Small lotteries licence

If you want to sell tickets to the public for a draw or run a sweepstake, you will need to register a small society lottery.

You cannot hold a small lottery for commercial gain. A society is non-commercial if it is run for:

• charitable purposes
• enabling participation in sport or cultural activity (theatre, for example)
• any non-commercial purpose other than that of private gain

A small society lottery must not:

• have proceeds that exceed £20,000 for a single draw
• have proceeds that exceed £250,000 in a calendar year

To register a small society lottery, you need to:

• complete the small lotteries registration form (pdf)
• send the form to the Licensing team
• pay the £40 fee

Once we receive your application form, we will:

• review it within 10 working days
• let you know our decision

Within 3 months of the lottery draw, you need to send us a lottery return form, to let us know:

• how the lottery was arranged
• the total amount you collected
• any expenses you incurred 
• how you are using the proceeds - at least 20% of the total you collect must go towards the society