WLA Responsible Gaming Standard for Associate Members

WLA members have the duty to grow sales and returns to good causes, while facilitating responsible play. In 2006, the WLA adopted the Responsible Gaming Principles and a Responsible Gaming Framework aimed at protecting lottery players around the world. These efforts and commitment ensure that any potential harm resulting from the sale of lottery products is minimized while revenues are sustained for the public good.

The Associate Member 'Responsible Gaming' standard and certification program is aligned with the WLA Responsible Gaming Framework, with the aim to supplement the purpose of the WLA Responsible Gaming Framework for continuous improvement in the set up and implementation of Responsible Gaming programs across the WLA Associate Members.

WLA Associate Members must:

• Ensure that their products and services support the WLA Members' responsible gaming efforts and objectives.
• Understand the needs and requirements of WLA Member's Responsible Gaming Program.
• Ensure that relevant laws and regulations are met.
• Develop appropriate practices taking into account relevant information and research.
• Develop a better understanding of the social impact of gaming.
• Drive the implementation of Responsible Gaming practices in all aspects of their own activities and promote the implementation of RG practices for WLA members’ activities.
• Provide the WLA Members with accurate and balanced information to enable informed choices to be made about their activities.
• To continuously improve, and provide public reports on their Responsible Gaming programs.
• To continuously engage with their external stakeholders on all aspects of Responsible Gaming that are relevant to their own operations and those of the WLA Members they supply.

Scope of Responsible Gaming Measures

Responsible Gaming is a core social responsibility issue for any WLA member; thus, Responsible Gaming is also one of the most important elements of the WLA Associate Member Standards. These standards are solely applicable to WLA Associate Members. They need not only to be applied to the operations of WLA Associate Members, but also to the products and service offerings of WLA Associate Members that are provided to WLA Members.

The treatment of people with gambling-related problems is the domain of therapists and other health care specialists.

3.1 Research

WLA Associate Members shall work with appropriate stakeholders on Responsible Gaming issues to ensure knowledge of current Responsible Gaming topics as they relate to their current and in-development operations, services and product offerings, as well as clients and jurisdictional demands. They shall support the WLA Members and/or local jurisdictions in the promotion of Responsible Gaming research and/or studies through for example the initiation, engagement and communication of the results from Responsible Gaming research.

Research activity may include the funding of third party or collaborative research and/or studies, the participation in seminars, conferences and the support of the WLA’s work on Responsible Gaming initiatives.

The responsibility for prevalence studies has historically been with the state, but WLA Associate members should at least co-operate with these studies where required in WLA Members jurisdictions.

WLA Associate Members shall demonstrate how they have incorporated key research outcomes and conclusions into their activities and products and services offerings.

3.2 Employee Program

WLA Associate Members shall inform all employees upon onboarding of their RG program and their service and product offerings regarding Responsible Gaming. Associate Members shall ensure that adequate RG awareness and skills are maintained on an annual basis amongst relevant employees, including senior management, those that create RG programs or interface with the clients on product and service offer. These activities may include internal communications and engagement tactics, formal training to meet the needs of specific job profiles such as marketing, key account management, research and development functions.

Associate Members shall show how different knowledge and skills requirements have been identified to design the most effective training. Associate Members shall ensure that those responsible for the organization's research and development are adequately trained about responsible gaming, gambling disorders and how the organization can use its products and services to raise awareness and education on gambling disorders, what it means to play responsibly, and risk factors as they relate to the organization's products and/or services.

They shall also demonstrate that awareness raising, and skills development has taken place amongst their employees, including target audiences and methods for any Responsible Gaming training developed for internal use.

3.3 Product and Service Development

Associate Members need to be aware of risk factors relating to problem gambling on product levels such as event-frequency, win probability, near-miss opportunities, player perceptions of odds; Associates Members also need to be aware of gaming environmental factors such as location and number of gaming venues and organizational level influences such as the impact of marketing and advertising measures.

They shall integrate risk factor considerations into their research and development efforts with the aim of minimizing problem gambling and other potential risk factors.

These activities may include but are not exclusive to providing Responsible Gaming risk assessments to clients/customers who are WLA members, the implementation of in-house Responsible Gaming / due diligence tools, and specific efforts to build RG measures into product / service features (both client specific and generic).

Associate Members shall demonstrate what assessment / due diligence measures have been deployed and how (e.g. what products have been assessed together with key outcomes and what Responsible Gaming specific products / service features have been developed and are being offered to clients).

3.4 Digital Environment

Associate Members shall ensure that their digital platforms provide the WLA members with the necessary features that are required to protect the player, monitor player behavior and assess any potential excessive or illegal gaming activities. Associate Members shall ensure that their digital features include as a minimum: self-assessment tools, self-exclusion mechanisms, display of wagers, proof of address, age verification systems, customer-led and/or system default limits on play, spend and/or losses and deposits, reality checks on the game screen with notifications and pop up messaging (e.g. session clock, warnings relating to limits, cool offs/breaks between periods of play), data protection controls, value of wagers.

In addition, they shall integrate responsible gaming research into player protection features offered to clients, all with the aim of minimizing problem gambling and other potential risk factors.

Associate Members shall ensure that they make their client lotteries aware of these features and provide them with a full-service catalogue of player protection features available. When developing new Responsible Gaming features for the digital environment, Associate Members shall review the effectiveness of these features with independent third-party experts.

3.5 Advertising and Marketing Communications

The responsibility for advertising and marketing to players and consumers has historically been with individual WLA Member states. However, WLA Associate members should, at the very least, adopt their own advertising and marketing code that ensures that all promotional activity follows solid principles of responsible marketing. When promoting products and service offerings to business partners features of Responsible Gaming need to be included in their marketing activities.

Associate Members shall adhere to the responsible gaming principles as required by the WLA members' code of advertising and marketing practices applicable where they supply products and services that need to adhere to these advertising and marketing codes.

Advertising and marketing communications activities may include the adoption of a Code that considers the needs of responsible marketing and the specific needs of Responsible Gaming, the deployment of procedures that ensure compliance with the code by employees and relevant agents / vendors. Associates shall demonstrate their related code or equivalent principles or policies as well as their associated compliance procedures.

3.6 Client Awareness

Associates shall provide information to their client lotteries regarding Responsible Gaming features / functionalities of their products and services to enable easy communication of these to the players by the client.

Associate members shall also when requested be able to assist their clients with the creation of Responsible Gaming educational materials relating to their products / services and engage in educational activities directly as relevant for their products / services. Where treatment services exist in a jurisdiction, members shall (unless an alternative organization or the state has been selected for this purpose in a jurisdiction) provide support to WLA Members when requested regarding services available for problem gamblers. Such information (contact details/helpline numbers) shall be suitable to be made available throughout any channels, and where applicable, comply with individual WLA member’s jurisdictional requirements. The information must be clearly visible in gaming venues, as well as on WLA members’ websites. The applicability, adequacy and effectiveness of these arrangements shall be reviewed at least annually.

Player Awareness activities may include the production of literature to inform client's player educational activities and campaigns if so requested as well as direct campaigns requested or joint campaign design with clients. Associates shall demonstrate that they have related materials produced and activities / campaigns run directly or in partnership with clients.

3.7 Stakeholder Engagement

Associate Members shall engage with their stakeholders on Responsible Gaming related topics to gain knowledge of their issues and concerns as they relate to their specific products and services and align their responsible gaming strategies and programs with relevant stakeholder expectations.

Stakeholder Engagement activities may include generally accepted engagement methods as defined in Responsible Gaming standards and guidelines. Associates shall demonstrate / evidence their rationale for identified stakeholders, key engagement methodologies and their outcomes, showcase how engagement outcomes have informed the development and implementation of Associate's responsible gaming strategies and initiatives and their reporting activities.

A part of the stakeholder engagement covers the involvement with business partners. Associates shall inform relevant business partners (suppliers, agents etc..) of the organization's Responsible Gaming program at least on an annual basis.

They shall ensure that business partners receive in-depth information about the organizations’ Responsible Gaming capabilities, product features and services and shall endeavor to support WLA Members' Responsible Gaming objectives across their entire product and service offerings for WLA's Members. They shall also ensure that they drive innovation for the development of Responsible Gaming features for the purpose of future service and product offerings for their clients.

Business Partner Program activity may include, but is not exclusive to marketing, customer relationship management and sales tactics, communication and engagement tactics. They shall demonstrate what tactics have been implemented with different business partners and what have been their key objectives and outcomes.

3.8 Measurement Reporting

Associates shall report (or have agreed to begin reporting from a specified date) on their Responsible Gaming program to key internal and external stakeholders. The reporting should, as a minimum, include a description of the Associate Members' Responsible Gaming Program areas as contained in this standard, related policies and initiatives, targets for future improvements, supported by a number of key performance indicators that are measured and communicated on a regular basis to inform internal decision-making.

Reporting shall occur periodically and use channels that are deemed most appropriate for reaching targeted audiences. Associate Members shall demonstrate their reporting strategy and the rationale for their approach to their reporting practices. Reporting and Measurement activities may include tools for WLA Member to measure their own responsible gaming efforts as well as reporting as part of annual financial reporting, topic related public reporting to specific target audiences, the use of tailored communication channels and platforms such as newsletters, magazines, social media etc. Reporting activities shall also be informed by and inform stakeholder engagement activities.

3.9 Certification Process

Assessment of Alignment
External assessment is required to gain certification to the WLA Associate Member CSR Standards. It will provide impartial and informed opinion on whether the WLA Associate Member is aligned with the requirements of these Standards.

All Associate Members are required to undergo an assessment every three years to maintain its certification. They are free to select the most appropriate Assessor, provided that they fulfill the qualifying requirements stated below.

Assessors must, as a minimum, cover all areas defined in this Certification Framework at each assessment, or justify why an area may not be relevant.

The Associate Member must fulfill a score of at least 75% in each of the 8 sections of WLA CSR Standards:

1. Research
2. Employee Program
3. Product and Service Development
4. Digital Environment
5. Advertising and Marketing Communications
6. Client Awareness
7. Stakeholder Engagement
8. Measurement Reporting

If the assessor deems, in his professional judgment, that an Associate Member has only partially fulfilled a scoring element, it is the assessor's responsibility to evaluate the number of points awarded.

If the Associate Member fulfils at least 75% in each of the sections in the first year, it will be given ’Aligned with The Standard’ Status. However, retention of this status is subject to the Associate Member’s ability to substantially fulfil all remaining sections within a period as advised by the assessor but not longer than 3 years after the initial assessment.

The Assessor must provide the Associate Member with a document which details the outstanding items which lead to fulfilling all sections.

Please note that all the 8 RG program elements might not be applicable to the Associate Member’s operations. If this is the case, the Associate Member still qualifies for certification and has only to complete the elements that are pertinent to the goods and services it offers.

Qualifying requirements for assessors
‍An assessor who seeks to conduct an audit for the CSR Standards for Associate Member must receive prior WLA approval, and may not initiate a CSR Standards for Associate Members audit before obtaining this approval.

Potential Assessors must be either:

• established, accredited audit or certification bodies

or

• assurers of corporate responsibility, sustainability performance, or auditors of financial and/or non-financial statements

The lead assessor must have at least 5 years of experience as a certifying auditor and prior experience in certification to international standards.

Potential assessors should address their requests for WLA approval to the WLA Secretary General along with evidentiary documents necessary to determine whether they meet the preceding criteria. Upon approval, assessors for the RG Standards for Associate Members must sign a noncommercial agreement for assessment services with the WLA. Upon completion of the audit, assessors must return a completed assessment form to the WLA.

Assessors must not:

• be linked to the Associate Member in a way that could affect or be perceived as affecting the impartiality of the assessment
• have had any significant input into the responsible gaming processes of the Associate Member, or having significantly participated in the design, development, implementation or maintenance of any supporting management systems that contribute to alignment
• subcontract any part of the assignment, unless this is disclosed and detailed information included in the submitted Assessment Plan.

‍Assessor responsibilities
Assessors are responsible for:

• providing evidence (in the form of a Qualifying Document) to the Associate Member to demonstrate that they can meet the criteria set out in this document
• submitting an Assessment Plan that meets the requirements of the Assessment Framework
• carrying out the assessment to The Standard set out in the Assessment Plan in an effective and cost-efficient manner
• providing an informed, complete and impartial Assessment Report to the Associate Member, along with an accurate and substantiated recommendation
• clearly stating all areas of non-alignment and explaining to the Associate Member any items that are needed to attain future alignment
• in accordance with Associate Member acceptance, submitting the Statement of Alignment to the WLA Executive Committee within a month after final Statement of Alignment has been given to the Associate Member by the Assessor.

It is essential that Assessors keep confidential all proprietary information about the Associate Member that is not in the public domain, unless the Associate Member authorizes disclosure. This requirement must be strictly observed in the Statement of Alignment and any other correspondence sent to the WLA.

Assessment Outputs

• Assessors must submit an Assessment Report to the Associate Member that lists the key assessment activities undertaken (e.g. numbers of interviews, documents reviewed, surveys, evidence gathered) and the conclusions drawn under each area of the Assessment Framework. For each section of the WLA CSR Standards, the report must list areas of alignment, (including any areas where the Associate Member has progressed beyond the minimum requirement) and detail any critical or major areas of non-alignment.
• Assessors must include in the Assessment Report an overall recommendation, stating whether they believe the Associate Member to be “aligned” with the WLA CSR Standards. This recommendation should be accompanied by an executive summary justifying the reasons for the recommendation, and including any caveats, restrictions or reservations in reaching the recommendation.
• The Associate Member should send the Statement of Alignment to the WLA at ma@world-lotteries.org within a month of the assessment being completed and after agreement with the Associate Member.