We would rather you stopped playing than played beyond your means.

Our commitment

We run the Her-Place Community Lottery to raise money for counselling, community hubs, period dignity and safe spaces for women and girls in Cheshire. We want it to be entertainment and a way of giving — never a source of stress, and never something anyone relies on for income. If playing ever stops feeling comfortable, we would far rather you paused or stopped than carried on, and we will make that as easy as we possibly can.

In practice this means: honest odds stated beside every prize; modest prizes; no pressure or urgency in our marketing; no messaging aimed at under-18s; a simple way to set limits, take a break or self-exclude; and staff who know how to respond if a player, or someone close to them, raises a concern.

Age restriction

You must be 18 or over to buy an entry, hold a subscription or claim a prize in the Her-Place Community Lottery. This applies to every part of the lottery, including any free or promotional entries. When you enter, you actively confirm that you are 18 or over. Before any prize is paid, we verify age and identity — usually with a photographic ID check and, for larger prizes, proof of address.

If we discover that an entry was made by someone under 18, the entry is void, the stake is refunded to the payment method used, and any prize is withheld. Where a parent or guardian’s payment details were used, we will refund them and let them know.

Staying in control

• Set a budget before you play. Decide what you can comfortably give each week or month, and keep to it. A single £1 entry is enough to support the work.
• Spend limits. The entry form caps entries per draw, and you can ask us at any time to set a lower personal limit on your account or subscription. Once set, we will not raise it for at least 24 hours after you ask, and never without your written request.
• Take a break. Ask us for a time-out of anything from one week to six weeks. During a break we pause your subscription, refuse new entries and stop lottery marketing to you.
• Cancel a subscription. Email support@motherwellcio.com or call 01606 557666. Cancellations received before the Wednesday cut-off take effect before the next draw. There is no fee.
• Close your account. Ask us and we will close it, refund any entries not yet drawn, and keep only the records we are legally required to hold.

Self-exclusion

If you would like to stop playing altogether, you can self-exclude from the Her-Place Community Lottery by emailing support@motherwellcio.com, calling the office, or writing to the registered office. We will confirm in writing within two working days. Self-exclusion lasts for a minimum of six months — you can choose six months, one year or five years — and cannot be reversed during that period. For the whole time we will refuse entries from you, cancel any subscription, remove you from lottery marketing, and hold your details on a suppression list precisely so the exclusion can be enforced.

At the end of the period the exclusion does not simply lapse: it stays in place until you contact us to ask for it to be lifted, and even then we apply a 24-hour cooling-off period before any new entry can be accepted.

GAMSTOP. GAMSTOP is the free national self-exclusion scheme covering online gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission. The Her-Place Community Lottery is currently run as a small society lottery registered with Cheshire East Council, which sits outside GAMSTOP — so self-exclusion from this lottery is arranged directly with us as described above. We still strongly recommend GAMSTOP as a wider tool if online gambling is a concern: gamstop.co.uk.

Blocking tools. Gamban blocks gambling sites and apps across your devices. Most UK banks and building societies also offer a gambling block on debit cards, usually switched on in the banking app, often with a cooling-off period before it can be turned off. Both work well alongside self-exclusion.

Signs it may be becoming a problem

• Spending more than you planned, or more than you can afford.
• Buying extra entries to make up for not winning.
• Hiding how much you play from family or friends.
• Borrowing money, or using money set aside for bills, to play.
• Playing to escape stress, low mood or loneliness.
• Feeling anxious, irritable or guilty about playing.

None of these means anything is wrong with you. They are simply signals worth noticing — and if any of them ring true, the organisations below are there to help, without judgement.

Where to get help

Protecting people at risk

If a family member, friend or professional tells us they are worried about someone who plays our lottery, we take it seriously. We will listen, explain the tools above, and — where the person themselves asks, or where we have reasonable grounds for concern — pause entries while we make contact. We do not market the lottery to anyone who has self-excluded, asked for a break, or told us they are struggling, and we never target lottery marketing at people using our wellbeing services because they are using them.

Our staff and volunteers who handle lottery enquiries receive safer-gambling awareness training, and as a mental-health charity we can also point you towards wider support for the things that often sit behind gambling harm.

Complaints about the lottery

If you are unhappy with any part of the lottery, please tell us at support@motherwellcio.com or in writing to 54–56 Beech Drive, Wistaston, Crewe CW2 8RG. We acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and aim to respond fully within 20. If you remain dissatisfied, you may raise the matter with the licensing authority the lottery is registered with (Cheshire East Council) or the Gambling Commission. Full details are in the lottery terms.