Lotteries

A small society lottery is a lottery run to support a non-commercial society. A society is considered non-commercial if it is set up and run for:

• charitable purposes
• supporting sport, athletics, or cultural activities
• any other non-commercial purpose (not for private gain)

To qualify as a small society lottery:

• no single lottery can sell more than £20,000 worth of tickets, or total ticket sales across all lotteries in a calendar year must not exceed £250,000
• at least 20% of the gross proceeds must go to the society’s purpose
• up to 80% of gross proceeds can be used for prizes and expenses

Each ticket must:

• show the name of the promoting society
• state the ticket price
• include the name and address of the promoter
• show the draw date (or how the date will be determined)
• be sold at the same price

Download Application Form
Fees and Charges

Exempt lotteries

Some lotteries do not require registration or a licence. These include:

• Customer lotteries (run by businesses for customers on their premises)
• Incidental lotteries (held at events like fetes or charity dinners)
• Private lotteries (e.g. work, residents’, or private society lotteries)

Each type has specific rules. For full details visit the Gambling Commission’s guidance on exempt lotteries