Quick answer: Most UK raffles need no licence. A raffle at a one-off event (an incidental lottery) can keep up to £100 for expenses and £500 for bought prizes, with tickets sold only at the event. Selling tickets in advance or online usually means registering a small society lottery with your council (normally £40) and staying under £20,000 per draw.
Key takeaways
- Six types of lottery need no Gambling Commission licence, each with its own limits, and only one needs council registration.
- Selling tickets online or in advance to the public needs a small society lottery registration or a Commission licence.
- No raffle can be run for private profit, so you cannot raffle your own house or car as a lottery.
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Do you need a licence to run a raffle in the UK?
Usually not. The Gambling Act 2005 lets you run six types of lottery without a Gambling Commission licence, as long as you follow the rules for that type. Only the small society lottery needs registering, with your local council. A Commission licence is needed for large society lotteries, above £20,000 in sales per lottery or £250,000 a year.
Raffles, tombolas and sweepstakes are all lotteries in law. Pick your type:
| Type | Who can take part | How tickets are sold | Key limits | Register? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incidental (at an event) | Anyone at the event, including children | Physical tickets, only at the event while it is on | £100 of proceeds for expenses, £500 for bought prizes; donated prizes unlimited | No |
| Private society | Members, plus visitors on the society's premises | Physical tickets; not online | For the society's purposes or another good cause | No, but promoters need written authorisation |
| Work | People who work at one site | Physical tickets at work; not online | No profit | No |
| Residents' | People who live at one address | Physical tickets at the premises; not online | No profit | No |
| Customer | A business's customers on its premises | On the premises only | No profit; no prize over £50; draws at least 7 days apart | No |
| Small society | Anyone aged 16 or over | Door to door, online, by phone or face to face, not in the street | 20% or more to the cause; top prize £25,000; sales under £20,000 per lottery and £250,000 a year | Yes, with the council |
How do you run a raffle at a school fair or charity event?
Run it as an incidental lottery, alongside an event such as a fete, fair, fundraising dinner or festival, but not as the main reason for it. Sell physical tickets only at the event while it is on, keep no more than £100 for expenses and £500 for bought prizes, and give the rest to the good cause.
There is no fee or registration, and any identifiable tickets will do, even cloakroom tickets. Multi-buy deals are allowed, you can sell to children, donated prizes have no value limit, and prizes cannot roll over.
The rule that catches many schools: no advance or online sales. To sell tickets to parents before a fair, you need a small society lottery registration.
How do you run a raffle for your club, workplace or home?
Use a private lottery. Clubs run private society lotteries for members and visitors on club premises; colleagues at one workplace run work lotteries; people living at one address run residents' lotteries. None needs a licence, but tickets must be physical, cost the same and be non-transferable, nothing can be sold online, and the draw happens on the premises.
- Private society lottery. Promoters need written authorisation from the society, and the money must go to its purposes or another good cause, not profit or just fun.
- Work lottery. One site only, never across a chain of offices. It can be just for fun, like an office Grand National sweepstake, but not for profit.
- Residents' lottery. One address only, such as a house, care home or hall of residence. No profit, as with work lotteries.
When do you need to register a small society lottery?
Register when your charity, club or community group wants to sell tickets to the public beyond a single event, for example in advance, door to door or online. You register with your local licensing authority, usually the council, normally for a £40 fee and £20 a year to renew. Each lottery must stay under £20,000 in sales.
The other Gambling Commission rules:
- At least 20% of proceeds go to the cause; no prize is worth more than £25,000; yearly sales stay under £250,000.
- One price for every ticket, paid before entry, sold only to people aged 16 and over and never in the street.
- Tickets show the society's name, the price, the organiser's name and address, and the draw date.
- A return goes to the council within three months of the draw.
When do you need a Gambling Commission licence?
You need a Gambling Commission licence to run a large society lottery, where sales could exceed £20,000 in one lottery or £250,000 in a calendar year. An external lottery manager running a lottery for a society needs one too. Licences only go to non-commercial societies and the managers who run lotteries for them, never for private profit.
Running a lottery that is neither licensed nor exempt is a criminal offence under section 258 of the Act, and the Commission warns you could be fined or imprisoned.
How can you run an online raffle legally in the UK?
Only as a registered small society lottery or under a Gambling Commission licence. The Commission says any lottery run online needs a registration or licence, including on social media, auction sites, fundraising platforms and live streams, or with tickets sold by phone or text. The other exempt types cannot sell online.
Otherwise, the alternative is a free draw or prize competition that meets the Gambling Act, for example with a genuine free entry route. The Commission does not approve these, so take legal advice. Our guide to raffle vs prize draw vs lottery explains the difference.
Can I run my own raffle?
Yes, if it fits one of the exempt types and nobody profits personally. A raffle for your club, workplace, household or a charity event is fine. What you cannot do is run one to make money for yourself: the Gambling Commission says lotteries are only for good causes or for fun.
If in doubt, ask your council's licensing team first.
Can I raffle my house or car?
Not as a lottery. The Gambling Commission says a lottery's money, after expenses and prizes, must go to a good cause, run by a non-commercial society, and small society lottery prizes are capped at £25,000. People who give away houses or cars for entry fees run free draws or prize competitions instead.
These must still meet the Gambling Act 2005, with a genuine free entry route or a real test of skill, and the Commission's guidance says one-off, high-value competitions such as house sales need particular care. Take specialist legal advice first. Our guide to free postal entry competitions shows what a working free route looks like.
How to run a raffle: step by step
Choose the right lottery type, check its limits, then plan prizes, tickets, the draw and the paperwork. A registered society lottery takes longest, because the society must be registered for the whole time tickets are on sale and must file a return within three months of the draw.
- Decide the purpose: a good cause, club funds, or fun among colleagues or residents.
- Pick the type from the table, based on who will buy and where.
- Get permission: written authorisation for a private society lottery, or council registration for a small society lottery.
- Gather prizes and prepare tickets with any details your type requires.
- Set one price, unless it is an event raffle, where multi-buys are allowed.
- Draw openly: announce when and where, and record the winning numbers.
- Keep records of sales, expenses, prizes and what went to the cause.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a raffle and a prize draw?
A raffle is a lottery: everyone pays and chance decides, so it must be for a good cause or for fun. A prize draw offers a genuinely free way to enter, so it is not a lottery and can be run commercially. Our raffle vs prize draw guide has the detail.
Can children buy raffle tickets?
It depends on the type. The Gambling Commission says you can sell incidental lottery tickets, the kind sold at a school fair, to children. Small society lottery tickets can only be sold to people aged 16 and over. Check the rules for your type before selling to anyone under 18.
Can I sell raffle tickets on Facebook?
Not unless the lottery is a registered small society lottery or runs under a Gambling Commission licence. The Commission says online lotteries, including those on social media, need a registration or licence, and running an illegal lottery is a criminal offence. The platform may also remove your profile for breaking its own rules.
Do the same rules apply in Northern Ireland?
No. Most of the Gambling Act 2005 applies only in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own law, the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, so check with your local council there before running a raffle.
Sources
- Gambling Commission: Types of lottery you can run without a licence, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: How to run a fundraiser with lotteries or raffles at events, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: How to run a small society lottery, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: How to run a lottery with people you work with, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: How to run a lottery with people you live with, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: How to run a lottery with people you're in a club with, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: Fundraising, raffles and lotteries, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: Fundraising and lotteries on social media, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: Raffling a house or car, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: Free draws and prize competitions, accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Commission: Prize competitions and free draws, the requirements of the Gambling Act 2005 (PDF), accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Act 2005, Schedule 11 (exempt lotteries), accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Act 2005, section 258 (promotion of lottery), accessed 24 September 2026
- Gambling Act 2005, section 361 (extent), accessed 24 September 2026
- CAP Code Section 8: Promotional marketing, accessed 24 September 2026
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