Responsible Play
Niche Competitionsshould be a bit of fun — never a way to make money or escape money worries. Our competitions are prize competitions and, whilst this isn’t gambling, we take play just as seriously as a gambling operator would, and we want every entrant to stay in control. This page explains how, and where to turn if play stops feeling fun.
1. Our commitments
- Strictly 18+. You must be 18 or over to hold an account or enter. We age-gate the site and may ask you to verify your age.
- No chasing, no pressure. We don’t use fake countdowns, fake scarcity, or “you’ve nearly won” tactics to push you into entering.
- Clear odds. Every competition shows the maximum number of tickets, so you always know your maximum odds before you enter.
- A genuine free route. You can always enter for free by post — see our Free Postal Entry route.
We follow the Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators. The player protections we have in place include:
- strict 18+ and UK-residency checks at sign-up, entry and payout;
- a £250 per-month limit on credit-card spend per person (and credit cards are never used for instant-win games);
- self-set spend limits — as low as £0 — that you can set at any time;
- cool-off and self-exclusion options; while a break is active we accept no entries from you and send you no marketing;
- a complaints and dispute-resolution process;
- a free entry route with exactly the same chance of winning as a paid entry; and
- every advertised prize drawn and awarded regardless of how many entries sell — never a lower-value prize, extended closing date or cancellation for low sales.
2. Staying in control
A few simple habits keep things healthy:
- Decide what you’re comfortable spending before you start, and treat it like the cost of any other entertainment.
- Only spend money you can afford to lose. Never enter with money meant for essentials.
- Don’t enter to try to win back what you’ve spent.
- Take regular breaks and don’t let entering get in the way of work, sleep, family or friends.
3. Limiting or pausing your account
You can set these controls yourself, any time, from your account settings. They take effect immediately and are enforced on every entry:
- Spend limits. Set a daily, weekly or monthly cap on what you spend entering (applies once paid entry is live).
- Entry limits. Cap how many entries you make per day, week or month.
- Take a break (cooling-off). Block yourself from entering for 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. A cooling-off period can’t be ended early.
- Self-exclusion. Exclude yourself for at least six months, or permanently — we block you from entering for that period.
- Account deletion. Permanently delete your account and data yourself (we may keep a minimal record while you have entries in a live competition).
- Marketing opt-out. Turn marketing emails and SMS on or off yourself, any time.
4. Signs it might be becoming a problem
It may be time to stop and seek support if you’re:
- spending more than you intended, or more than you can afford;
- entering to escape stress, low mood or boredom;
- hiding how much you enter from people close to you;
- feeling anxious, irritable or low when you can’t enter.
5. Free, confidential support
These organisations offer free, independent and confidential help — 24/7:
- National Gambling Helpline — 0808 8020 133 (free, 24 hours)
- GamCare — gamcare.org.uk
- BeGambleAware — begambleaware.org
- GAMSTOP — gamstop.co.uk (free self-exclusion across participating Great Britain gambling sites; note GAMSTOP covers operators licensed in Great Britain and does not cover Northern Ireland)
6. Protecting under-18s
This site is for adults only. If you share a device with someone under 18, please use parental-control and filtering software (such as Net Nanny or the controls built into your device) and keep your login details private.
7. Contact us
You can set limits, take a break or self-exclude yourself in account settings. For anything else — or any concern about your play, or someone else’s — email contact@nichecompetitions.com. Niche Competitions Ltd treats these requests as a priority.