Small Society Lottery Registrations under the Gambling Act 2005

Quicklinks

• Small society lotteries and the law
• Exemptions under the Gambling Act 2005
• Registration forms, returns forms and guidance
• Registration fees
• Access the licensing register

Small society lotteries and the law:

Until 01 September 2007, the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 controlled the conduct of small lotteries (i.e. raffles and 100 club type draws) by societies raising money for charitable, sporting, cultural and other similar purposes, other than for private gain. From 01 September 2007 the 1976 Act has been repealed and a similar registration system was re-introduced by Schedule 11 of the Gambling Act 2005.

The society on whose behalf the lottery is promoted should be registered with Babergh District Council (if their Head Office is within the Babergh District) before any lotteries are conducted.

Checking your society registration number and annual fee date:

Registered societies can now check their registration number and annual fee due date by clicking on the link below. Annual fee reminders are NOT issued - it is the responsibility of the society promoter and draw organisers to ensure that annual fees are paid on time (or else the registration will automatically lapse):

Registered societies (last updated February 2010) (PDF, 162KB)

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Exemptions under the Gambling Act 2005:

Certain exemptions may apply to some types of lottery, such as an incidental non-commercial lottery, a private lottery or customer lottery. For example, a raffle held at a school fete where all of the proceeds of the event will go entirely to purposes that are other than private gain may be an exempt lottery.

The Gambling Commission has produced basic general information outlining the various types of lottery (raffles, tombolas, sweepstakes and more). Only small society registrations can be registered by Babergh District Council. This information is available by clicking the link below:

Running a lottery - Gambling Commission 

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Registration forms, returns forms and guidance:

The Licensing Section has produced the following documents for information and small society lottery registration purposes:

• Guidance document for small lotteries (Gambling Act 2005) (PDF, 66Kb),
• Registration form for small lotteries (PDF, 63Kb),
• Returns form for registered societies (Gambling Act 2005) (PDF, 36Kb),
• Advice on lotteries and children (PDF, 154Kb)  (Under 16's must not participate in a lottery)
• Authorised signatories and promoter form (optional) (PDF, 32KB)

Further more detailed information on lottery law, including exemptions, is available via the Gambling Commission website at Gambling Commission Lotteries web page

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Registration fees:

The prescribed fee for a new registration is £40 and an annual fee of £20 is required to continue the registration. The annual fee is normally due on 01 January each year or else on the anniversary of the grant of the registration. Renewal forms are not required, but return forms must be submitted within 3 months of each lottery draw.

Non-payment of annual fees will result in automatic lapse of the registration. Societies late with the statutory £20 annual fee payment will need to re-register and a £40 registration fee will then apply.

Licence fees may be paid by credit or debit card. Please contact the Licensing Section direct if you wish to pay by this method.

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Access the Licensing Register

Please select the link below for the Babergh Licensing Register, where you can find public register details of all small society lotteries:

Babergh District Council Licensing Register

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