Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to ensure that commercial free prizes draws are free to enter by digital means.

Prize competitions and free prize draws are not subject to statutory regulatory control under the Gambling Act 2005. However, they must comply with the requirement in the Act to offer a free entry route for participation by post and/or offer paid entries online, in order to avoid being considered as an illegal lottery. Whilst the Gambling Commission has no regulatory responsibilities for these products, it does monitor the boundary between them and lotteries.

Prize draw operators must also comply with relevant consumer protection legislation.