Holding a raffle, lottery, or prize draw is a great way to raise money. However, there are strict legal requirements set out by the Gambling Commission on how to organise these.
Before you hold any raffle, you’ll need a letter of authority from us to prove that you’re fundraising for The Eve Appeal. Send our team an email and they’ll be happy to provide you with one.
In England, Wales, and Scotland, the easiest way is to have a standard raffle, also called an incidental lottery. It doesn’t need a license, to run one of these you must:
- Hold the raffle as part of a bigger event, like a quiz or dinner
- Tickets must be sold only at the event, and the prize draw must take place at the event too
- Spend less than £100 of the proceeds organising the raffle, and less than £500 on prizes (so it’s best to ask for donations)
- Sell tickets at the same price to everybody
- Before you start a raffle, you’ll need a letter of authority from us to prove that you’re fundraising for a charity. It’s easy, just pop us an email and we’ll be happy to write one for you
- Then, you need to stick to the following guidelines. They’re here to protect you while you hold your raffle, and they might be different depending on the kind of raffle or competition you’re holding
If you are planning to sell tickets in advance, to people not attending the event, or not in the way described above, please contact our team who will be happy to help.