Incidental non-commercial lotteries

An incidental lottery may be exempt as long as:

• The event is non-commercial (there may be no element of private gain)
• It is incidental to the main event
• The tickets are sold on the premises on which the connected event takes place and while the event is taking place
• The results of the lottery are made public while the connected event is taking place

There are limits with regard to the amount of deductions that may be made from the proceeds of the lottery. No more than £500 may be deducted in respect of the cost of the prizes and no more than £100 may be deducted in respect of the costs incurred in organising the lottery.


Private Lotteries

Society lottery

A ‘society’ is any group or society (or a single branch or section of a society) established and conducted for purposes not connected with gambling.

A lottery is a private society lottery if

• It is promoted only by authorised member of a society
• Each person to whom a ticket is sold is either a member of the society or on society premises

No advertisement for the lottery may be displayed or distributed except on the society premises, or sent to any other premises.

Work lottery

A lottery is a work lottery if the promoter(s) work on a single set of premises and each person to whom a ticket is sold also works on the premises.

A work lottery must be organised in such a way as to ensure that no profits are made.

No advertisement for the lottery may be displayed or distributed except on the work premises, or sent to any other premises.

Resident’s lottery

A lottery is a resident’s lottery if the promoter(s) live in a single set of premises and each person to whom a ticket is sold also lives in the residential premises

A resident’s lottery must be organised in such a way as to ensure that no profits are made.

No advertisement for the lottery may be displayed or distributed except on the work premises, or sent to any other premises.


Ticket requirements

Each ticket in a private lottery must be a document which

• Must state the name and address of each of the promoters of the lottery
• Must specify the class of persons to whom the promoters are willing to sell tickets
• Must explain the ticket/prize is not transferable
• Must show the price payable for each ticket (which must be the same)

Customer lottery

A lottery is a customer lottery if the promoter(s) occupies premises in the course of a business and each person to whom a ticket is sold is on the premises as a customer.

A customer lottery must be organised in such a way as to ensure that no profits are made.

No advertisement for the lottery may be displayed or distributed except on the business premises, or sent to any other premises.

It must not be possible for the purchaser of a ticket in a customer lottery to win by virtue of that ticket more than £50 (whether in money, money’s worth, or partly the one and partly the other).

Ticket requirements

Each ticket in a customer lottery must be a document which

• Must state the name and address of the promoter of the lottery
• Must specify the class of persons to whom the promoters are willing to sell tickets
• Must explain the ticket/prize is not transferable
• Must show the price payable for each ticket (which must be the same)