Organising a raffle or a lottery

Raffles are a fantastic way of boosting your fundraising, so why not include one in your event or hold one in your workplace? There are just a few rules you need to follow.

Legally, raffles, tombolas, and sweepstakes are considered ‘incidental lotteries’. To ensure they are fair and legal remember that:

You must have the permission of the venue owner.
You must not spend more than £100 of the proceeds on the cost of running the lottery and you must not spend more than £500 of the proceeds on prizes. (It’s a good idea to ask for prizes to be donated.)
You can only sell tickets at the event, and you should either draw the winner(s) on the night or later that day. Remember to tell people when the winner will be announced!
You cannot rollover prizes from one lottery to another.
Other prizes may be donated to the lottery and there is no maximum limit on the value of donated prizes

The best way to obtain prizes is to ask for donations from local businesses. We recommend approaching them in person or asking friends and family members who have connections in business. For businesses to donate prizes to your raffle you will need a letter of authority that shows that we are aware of and support your fundraising. Contact our team with details of your event at fundraising@beateatingdisorders.org.uk and we will send one to you.

To find out more about the rules for holding raffles or lotteries please visit the Gambling Commission website.

Gambling commission website