Lotteries

Small society lotteries must be registered with the local Council. If located in the Maldon District, you must register with us.

Society lotteries are promoted for the benefit of a non-commercial society. A society is non-commercial if it is established and conducted for:

• charitable purposes
• the purpose of enabling participation in, or of supporting, athletics, sports, or cultural activities
• other non-commercial purposes (other than that of private gain).

A small society lottery does not have:

• proceeds that exceed £20,000 for a single draw
• aggregated proceeds from lotteries in excess of £250,000 in any 1 year.

If the lottery exceeds these amounts, you must register with the Gambling Commission. All further lotteries, regardless of size, held in the following 3 years must also be promoted under the Gambling Commission's registration.

Incidental lotteries, such as raffles at fetes, can be held at both commercial and non-commercial events to raise funds for charitable purposes. The results can be announced during or after the event, however, all other operational rules remain the same, including the requirement that tickets may only be sold during the event. The total value of prizes offered may not exceed 55% of the proceeds. Reasonable amounts for expenses and prizes can be deducted from the money raised.

Small lotteries or raffles do not need to be registered if conducted at a private event where the tickets are sold at the event and the draw and prize giving takes place at or after the event. Likewise, private clubs and societies do not need to be registered as long as the sale of tickets or chance is restricted to its members, including people who work or reside at the same premises.

The Gambling Act 2005 controls the conduct of small lotteries and raffles for raising money.

Registration

To register, complete an registration form and return it to us with the fee of £40. Registration lasts for 1 year from the date it was first issued. If you wish to continue the registration after this, you will need to complete a renewal form and pay a renewal fee of £20.

Lottery returns

The promoter of a lottery must complete a returns form and send it to us no later than 3 months after the lottery.