Remote office workers could be handed prison sentences for entering Euro 2024 sweepstakes

Remote office workers who enter sweepstakes during Euro 2024 have been told they could be breaking the law and may end up paying big fines or even going to prison.

The tournament gets underway in Munich on Friday evening with hosts Germany taking on Scotland in the opening fixture before England take on Serbia in their first game of the competition on Sunday night. Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate announced his squad last week, with notable exclusions coming in the form of Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Tottenham midfielder James Maddison.

First-time tournament-goers include Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze, Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton and Anthony Gordon, but the Three Lions will be heavily missing centre-back Harry Maguire who was ruled out with a calf injury. Many across the country will be hosting a sweepstake, a method of gambling which sees each person in a group pay a small entry fee in return for a name of one competitor before the tournament starts.

Popular times of the year for sweepstakes include the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in horse racing, the World Cup/Euros and even Wimbledon sweepstakes with a high amount of competitors taking part in each competition.

If a person's allotted team makes it all the way and wins the event, that person will then claim their prize which is usually a certain amount of the money raised by each person's participation. Many adults will have taken part in one at some point in their life but the majority will never have realised that the activity they are participating in could actually be illegal.

READ MORE: Euro 2024 wallchart: Get your free fixtures and schedule tracker as England chase glory

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about England's route to the Euro 2024 Final, fixture details and dates

However, Felix Faulkner, a solicitor at gambling licensing firm Poppleston Allen, says remote workers could find themselves in trouble if they partake in one this summer due to the Gambling Act 2005. Introduced in April of that year, it transferred authority for licensing gambling from the magistrates' courts to local authorities (specifically unitary authorities, and the councils of metropolitan borough, non-metropolitan district and London boroughs) and also helped create the Gambling Commission - the UK government's gambling regulator.

It essentially means that the draw must be done in person at the business premises and not online or over multiple offices, meaning if you work from home, you shouldn't participate unless you're willing or able to go into the office in-person to take part in accordance with the Gambling Commission's guidance on the regulations surrounding fundraising, raffles and lotteries.

A Poppleston Allen spokesperson said: "Ultimately, it is a criminal offence to run an illegal lottery and you could face prosecution. The maximum punishment for breaches is 51 weeks in prison or a £5,000 fine."