1. Small society lottery overview
Overview
Small society lotteries are often referred to as raffles or draws and can be a good way to raise funds for charitable purposes.
If money is paid for the chance to win a prize where no skill, judgement or knowledge affects the outcome, this is known as a lottery. If your society wants to do this you may need to register with us.
If your society's total income from lotteries are greater than £250,000 a year or sell more than £20,000 in tickets from a single lottery you will need to register with the Gambling Commission and not with the local authority.
It is not permitted to set up a society whose sole purpose is to allow lotteries - it must have some other purpose.
The Act requires that a minimum amount of the money raised by the lottery be channelled to the goals of the society that promoted the lottery. If a small society lottery breaches these limits, it will be in breach of the Act and will be liable to prosecution.
Find out more about different types of lotteries and their regulations