Remote workers who enter Grand National office sweepstake are gambling with breaking the law – The Telegraph

Grand National office sweepstakes could be illegal for people working from home, solicitors have warned.

The nations largest horse race, taking place at Aintree this Saturday, is a popular event for office sweepstakes.

The increase in remote working means that many employees will no longer be able to partake in a work lottery, where shares of a bet are divided among the winners.

The exemption was conceived so that the general public could have a bit of fun by taking part in what is officially called a work lottery, according to Richard Bradley, associate solicitor and gambling regulation expert at Poppleston Allen.

Mr Bradley said: 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, if the pandemic has led to staff working from other offices or largely working from home, extra care needs to be taken when running a Grand National sweepstake.

Organisers, whether employers or employees, must make sure they do not sell any tickets via email or over the phone. Any staff member who wants to play must visit the office and buy a physical ticket. If these rules arent followed, organisers and players would technically be involved in illegal gambling.

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Remote workers who enter Grand National office sweepstake are gambling with breaking the law - The Telegraph