Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files that may be stored on your browser or device when you visit a website. They help a site remember information about your visit, such as whether you have already seen a notice, which language or display settings you selected, whether your session is active and whether essential security checks have already been performed. On a platform that provides age-restricted access and account-based participation, cookies can play an important role in keeping the experience stable, secure and consistent.

Some cookies are strictly necessary for the core operation of the site. Others support convenience, remember preferences, measure page performance or help us understand how visitors use content. This page is intended to explain those differences in practical language so that users can make informed choices.

1. Essential cookies

Essential cookies are used to support basic site functionality. They may help maintain session continuity, remember that you have already passed the age confirmation screen, keep security tokens in place, reduce repeated prompts and support navigation across pages. Without these cookies, important parts of the website may not work properly or may behave unpredictably.

For example, if the site could not remember that you had accepted the age gate or the cookie notice, the same dialogs might appear again and again on every page view. Essential cookies therefore contribute directly to usability and to the consistent enforcement of age-restricted access rules.

2. Preference cookies

Preference cookies may remember choices you make while using the site. These choices may include interface settings, accessibility adjustments, consent preferences, form convenience options or other display-related selections. Their purpose is to reduce friction and make repeated visits more convenient.

Preference cookies do not usually determine whether the service is operational, but they can materially improve the quality of the experience by reducing repetition and preserving your settings across pages or future visits.

3. Analytics and performance cookies

Analytics or performance cookies may be used to understand how visitors move around the site, which pages are loaded most often, where errors occur, how quickly content becomes visible and whether users abandon certain pages before completing key actions. This information may help us improve site speed, simplify navigation and make important policy content easier to find.

Analytics information is generally reviewed in aggregate form. The objective is not to profile individual users for unrelated purposes, but to understand site performance, detect problems and prioritise improvements. Where measurement tools are used, the platform aims to ensure that they are proportionate to the operational need.

4. Security-related storage

Some browser storage mechanisms or cookie-like technologies may be used for security controls, such as preventing session tampering, limiting repeated suspicious requests, verifying that a request originated from an expected page flow or identifying abnormal usage patterns. These tools help protect both users and the service environment.

Security-related storage may also support fraud prevention, account protection and the investigation of unusual activity. Because the platform includes account access, transaction history and age restrictions, security controls are a necessary part of the technical design.

5. How long cookies remain on your device

Some cookies last only for the duration of your browsing session and are removed when you close your browser. Other cookies may remain on your device for a longer period so that a preference or acknowledgement can be remembered on your next visit. The retention period for any given cookie depends on its purpose, the type of cookie and the configuration applied by the site.

Where possible, cookies should not remain longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose they serve. Security and functional considerations may justify different durations for different categories.

6. Managing cookies

You can usually manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to delete existing cookies, block certain categories, prevent future storage or notify you when a site wants to place a cookie. The exact options vary by browser and device. Please note that if you disable all cookies, some parts of the website may stop functioning properly or may become less convenient to use.

If you remove cookies that store your preferences or acknowledgements, you may see the age gate or cookie banner again on a future visit. This is normal because the site no longer has a record on your browser that the notice was accepted previously.

7. Third-party tools and embedded services

From time to time, the platform may rely on third-party services for technical hosting, analytics, payment support, fraud monitoring, content delivery or customer communication. These services may use their own technical identifiers or cookies where necessary to perform their role. Where this occurs, the platform aims to work only with providers that support an appropriate level of privacy, security and operational control.

8. Updates to this Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in browser technology, consent practices, platform functionality or the categories of tools used on the site. When material changes are made, the updated version may be posted on this page together with a revised date or related notice.

9. Contact about cookies

If you have questions about how cookies are used on the platform, or if you need help understanding how to manage them in your browser, you may contact us through the Contact page. Please include the type of device or browser you are using if your question relates to a technical setting.