14 Bingo Terms and Conditions and Rules of Play

14.1	Introduction
14.2	Terms and Conditions/Rules
14.3	National Game Rules of Play

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14.1 Introduction

This adds detail to the guidelines for Mechanised Cash Bingo (MCB) in the Operator’s Handbook, to the extent that it covers games of MCB played across a number of premises linked for the purpose. The guidelines for MCB shall apply to linked games of MCB as they apply to normal games of MCB, unless varied by this section.

14.1.1

With the notable exception of The National Bingo Game, there is no standard set of rules under which the game of bingo is played

14.1.2

There are 2 social responsibility codes which dictate that the company terms must not be unfair and that the rules about gambling are displayed, including each variant of bingo and prize bingo.

14.1.3

The LCCP provides a licensing condition (7.1.1) for ‘Compliance with terms’ which is detailed below.

Licence condition 7.1.1
Compliance with terms (consumer rights)
All operating licences except gaming machine technical and gambling software licenses

Licensees must satisfy themselves that none of the terms on which gambling is offered are unfair terms within the meaning of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and must comply with those terms.
An accurate summary of the contractual terms on which gambling is offered must be made available to customers and set out in plain and intelligible language.
Customers must be notified of material changes to terms before they come into effect.

14.1.4

The game (in all its variations and their respective rules) has evolved over the years to the point where, despite the absence of any formal industry standard, the way in which the 90 number game is played is basically the same throughout Great Britain. All bingo operators have essentially the same core rules of play, although variations on items of detail do occur.

14.1.5

Specific Rules of Play cover additional games such as 75/80 number formats, retained stake and bingo variant games which are now being included in main session games.

14.1.6

All rules should be prominently displayed in the foyer or at Ticket Sales to ensure that players are aware of the rules of the club before they enter the club.

14.1.7

Each bingo employee should therefore be conversant with the bingo games and the rules applicable to those games as operated in the premises in which they are employed.

14.2 Terms and Conditions/Rules

Any determinant used in the game of bingo and distributed by any form of network must be transmitted simultaneously to all player devices designed to receive such information within that game. The receiving devices

Operators are recommended to check and review their respective Bingo Terms and Conditions & Rules of Play in every premises on a regular basis in order to ensure that they are up to date and compliant.

We have set out below a guide as to what information you may wish to include within your respective Terms and Conditions/Rules.

14.3 National Game Rules of Play

14.3.1

A copy of the National Game Rules of Play is available via the link within the Resource Centre.

	Section Headings Terms and Conditions	Details to consider
A	Owners details and address	Trading company details and registered office address.
B	Licensing Objectives	Gambling Commission guidelines in relation to keeping gaming fair and crime free and protecting the young and vulnerable.
C	Terms and Conditions	How customers are bound by Terms and Conditions, what they cover and include (rules of play and any policies). The company reserves the right to amend them and it should be stated when they are effective from.
D	Governing Law and Jurisdiction	How the law covers the premises and the operating company.
E	Over 18 policy	Requirement for an ‘Under 25’ challenge, must be over 18 to gamble, details of any non-gambling event that children may be allowed to attend, loss of winnings if found to be gambling under 18, risk of prosecution if playing or aiding play.
F	Entry and conduct within the club and the right to refuse admission	Where a person is believed to be under age or simply ‘without a reason’; entry can be refused. Customer food and drink on premises (bought externally), customer sale of goods, smoking policy, drug use, dress code, money lending and cheating, can all qualify for refusal to entry. This section may also include Health and Safety considerations or the spoiling other customer’s enjoyment.
G	Membership, loyalty cards and Privacy Policy	Conditions attached, identification documents required to join, loyalty card ownership rights, customer account procedures (including mistakes on credit / debit transactions, security of PIN, withdrawals and freezing of accounts). What the company’s Privacy Policy is. The protection of customer data and who it will be used by.
H	Gambling	Days and times, admission charges, retained stake, Hours and Charges, no other gambling allowed, warning about gambling losses. Right to cancel or abandon games.
I	Liability	Detailing what the company will not take responsibility for, in terms of loss of personal property, damage, injury, failure of equipment, incorrect printing/use of tickets and the right to withhold prizes while investigating and rectifying a dispute or situation. Company may not be liable for an inaccurate prize money display, calling and calculation errors but will aim to fairly correct any event arising. Liability disclaimers also extend to the conduct of other customers, and customer inability to access the club for any reason. There will be of course the rights of the customer for company negligence.
J	Dispute procedures	Local and external complaint/dispute procedure including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
K	Photographs/Video/CCTV	Warning that video or photography may take place within the club and the premises are monitored by CCTV. Customers may not use video or cameras without permission.
L	Events that may affect prize money and guarantees	Circumstances when prize money may be reduced or removed for events that impact on admission levels.
M	Cash handling	Checking and retention of bank notes where fraud is suspected, payment methods of large amounts of cash, customer identification before large payments are made, money laundering implications, refusal to pay where collusion or cheating is suspected. The use of Ticket in/Ticket out technology and the rights of customers for expiry times and cashing out. Dormant account information.
N	Self-Exclusion advice	Details of the procedure to follow and what self-exclusion entails. This section should list conditions, access to gambling and time scales for exclusion period. There should be other help references for advice in this section.
O	Intellectual property	Protecting the company logos, trademarks and their use.
P	Customer accounts	Procedures and conditions concerning retained customer funds.
Q	General Rules of play	How to play bingo, payment to play, all-in sessions/multi purchase, playing EBTs and packages, definition of when a number is called, check number, marking off a number legibly, winning combinations, making a claim, customer responsibilities to stop the game, producing a membership card, multiple winners, when a game is closed, customer sharing winnings, payment of winnings, duplicate tickets, Charges to Play notice, relatives who may play, APM, retained stake, participation fees and information from the caller.
R	Specific Game Rules	Link games (Paper and MCB), Party, Prize, 75 & 80 number games, EBTs, Bonus Buttons, Jackpot tickets, Bingo Variant Games, All Winners games, Superbook and, other games played differently to a standard 90 number bingo game.

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