Register to run a small society lottery

You'll need to register with us if you're a non-commercial society who wants to run small lotteries for:

• charitable purposes
• enabling participation in, or supporting, a sport, athletics or cultural activity
• any non-commercial purpose other than that of private gain

You do not need to register for lotteries held to raise money for charities where tickets are not sold in advance of an event. For example:

• tombolas
• raffles
• sweepstakes

Find out more about fundraising and lotteries from the Gambling Commission.

To be classified as a small lottery, you must ensure that:

• no more than £20,000 tickets are on sale
• the aggregate proceeds from lotteries are less than £250,000 a year
• at least 20 per cent of the proceeds of each lottery must be used for a purpose for which the promoting society is established and conducted

If you plan to exceed these figures, you may need to apply for an operator’s license from the Gambling Commission.

Register for a non-commercial society lottery online.

Registration costs £40.

There is an annual renewal fee of £20. You can pay your annual fee online.

If you do not renew your licence before an existing licence expires, you'll have to make a new application and pay the full £40 fee.

After promoting a lottery, you must return details of that lottery to the local authority within 3 months of the date of the draw, or the last draw.

File your return, PDF, 175 KB

If you need any help with your application, contact the licensing team at [email protected]

For further information and guidance, visit the Gambling Commission website.