please clearly state that your request is under the Freedom of Information Act.
Dear Mr Lowery
Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Genuine prize competitions and free draws are free from control under the Gambling Act 2005, although the Gambling Commission does monitor the boundary between lotteries, competitions and free draws to make sure that people who do organise schemes that amount to lotteries are appropriately licensed. Where we have a view that a free draw or prize competition is being organised or promoted as an illegal lottery we may take action.
A free draw under the Act can be one of two types – the first being where all entries are free of charges and the second where there is both a free and paid for route. The Act defines ‘free’ broadly as any method of communication charged at the normal rate – first or second class post are specifically referenced as normal rates. A ‘free’ entry must not require any additional payment over what it normally costs to use a particular method of communication – for example, using special delivery. To be regarded as a free draw, there are additional requirements set out in Schedule 2 of the Act such as not having to pay to find out if you have been allocated, or to receive a prize; publicising the choice of how to enter in such a way as to be likely to come to the attention of all those who intend to participate; and not differentiating between those who pay to participate and those who do not.
Where there is a published free entry route, the requirement to answer a question, exercise judgement or demonstrate skill is not necessary.
The competitions run on ITV fall within the category of a free draw and as such are not regulated by the Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005 – therefore we are unable to assist with your request. Any concerns regarding consumer law, including unfair terms and misleading practices should be directed to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and concerns around misleading advertising and promotional marketing of free draws should be directed to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
Further details around prize competitions and free draws can be found here:
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/fo...
Review of the decision
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision, you should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP.
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Gambling Commission. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Kind regards
Freedom of Information Team
GAMBLING COMMISSION
4th Floor
Victoria Square House
Victoria Square
Birmingham B2 4BP
Tel: 0121 230 6666
This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please return it to the address it came from indicating that you are not the intended recipient and delete it from your system. Do not copy, distribute or take action based on this email. Freedom of Information requests can be submitted either by email ([email address]) or by writing to: FOI request Gambling Commission Victoria Square House Victoria Square Birmingham B2 4BP Please clearly state that your request is under the Freedom of Information Act.
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now
tony lowery left an annotation ()
Once again Gambling Commission side stepped the issue, but it would appear that there IS NO ONE who monitors ITV prize draws so these could in fact be totally fictional with all entries just being binned. There would appear to be no Governmental Control over the draws/prize recipients & it could in fact be the same prize pot being offered over and over again. Time Government appointed a monitoring body or made Gaming Commission responsible.