Lotteries licences

Under the Gambling Act 2005 we can issue a permit or licence for small society lotteries only.

Societies that run small lotteries (eg sweep stakes, draws or raffles) must be registered.  This can be done by the local council for the area where their principal office is located. 

Small society lotteries are exempt from being required to be licensed by the Gambling Commission.

Who can apply

To apply for a small society lotteries licence the society must be established and for:

  • charitable purposes
  • the purpose of bringing people together, or of supporting sport, athletics or a cultural activity
  • any other non- commercial purpose, other than that of private gain

Find out more about small society lotteries licences and who can apply on the Gambling Commission website.

Fees

The fee for a new small society lotteries licence is £40 and lasts for 12 months.

If you have an existing small society lotteries licence you can renew this for £20 for 12 months. You can apply for a renewal when there's 60 days or less until the expiry date of your existing licence. You must apply before it expires. If you don't renew the licence before it expires you'll need to submit a new one and pay the £40 fee for a new licence.

How to apply

You can apply for a new licence, or renew an existing licence, using our online form below.

Before you apply please read our small society lotteries licence guidelines.

Apply for a small society lotteries licence

After submitting your form we'll process your application and email your licence to you. You'll usually receive this within 10 working days.

If your apply and you're not successful we'll email you to tell you the reason.

Filing of records

You must send a return statement to us for each lottery held. This statement must be sent to us within three months from date of the draw. Or the date when the last draw in the lottery takes place.

The statement must be signed by two members of the society who are appointed for the purpose in writing by the society or its governing body. You must send a copy of the appointment with the return statement. It's an offence to not submit a statement for each lottery held.

The society should retain written records of any unsold or returned tickets for a period of one year from the date of the lottery draw.