Legal Notes
Society Lottery Registration
All organisations operating society lotteries in Great Britain must register either with their Local Authority or the Gambling Commission. For most organisations this will be with their Local Authority. However if the total value for any one draw is likely to be over £20,000 or £250,000 for the combined draws in any one calendar year then registration with the Gambling Commission will need to be sought.
Your organisation may already be registered with one of these two authorities, dependent on previous activity e.g. if you held an annual raffle that qualified for registration previously. Each Local Authority will have a simple application form to complete. Initial registration costs approx. £40, and there is an annual renewal charge of appox. £20. Contact your Local Authority licensing department if you are not already registered.
Statutory Lottery Returns
Society Lotteries are required to complete a simple lottery return, to be sent to the Local Authority (or the Gambling Commission). This is to ensure the lottery is operating within the statutory requirements. Lottery return forms are obtained from the Local Authority and must be completed after each draw, they can be submitted up to three months in arrears.