A gambling regulation expert has warned companies over the dangers of organising a sweepstake for the Grand National - especially when it involves homeworkers.
With 40 horses running in the illustrious race at Aintree on Saturday, thousands of companies across the UK will be organising a sweepstake ahead of the event. Noble Yeats is the existing champion, with Corach Rambler the favourite to win the 2023 race.
Yet companies will need to ensure their Grand National sweepstake does not breach the UK's gambling rules. As Richard Bradley, a gambling regulation expert at Poppleston Allen protests, there are FIVE key things to remember when organising a sweepstake.
"While formal gambling activity is heavily regulated by the Gambling Commission, there is an exception designed to allow the general public to have a bit of fun by taking part in what is officially called a work lottery, for major events such as the Grand National," explained Bradley, as quoted by the Daily Star.
"But what many people may not realise is that the rules are very clear in that you can only sell physical tickets and all players must work in the same office.
"Contests running across different office locations of the same company are not allowed. Therefore, given the permanent shift to many staff working largely or fully from home, extra care needs to be taken when running a sweepstake."
Who are you backing to win this year's Grand National? Let us know in the comments below!
Bradley has urged those who wish to participate in a sweepstake to go into the office to claim their ticket. He added: "If these rules aren’t followed, organisers and players would technically be involved in illegal gambling."
To avoid falling foul of the Gambling Commission, companies must ensure all players pay the same amount for a sweepstake ticket; names must be decided by chance; no one can make a profit and all stakes must be returned as prizes (deductions can be made for administrative costs); the sweepstake can only be advertised at work; there must be a winner.
Speaking of sweepstakes, you can print out Mirror Sport's sweepstake kit for the Grand National! Once you've fired up the printer, simply cut out the names of all the horses taking part in the race and stick them in a hat (or a jockey's skull cap) for the draw.
It's completely up to you how many prizes to hand out and how much it costs to enter. You might even want to make it free, with just bragging rights on the line. Just ensure you follow Bradley's advice when organising your sweepstake.
The Grand National will start at 5:15pm on Saturday, with ITV1 and Racing TV showing coverage of the big race. Viewers in the UK can also stream it via ITVX.
The handicap steeplechase will run over two laps, totalling four miles and 514 yards with 30 fences. This year marks the 175th Grand National, with around 10 million people expected to watch the race in the UK.
