Jersey Gambling Commission responds to criticism over charity raffle rules

The Jersey Gambling Commission had been criticised by fundraisers.

Jersey.- The Jersey Gambling Commission has had to defend its rules for charity raffles after coming in for criticism from fundraisers on the island. Two women who raise funds for organisations such as Jersey Hospice, the Women’s Refuge and Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR) said the island’s gambling laws were hindering their efforts.

Cheyenne O’Connor said she had been running a charity Christmas raffle for the past six years but has now been informed that her endeavours breach Jersey’s gambling laws. Meanwhile, Emma Keane decided to hold a raffle during a quiz night for the Jersey branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, but she received a call from the Jersey Gambling Commission to tell her that she had broken the law.

O’Connor said: “What a time we live in when it’s made this difficult to do something good for someone who needs it.”

“I can’t turn around to the MND Association and say, ‘I want that money back’ – you just can’t do that to a charity,” Keane argued.

Jason Lane, the chief executive of the Jersey Gambling Commission, said Jersey’s gambling laws covered all events with a prize of monetary value in which the outcome was down to chance. That includes bingo, raffles, and lotteries.

He said: “The key issue is that gambling events that raise money for charity must be run by the charity, not by what is essentially a random person. This has nothing to do with stopping people raising money for a good cause, but it has to be done the right way.”

See also: Football Index founder blacklisted by Jersey Gambling Commission