Small society lotteries
A small society lottery is a lottery that is in aid of charity or any other non commercial purpose (but not for private gain). To find out more about what this means and the rules that society lotteries need to follow, read: Gambling Commission - Funding, raffles and lotteries.
You do not need a permit or licence in order to run a society lottery but you do need to register with the licensing authority. There are some exemptions to this, for example if the lottery is incidental to an event, such as a school fete. For other exemptions and a detailed explanation, read: Gambling Commission - promoting lotteries
There is a registration fee of £40 and an annual renewal fee of £20. These fees are set by the Gambling Commission.
Before you register the lottery you will need to choose someone to be the lottery 'promoter.' The lottery promoter will be the main point of contact for correspondence and invoicing so it is important to keep this information updated if the lottery is a regular event.
A 'return' will need to be submitted within three months of the lottery taking place. Along with the return form, you will need to send in an 'authorised signatories form.' Return forms can be found in the related documents section.
You will need to register with the licensing authority where the lottery will be held. This is usually the local council, if you do not know who that is, see: GOV.UK - Find your local council
To register, renew, or submit a return, complete the form: