Do I need a licence?
Lotteries (also known as raffles) cannot be
run for private or commercial gain.
If you want to run or promote a large society
lottery or you are a local authority that wants to promote
a lottery, there are two types of licence that you may need
from the Gambling Commission:
You may also need a remote gambling
licence if you intent to promote your lottery by means of
remote electronic communication (internet, telephone etc).
Do I need an operating licence?
You do need a
lottery operating licence if your lottery (raffle) sells
over £20,000 of lottery tickets in a single draw or £250,000 of
lottery tickets in a calendar year. Find out which type of operating licence
you need, and how to apply.
There are some circumstances in which you
do not
need a lottery operating licence:
What
personal management licences do I need?
Society lotteries
Unless you are a
small-scale operator you will need one
senior person to hold a personal management licence (PML), this will
usually be the person with overall responsibility for the
conduct of the lottery. In most cases the person will be a
trustee or officer of the society, a director or partner where
the society is a partnership.
Local licensing authority lotteries
Local licensing authority lotteries need one
PML, held by someone in a
senior management post who holds the relevant delegated authority
from the licensing authority.
External lottery managers
A society or local authority lottery may
employ an External Lottery Manager (ELM) to make the arrangements
for the lottery on their behalf. All ELMs must hold an ELM operating
licence issued by the Gambling Commission.
ELMs are commercial companies that manage
lotteries and provide services to society and local authority
lotteries. ELMs may need to hold both a remote and non-remote
lottery licence if they are involved in promoting both type of
lottery.
Anyone at an ELM responsible for the
following areas needs a PML unless they are a
small-scale operator:
- Overall strategy and delivery of gambling operations.
- Financial planning, control and budgeting.
- Marketing and commercial development.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Gambling related IT provision and security.
Individuals who perform more than one of these
management functions at the same time only need to hold one
PML. Apply for a personal management
licence.
Page last reviewed: July 2011