Healthy Play
We advocate for healthy play through our commitment to responsible gaming.
Healthy Play
National Lottery plc is committed to positive and healthy play.
As Malta’s exclusive land-based Lottery operator, we pride ourselves on encouraging fun and healthy play. We design our games in a way that helps you keep control of your game play, and even though the risk of unhealthy play accompanying our products remains low, we still believe that we must do whatever we can to encourage and support healthy play.
We’re committed to preventing underage play and supporting healthy play in our retail outlets by:
- Promoting Responsible Gaming.
- Displaying the 18+ sign.
- Asking for identification documents if a user is suspected to be minor.
- Prohibiting the offering of credit to any customer.
- Making healthy play materials and gaming habits self-assessments available in our Points of Sale.Providing our retailers and employees with mandatory training covering responsible play, underage sales prevention, and treatment referral.
- Regularly communicate with our retailers to help them identify and prevent sales to vulnerable players.
- Educating our players by providing information on Responsible Gaming, problem gambling warning signs and treatment options.
- Implementing product risk management strategies.
- Following the marketing communications guidelines as regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority and further substantiated by the framework set forth by the European Lotteries and World Lotteries Association.
- Offering the option to self-exclude completely from higher-risk games that require player registration.
Our promise to you:
- We promise to keep it fun.
- We promise to provide a transparent and accountable environment.
- We promise to be there when you need us.
What is Responsible Gaming?
Responsible gaming is about participating in gaming activities for fun and entertainment. Responsible players are aware of their personal circumstances of the risks involved and can manage their playing behaviour.
What does Playing Responsibly mean?
To play responsibly, an individual must exercise the below principles:
- Play socially.
- Take breaks.
- Exercise control.
- Don’t consider gaming as a source of income.
- Don’t participate in gaming whilst intoxicated.
- Only stake money you can afford to lose.
- Set limits for yourself (both with time and money).
- Play in a balanced manner and without causing any harm to yourself or others.
- Understand there is nothing that can be done to improve your chances of winning.
Once an individual stops following the above guidelines, gaming can become problematic, especially when the amount of money wagered is more than one can afford to spend.
Problem gambling warning signs:
- Being preoccupied with gambling, such as constantly planning gambling activities and how to allocate more money for gambling.
- Lack of control even when you acknowledge the need to stop playing.
- Experiencing a “high” from gambling, including increased heart rate and disassociation from reality.
- Needing to gamble with increasing amounts of money to get the same thrill.
- The inability to control, cut back or stop gambling even when one recognises that gambling is causing severe financial, family, work, or other problems.
- Feeling restless or irritable when you try to cut down on gambling.
- Gambling to escape problems or relieve feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or depression.
- Trying to get back lost money by gambling more (chasing losses).
- Lying to family members or others to hide the extent of one’s gambling.
- Risking or losing meaningful relationships, a job, or school or work opportunities because of gambling.
- Asking others to bail you out of financial trouble because you gambled your money away.
- Loss of control over behaviour, including lying and cheating.
Complications:
Compulsive gambling can have profound and long-lasting consequences on someone’s life, such as:
- Relationship problems.
- Financial problems, including bankruptcy.
- Legal problems or imprisonment.
- Poor work performance or job loss.
- Poor general health.
- Suicide, suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts.
Self Assessment
By being aware of your gambling habits, you can identify how comfortable you are with the time and money you are spending. This may help you identify certain issues before they become a problem. We have created this self-assessment test to help you make that analysis. Taking the last 12 months into consideration, answer ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ to each of the following questions:
Have you ever wagered more than you could afford or experienced financial problems due to gambling?
Have you sold possessions or relied on others to lend you money after losing it to gambling?
Do you experience mood swings, irritability or agitation when trying to cut down or stop gambling?
Have you been unsuccessful in reducing either the time or money that you are spending on gambling?
Have you ever played under the influence of alcohol or other substances?
Do you often gamble when feeling distressed or to escape the reality or problems in your life?
Do you hope to win back any money lost by playing even more?
Have you ever been criticised or felt the need to hide your gambling habits or lie to others about how much time or money you spend gambling?
Has your gambling affected your mental or physical health, relationships, or your employment?
Do you need to increase your stake or gamble for a longer period to get the same feeling of excitement?
Have you lost interest in family, friends or hobbies because of gambling?
Have you ever thought about self-harm or suicide because of your gambling?
Do you spend ample time thinking about gambling?
Have you ever been tempted to commit a crime or steal money to fund your gambling?
If you have answered ‘yes’ to at least four of these questions, you may be experiencing problem gambling, and we recommend that you speak to someone and consider applying limits to your gambling or self-exclude completely.
Protecting Minors
We take the prevention of underage gambling very seriously, prohibiting individuals under the age of 18 to engage in gambling activities.
- We conduct rigorous age verification checks on all customers and request documentary proof of age when initial checks are inconclusive.
- We maintain a strict policy where any individuals under the age of 18 are prohibited from gambling with the National Lottery of Malta and we are asking for identification documents if a user is suspected to be minor.
We prioritize the prevention underage gambling by implementing thorough age verification checks for all customers.
Self-Exclusion
In those instances when players have the obligation to register to consume their game play, as is the case for Sports Betting wherein single wagers in excess of €50 are played or for playing a slot machine, players can control their gaming by seeking to self-exclude specifically from participating in these games. Self-exclusion forms are available in those gaming premises where such games are made available. Self-exclusion is available only for all gaming services that require registration. You may contact the National Lottery Helpline Centre for additional information about self-exclusion.
Self-exclusion can only be done in person through authorised means and persons seeking to self-exclude must prove their identity to National Lottery plc authorised personnel. When opting to self-exclude, players will be excluded from marketing mailing lists (subject to prior consent being given by the player) for the duration of the self-exclusion period. The exclusion from receiving marketing information from National Lottery plc comes into effect after twenty-four (24) hours from the self-exclusion becoming effective.
Getting the help you need
For those struggling with compulsive gaming behavior, free consultation and treatment services are available from various organizations in Malta and internationally.
Problem Gambling?
One can contact the Responsible Gaming Foundation’s helpline. Cases are treated in confidence and callers can even choose to remain anonymous.
- The Responsible Gaming Foundation operates a helpline dedicated to addressing issues related to problem gambling. This helpline serves as a crucial point of contact for individuals seeking assistance and support in managing their gaming habits.
Callers have the option to remain anonymous, providing a safe space for them to discuss their challenges without fear of judgment or disclosure. This emphasis on privacy encourages individuals to reach out for help without reservation.
Additionally, the support center can offer guidance on managing gaming habits and, when necessary, refer individuals to other resources that specialize in problem gaming treatment.
We’d like to hear from you.
Contribute to the enhancement of our gaming environment by providing valuable feedback on our Responsible Gaming measures.
