Preparing for the Storm 10 - Inside Edison - Edison International

Investigating
Gambling at Work
An employee reported to his or her
manager that another employee
was running a betting pool on that
year’s Super Bowl, a violation of
state law and company policy. The
manager reported the allegation to the Ethics and
Compliance Office, and the matter was assigned for
investigation.
The Facts
The investigator interviewed 37 employees from
multiple departments and one contingent worker
who were suspected of being involved in the
pool. Many of the participants claimed to be
unaware of the company policy prohibiting
betting pools, state laws prohibiting private
gambling (including sports betting pools) and
the identity of the employee running the pool.
Thirty-two employees and one contingent worker
admitted to participating in the Super Bowl pool.
The employee running
Edison Ethics and
Compliance Helpline
Seek Advice, Report Alleged
Misconduct or Concerns
Talk to your supervisor or
Human Resources
Contact the Ethics and
Compliance Office at
626-302-5904
Use the Helpline, identifying
yourself or remaining
anonymous: 800-877-7089 or
www.EthicsHelplineOnline.com
Edison absolutely prohibits
retaliation.
the pool admitted to organizing
the betting process
at work and to conducting
many betting pools at work
in the past. This employee
also refused to cooperate
with a company investigation,
an additional policy
violation.
The Code, Policies &
the Law
Since 2007, the Ethics and
Compliance Code has included
information on state
laws prohibiting any form
of private gambling and on
company policy prohibiting gambling at work. In
California, the law provides a limited exception for
charitable drawings that are open to anyone without
charge. For more information about company
policies on gambling and charitable drawings,
visit the Ethics and Compliance site on Portal.
The Consequences
The investigation verified the allegation that the
organizer was running a sports betting pool on
company property using company assets. The
organizer’s employment was terminated both for
gambling and for refusal to cooperate with an investigation.
The other participants received letters
to file.
Key Takeaways
Do not gamble at work, and always cooperate in
an investigation. Every Edison International employee
should review the company’s Ethics and
Compliance Code during the annual Code Certification
process prior to certifying having read and
understood it.
18 insideedison • http://inside.edison.com