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Small Society Lotteries

The Gambling Act 2005 regulates lotteries. The type of licence, registration or permission you need depends on the type of lottery you want to run.

Types of lottery

Licensed lotteries

Some lotteries require an operating licence from the Gambling Commission.

This includes:

  • Large society lottery - where ticket sales exceed £20,000 for a single lottery or £250,000 in a calendar year
  • Local authority lottery - where at least 20% of the proceeds must be used for purposes for which public funds may be spent

Exempt lotteries

Some lotteries do not require a licence or registration

  • Private society lotteries - where tickets are sold only to society members
  • Work or residents lotteries - where sellers and purchasers work or live on the same premises
  • Customer lotteries - where the lottery is run by a business on its own premises
  • Incidental non-commercial lottery - such as those held at school fetes and other non-commercial event

Small society lotteries

Small society lotteries must be registered with the local authority where the society's head office is based.

They are typically run by non-commercial organisations such as:

  • charities
  • sports clubs
  • cultural organisations
  • community groups

Small societies that want to run lotteries must register with the local authority where the society's head office is based. This may include raffles and tombolas.

Small society lotteries are limited to:

  • £20,000 in ticket sales for a single lottery
  • £250,000 in ticket sales in a calendar year

Ticket Information

All tickets in a small society lottery must state:

  • The name of the society on whose behalf the lottery is being promoted
  • The price of the ticket
  • The name and address of the member of the society responsible for the promotion of the lottery (the name and address of the External Lottery Manager if there is one may be given as an alternative)
  • The date of the draw, or the means by which the date may be determined

If you need to change the name of the promoter or the two signatories please complete the signatories form and email the completed form to licensing@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

A return must be submitted within one month of the draw.

Apply

Please apply online for a new small society lottery or to renew your current lottery registration. If you have not registered for the online website you will need to create an account first.

You will need to complete a signatories form and upload the completed form to the online application.

The fee for a new application is £40 and runs for one year after, it can be renewed for £20 if submitted before the renewal date.

Apply