Lotteries (including raffles) are a fundraising staple for many organisations, whether arranged by the organisations themselves or volunteers. The Raffles and Lotteries Code outlines the legal requirements and issues of best practice for the types of lotteries most commonly organised for fundraising purposes.
The Code details the requirements under which exempt lotteries can take place, with specific reference to:
- Incidental, non-commercial lotteries;
- Private lotteries; and
- Customer lotteries.
Further guidance is contained for society lotteries, whether licensed by the local authority or the Gambling Commission.
While prize competitions and free draws are free from statutory control under the Gambling Act but are subject to other regulations. These requirements are highlighted in the Code, which also includes clear definitions of the terms.
Raffles and lotteries in Northern Ireland are subject to specific regulations which are dealt with separately, in Section 7 of the Code.
UPDATE July 2009 - advice has been received from the Gambling Commission that for incidental, non-commercial raffles, the tickets do NOT have to be all the same price. This differs from the information in the Code. The Code will be updated as soon as possible.
Read the full Code.
An Introduction to Raffles briefing for Institute members, together with other helpful resources is also available on the Raffles page.
