#Privacy Policy
We, Camelot, are regulated by The Gambling Commission. Our Privacy Policy allows us to operate in compliance with this regulation when handling all personal information collected by us or submitted by you online at the National Lottery website. Your privacy is really important to us. We handle your information securely and confidentially, and we will not sell your information to third parties.
Before you use our website, we ask that you read and understand the terms of this Policy. Please note that when you provide information, you also consent to us using it and contacting you (by email, post or telephone) for the purposes set out in this Policy and as such, you agree that this will not constitute a breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. We may need to update this Privacy Policy from time to time, but we will notify you if this is the case on this site. You acknowledge that you have read and accept the terms of this Privacy Policy and consent to the use of your personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy.
Your information
We'll collect your information when you open an online account, register with us via our Customer Care Team, or play our games for example. This information can include your name, date of birth, username and password, answers to security questions, bank account, debit card, driving licence and contact details, together with details about your playing behaviour and transaction and game history relating to playing of lottery games. Not all of this information is mandatory.
In addition, we may collect dynamic or static internet protocol (IP) addresses when sending HTML emails to you or when you visit our site.
How we use your information
The information we collect means that we can:
- set up and run your account to play games online and/or by Direct Debit,
- provide lottery services and games,
- enable you to play our games,
- notify you if you win, about changes or information relating to your account, or changes to our services,
- check you are entitled to use your debit card, if you have provided one, and
- ensure the website is optimised to enable the best experience for you while playing our games.
It also means, in certain circumstances and presuming that you have consented, that we can ask your views on the services we offer and to enhance market research and promote our games and services. We also want our communications to be relevant to you so we'll use your information to personalise marketing or other notifications.
If you close your account, we may need to archive certain of your information for legal and regulatory reasons, and to continue to hold it for a number of years. All personal information we hold is in accordance with the registration we have with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). We also take security very seriously, so while we hold your information we make sure it is safe. Find out more in the security section below.
We ask that you let us know how you'd like to be contacted when you open your account. If, you have agreed, we may also send you information about our projects, games and services. You can opt out of this at any time. If you have any concerns or queries, or wish to opt out, you can write to the Company Secretary at our address, send an email to help@national-lottery.co.uk, or choose unsubscribe on promotional email communications.
Sharing your information
We are sometimes required to share information with The Gambling Commission as a requirement of our operating Licence. If requested by the police or other regulatory or government authority investigating suspected illegal activities, we are entitled to share personal information.
We will also make some of your information available to other carefully chosen third parties. This will include, banks for the operation of your National Lottery account, for setting up your direct debit, or for the purpose of answering questions about your account, authentication agencies to verify your details when you open an account and to check your entitlement to use any debit card registered to your account, or agencies for the purpose of administering and managing your direct debit and online account. If you give your permission we may also share the information with trusted business partners for marketing purposes. Be aware that third parties process your information in line with their own privacy practices. While we may share your information, we will never sell it.
Your information may also be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area. Their laws may not be as strict, or provide the same protection to you as given by the Data Protection Act. You consent to the transfer and processing of your information in these countries.
Security
Security is our priority. Our site is regularly audited independently to maintain security accreditation. We are certified to a number of industry recognised standards, including ISO27001 which maintains the highest levels of security across our entire business.
We are founder members of the World Lottery Association (WLA) and therefore comply with, and are regularly audited to, the WLA Security Control Standards for our gaming processes.
We also have sophisticated online security controls that maintain confidentiality at all times, specifically for secure card payments. We are certified to the payment card data security standards (PCI-DSS) and never store card details. Instead these are encrypted using industry standard 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption during the payment process. Our entire site is accessed using https: rather than http: confirming that it is a secure site. You can see this in the address bar of your web browser.
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small, often encrypted text file that is stored on your device. A website sends you a cookie and your web browser stores it. The browser returns the cookie to the web server the next time you visit. They are designed to make the interaction between websites and users faster and easier. Our cookies don't store private information, such as debit card details or your address. They simply store encrypted information. Cookies don't harm your device and you can block them by changing your browser settings.
Cookies we use
- Temporary cookies
- These are also known as session cookies. They are only active while you are using our website. As soon as you close your internet browser, these cookies are deleted. They help to keep track of your activity while on the site and therefore make it easier for you to move around and complete various tasks.
- Permanent cookies
- These are also known as saved cookies and are stored on your device. These are used to retain your player preferences and help us to improve your experience of playing online. They are also used to track play behaviour in order to better target online advertising on other Internet sites and to prevent surveys from being presented more than once. They can remain stored on your device for years.
Third parties referred to above, in the Sharing your information section, cannot access personal information or any information that is traceable to an individual player. However, our trusted business and marketing partners are able to access the cookies in your browser when you visit their websites. This information is combined to provide an overview of player behaviour, so it anonymous and does not identify you as an individual. This helps us to understand which third party websites bring players to The National Lottery online and whether we've placed adverts effectively. It also allows our survey providers to identify players who have taken part in a survey before.
List of the main cookies we use and what we use them for
| Cookie name | What the cookie is used for |
|---|---|
| SID (Session ID) | This cookie remembers details of what you've done as you move around the website. |
| ROUTEID | This cookie ensures continuity of your session information and experience as you visit different pages across the site. |
| Authenticated | This cookie is used to display a session expiry message. To protect your security you will be signed out of your session if you have been signed in for an extended period but have not been active. |
| ppa | This cookie is used to determine whether we need to display the cookie policy information to you when you visit our site. |
| utag_main | Supplied by our business partner, Tealium, this enables us to implement analytics and tracking tags for tracking visitors to our site. |
| s_vi | This cookie is used by our analytics software, Adobe Site Catalyst to collect visitor information, such as number of visitors, which browsers are being used, which pages of the site are being visited and how visitors are moving around the site. This helps us to improve our site. |
| _drt_ & id (doubleclick) | This is used so that we know if you have come to our site from an advertising link and allows us to reward external partners for directing visitors to our site. |
How do you control your cookies?
You can change the settings in your browser to accept or reject all or some cookies. Browser settings vary, but most can be changed via ‘Tools' > ‘Options' > ‘Privacy'. You can also check the 'Help' menu of your particular browser (or your mobile phone's handset manual) to learn how to change your cookie settings. If you choose to disable cookies, then please note that this may limit the way you use the National Lottery website. For example, you may have to re-enter information that would have ordinarily been stored as a cookie. Alternatively, your browser may allow you to enable cookies for trusted websites only.
In 2011 changes were made to the EU Electronic Communications Framework to strengthen guidelines on the way cookies are used to improve privacy protection, specifically with regard to advertising. For more information please go to www.youronlinechoices.eu – the guide to online behavioural advertising and privacy. This website is operated by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) – the industry body for online advertising. On here you'll find information about how behavioural advertising works, how to opt out, further information about cookies and the steps you can take to protect your privacy on the internet.
