Player Protection

This page explains how we look after the people who play here, and the controls you can use on your own account at any time. It is all switched on now, and using it costs nothing and changes nothing else about your account.

Who can play

You have to be 18 or over and live in the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. We cannot accept entries from anywhere else, including the Republic of Ireland.

We ask for your date of birth when you register, and you confirm there that you are 18 or over. If you had an account before we started asking, you will need to add yours before buying again. We may also ask you to prove your age, identity and address with photo ID before a prize is paid out.

Set your own spending limit

You can cap what you spend with us. Sign in, go to My Account, then Play Safe, enter an amount and choose whether it applies per week, per month or per year.

You choose the amount, and you do not have to give a reason.

• Lowering a limit takes effect straight away. If your first figure turns out to be too high, the lower one applies immediately.
• Raising a limit, removing it, or changing how often it applies waits 24 hours. The delay is deliberate: a decision made in the heat of the moment cannot be acted on in that moment.

The limit is checked every time you pay, so an order that would take you over it is stopped there and then. Card payments count towards it. Paying with prize credit already sitting in your Wallet does not, because that was never money leaving your bank. The total runs over the calendar period: a weekly limit resets on Monday, a monthly one on the 1st, a yearly one on 1 January.

Taking a break

If you want to stop for a while, you can set a timeout on your account. You choose how long it lasts, from a single day up to permanently.

Once a timeout is set it cannot be shortened or lifted early by anyone, and that includes us. If you ask us to end it sooner we will not be able to, however the request is put. That is the point of it, and it is the strongest protection on this page. Choose the length carefully, because the break you pick is the break you get.

While a timeout is running you cannot enter competitions, and you cannot close your account either, so the break stays in place.

Closing your account

You can close your account permanently yourself, from your account settings. So it cannot happen by accident, you are asked to type a short confirmation phrase first.

If you have money in your Wallet, withdraw it before you close the account. Withdrawals are paid in pounds by bank transfer to a UK bank account in your own name, and the minimum withdrawal is £10. A balance below that stays in your Wallet and can be spent on entries.

How we keep an eye on things

We watch how accounts are being used, against thresholds we set for how many orders and how much spend deserve a second look. If an account passes one, three things happen: you are shown a reality check asking you to look over your recent activity, you get an email, and we are told, so we can get in touch.

We do not publish the figures, because we review and change them. A reality check is not an accusation and does not restrict your account. It is a prompt to stop and take stock.

Fair draws

Winners are drawn by TrueNorth, an independent random number generator. Each draw is committed in advance and can be checked afterwards, so the result can be verified rather than taken on trust. If TrueNorth is ever unavailable we may use another established generator, such as random.org.

Results are published on the competition page and on our results page, showing the winner's first name, their surname initial and the winning ticket number.

We do not extend a competition because it is selling slowly. A closing date moves only where something outside our control, such as a force majeure event or a serious technical failure, has stopped people entering. Otherwise the draw goes ahead on the published date whether every ticket has sold or not, as set out in our terms and conditions.

If it stops being fun

Some people find any kind of play hard to keep control of. If that is you, or someone you care about, there is free and confidential help that has nothing to do with us.

For money worries, StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper all give free, independent advice; numbers and links are on our debt advice and support page. If things feel heavier than money, Samaritans will listen at any hour, free, on 116 123. None of them are connected to us, and nothing you tell them comes back to us.

Talking to us

If you cannot find a setting, would rather talk to a person, or are worried about somebody else, email [email protected] or use our contact page. If you are unhappy with something we have done, our complaints procedure explains how to raise it.