Creating a policy on workplace gambling is not as simple as it first sounds. Here are some of the complexities … and a possible solution.

A workplace gambling policy should also recognize that employees may suffer from a gambling disorder and may need professional help. As the scientific community continues to draw parallels between.
At XYZ Company, it is our policy not to allow our employees to engage in any form of gambling on company premises or on company systems and equipment.

To sum up, we recommend a workplace gambling policy and programmes that adopt a supportive approach and focuses on health promotion and prevention, education and harm reduction strategies. Federal rules on gambling prohibit employees from gambling while on duty, or while on government-owned or leased property, unless necessitated by their official duties. These restrictions apply not only to Federal employees, but also to members of the public at large, contractors, vendors, and exhibitors when on GSA-controlled property. The User must fill in the registration form Sample Workplace Gambling Policy provided by LV BET which shall at least include the following details: the customer’s identity. You warrant to, provide true, accurate, current and complete information regarding identity during the registration process.

You walk down the halls of your workplace and activity is at a level of frenzy you’ve seldom seen. It has nothing to do with work, of course. It’s all about who will win the big game on Sunday.

OK, most of it is harmless and will expire as the clock winds down on the field. But there may also be an undercurrent of money changing hands, based on who won, who lost, and what the point spread was. This may not be so harmless.

As we noted in yesterday’s Daily Advisor, the only side that always loses in workplace gambling is the employer. Lost productivity due to time spent on just one of many sports gambling activities, Fantasy Football, costs employers a cool billion dollars a week.

What it all points to is that you may need a policy on workplace gambling. Easy to write? Not so fast, sport. Actually, there are quite a number of points that need to be observed in formulating it. Thanks to SmartPolicies, BLR’s CD-based encyclopedia of more than 350 prewritten, and ready-to-use HR policies, here are some questions to ask.

–Will you prohibit all gambling or just illegal gambling? What about in special situations, such as entertaining clients?

–Are all gambling items banned from the premises? How about a deck of cards or a handheld video poker game? Or a legally purchased lottery ticket?

–What is your policy on searching employees and on what happens if they refuse to cooperate with an investigation?

–Problem gambling is often considered an addiction, just like drugs or alcohol. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not specifically protect gambling addicts from adverse employment actions, but state law may. What are the provisions in your state?

–Can you legally ban employees from gambling during off-duty hours if you feel it reflects badly on your brand or organization?

–Where are the limits if you choose only a partial ban? Is it OK for individual employees to purchase lottery tickets but not OK for employees to jointly buy them?

If you’d like to know how SmartPolicies answered these questions, here’s an abridged version of the sample policy on the CD. Keep in mind that all SmartPolicies are modifiable on your computer, so if this one is tougher (or more lenient) than what you’d prefer, it can be instantly customized to your use.

“Gambling is not permitted on company property during work hours, during breaks, during lunch periods in the company cafeteria, while traveling on company business, at company functions, or while entertaining clients.

“Company facilities may not be used to gamble (examples are given.) Gambling paraphernalia is not permitted on company facilities or in company vehicles. Gambling includes, but is not limited to, poker, horse betting, fantasy football bets, etc., etc.

Gambling Policy In The Workplace Against

“Any drawings, contests, or similar advertising promotions are to be approved by the human resources [or legal] department to ensure the promotion is not an illegal lottery.

Gambling In The Workplace Policy Nsw

“Employees desks, lockers, vehicles, Internet usage, email … may be inspected to ensure compliance with this policy. Employees are expected to cooperate with any investigation and employees who violate this policy are subject to discipline, up to and including termination.”

There are more than 350 other prewritten, legally reviewed policies on this CD and, if you’ll allow us a short plug for it, we think SmartPolicies is the program that smart HR managers should use to quickly and effectively meet all their HR policy writing needs. You can prove that to yourself by taking our marketing department’s offer to let you evaluate the program for 30 days at no cost or obligation. Details on how to do that, along with a look at the full table of contents and another sample of the program, can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

View Product Sample
View Table of Contents

For more information, or to start your FREE 30-day trial of SmartPolicies on CD-ROM, click here.

With March Madness coming up, you might have been invited to join an office pool — maybe a toonie buy-in, or something a little bigger, pricier, and more competitive. This is nothing new: from co-workers betting on big games to staff members checking out poker websites on their lunch break, gambling can be a surprisingly pervasive part of the workplace.

In fact, one workplace survey cited by the Toronto-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found nearly 60 per cent of respondents said employees at their organizations have been involved in Super Bowl pools, with 39 per cent saying people at their office pooled money to buy lottery tickets.

But is allowing (and participating) in this kind of activity at the office a bit of a gamble? It can, after all, be a bit of a slippery slope. To protect yourself (and your employees), it might be time to implement a gambling policy.

Here are some reasons for and against.

Pros and cons of workplace gambling

Before you prohibit all the aforementioned forms of “gambling,” keep in mind that these group activities can actually be a benefit to staff and company morale.

“If the stakes are really low, and it’s more about instilling some competitive spirit in the team, I don’t see much harm in that,” says Eric MacIntosh, an associate professor of sport management at the University of Ottawa. “People should have a little fun at work, and something like an office pool can be a way to have that fun and bond with co-workers.”

But before you call a company-wide hockey pool for the upcoming playoffs, keep in mind that you might alienate those who don’t want to participate (or, in this case, those who don’t know anything about sports).

“What if you’ve got 20 people in the office, and 15 want to be part of this office pool, and five don’t?” MacIntosh asks. “Does that make those five people a subculture in the organization?”

Chris Higgins, professor emeritus at Ivey Business School, echoes MacIntosh’s sentiment that a little office pool is generally harmless fun, but cautions to also be on the lookout for signs of trouble. “The real problem,” Higgins says, “is people spending time on gambling websites — be it online poker or sports betting — at the office. That can lead to a drop in someone’s productivity and could be a red flag for bigger issues, like gambling addiction,” he says.

According to the Cent