Camelot hails National Lottery retailers for robust ID standards

Camelot has hailed the robustness of UK National Lottery retailers in implementing and adhering to a high standard for ID verifications, collectively known as "Healthy Play." The company said that it had completed "Operation 18," the designated name of a series of visits to thousands of retailers by mystery shoppers who sought to see if the retailers were asking for ID as proof of age on their first visit to each venue.

In total, 11,600 retailer visits were completed with 92% of all venues asking for the necessary documentation. This, argues Camelot, is a record demonstrating the long road the National Lottery has gone under the company’s stewardship in making the lottery a safer and more responsible operation. Camelot, though, has been actively working in the background to help retailers strengthen their standards and their implementation thereof.

In addition to sending secret shoppers in person, Camelot and its retail team have completed 160,000 contacts with retailers. Those included phone calls, on-site visits, and email communications. The reason behind these communications was to remind retailers of their obligations under the Healthy Play responsibilities and help them achieve best practices through dedicated training.

These standards are important as they coincide with the recent change in the age of participation which went from 16 years to 18 years in 2021 and has been enforced ever since. The measure was meant to further strengthen the protection of vulnerable consumers and youngsters who may develop unhealthy gambling practices.

The Healthy Play plan also unfolded in other ways, too. For example, Camelot conducted 4,000 store visits which were done to purposefully help retailers spot unhealthy behaviors and patterns in their customers. An idea has been taking hold in the United Kingdom that stakeholders can help alert consumers to potential problems and help them follow the necessary recovery steps.

Retailers were also very happy with Camelot’s support and assistance over the fourth quarter of 2022 specifically – 88% of all retailers said that they were satisfied with the experience. Camelot Retail Director Alex Green hailed this milestone and said that "Operation 18" has clearly demonstrated the company’s ongoing commitment to making sure that consumers are protected.

"This incredible result is a testament to the hard work that both retailers and the team at Camelot have put in over these past two years," Green said. Camelot has been in the process of passing its operations over to Allwyn Entertainment, which is going to step in as the new lottery operator starting next year. Allwyn is also buying out Camelot’s UK operations to use the developed structure the company has been able to build over the years.

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