Small lotteries
You will need a small lotteries licence if you are raising money by selling tickets to the public for a draw or sweepstake.
You can't hold a small lottery for personal or commercial gain. Small lotteries should be for charity, or for participation in or support of sports, games or cultural activities.
To apply for a small lotteries licence, you will need to:
- sign in or register for an account
- complete the application
- submit the form
- pay the fee of £40
To complete the application, you will need:
- contact details of your society
- information on any previous applications or licences for a small lottery
Once we receive your application, we will:
- review your application within 14 days
- notify you of our decision
- inform you of how you should carry out the lottery, and what you need to do afterwards
Within one month of the lottery, you need to send us a lottery return form, to inform us of:
- how much you collected
- any expenses you incurred
- how the charity are using the proceeds
To submit your small lotteries return, you will need to:
- sign in or register for an account
- select 'return'
- complete the application
- upload your supporting documents
- submit the form
To complete the small lotteries return form, you will need:
- date of lottery
- details of proceeds and any expenses or payments from these
- details of the net proceeds and how these were distributed
Small lottery licences last for one year from the day they start. You will receive a reminder email before your licence expires. You must renew your licence at least one month before it expires.
You can renew your small lottery licence online. You can only renew your licence online if you have submitted a return to us.
To submit your small lotteries return, you will need to:
- sign in to your account
- select 'small lottery application renewal'
- check the society details are up to date
- complete the application
- pay the £20 renewal fee
- submit the form
You must have a licence administrator to run a small lottery.
You can change the registered person administering your small lottery online.
Change the licence administrator
You will need:
- the name of your organisation
- the name and email of the current administrator
- the name, email and contact information of the new administrator