Gambling, gaming and lotteries
In this section
Small society lotteries
A small society lottery is a lottery or prize-giving run for the benefit of a non-commercial society. At least 20% of the lottery proceeds must go to the purposes of the society. The most common example is a charity raffle.
The proceeds limit for a small society lottery is £20,000 in a single draw, or £250,000 in a calendar year. If you do not expect to exceed £20,000 in a single draw or £250,000 in a calendar year, you simply need to register your small society lottery with us.
If your lottery makes more than this in proceeds, you must have a licence from the Gambling Commission.
Register your small society lottery
A new lottery registration costs £40. A re-registration costs £20.
To register your small society lottery, you need to complete the following steps:
- Read the small society lottery guidance
- Sign in to or sign up to our citizen portal and complete the "Lotter Licence" application (this can be found in the "request new licence" section of the portal).
In the online form you will be required to provide details of the society and of the charitable purposes the proceeds will be used for.
It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable period, please contact us.
After the lottery
After your lottery has been held, you must send a return to us. A return is a form that confirms when the tickets were sold, the total proceeds raised, the value of the prizes and what was done with the proceeds.
A return must be signed by two other members of the society as well as the applicant. You have three months to file a return from the day the lottery is held. Failure to send a return in accordance with the statutory provisions constitutes an offence.
Sign up for the Horsham District Community Lottery
Did you know we have our own Community Lottery?
It's a great fundraising solution for local not-for-profit organisations as you do not need a Small Society Lottery Licence, saving you precious admin time and fees.
If you are a local not-for-profit organisation you can apply for a website for free! You get promotions with marketing materials throughout the year to help you shout about your cause plus supporters can win cash prizes up to the £25k jackpot every week.
For every £1 ticket sold, 60p goes to good causes – 50p is given to the group nominated by the ticket buyer and 10p to support other good causes within the Horsham District through a fund that will be administered by the council. 20p goes towards prizes and the remaining 20p is for VAT and administration of the lottery.
Gambling Commission advice and guidance
Find more information, advice and guidance, including tips for organising a lottery, on the Gambling Commission’s small society lottery page.
For further information on whether your fund raising raffle/lottery needs registration please call the Licensing Department on 01403 215488 or visit the Gambling Commission website.