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Location of lottery ticket vending machines

Lottery ticket vending machines that are selling Gambling Commission licensed or local authority registered society lottery tickets can be sited in a number of places, such as:

Pubs

Alcohol-licensed premises such as pubs can site lottery ticket vending machines but they must be sited on behalf of, or by, a licensed or registered society lottery and must adhere to the relevant sections of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab), LCCP and social responsibility measures (for example, age verification) as previously set out.

It is important to remember that the pub is acting as a retailer and the society remains responsible for the lottery. The society must ensure the publican has received the required age verification, self-exclusion, problem gambling and social responsibility training before siting the machines. It is also imperative that there are policies and procedures in place which have been agreed between the society and publican for cash handling and the reconciliation and banking of ticket sales.

Retailers

Shops can also site lottery ticket vending machines but they must also be on behalf of, or by, a licensed or registered society lottery and again it must adhere to the relevant sections of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab), LCCP and social responsibility measures (for example, age verification).

The shop is acting as a retailer and the society remains responsible for the lottery. The society must ensure the retailer has received the required age verification, self-exclusion, problem gambling and social responsibility training before siting the machines. It is also imperative that there are policies and procedures in place which have been agreed between the society and retailer for cash handling and the reconciliation and banking of ticket sales.

Gambling-licensed premises

Society lottery tickets can be sold on gambling licensed premises (in England and Wales and Scotland) via lottery ticket vending machines but again they must be sited on behalf of, or by, a licensed or registered society lottery and it must adhere to the relevant sections of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab), LCCP and social responsibility measures (for example, age verification).

Mandatory and default conditions for England and Wales (opens in new tab) prohibit the sale of tickets in a private lottery or customer lottery on any gambling licensed premises. Conditions on gambling licensed premises in Scotland (opens in new tab) allow for the sale of tickets in customer lotteries on any gambling licensed premises but not private lotteries.

The gambling licensed premises is acting as a retailer and the society remains responsible for the lottery. The society must ensure the premises owner and employees have received the required age verification, self-exclusion, problem gambling and social responsibility training before siting the machines. It is also imperative that there are policies and procedures in place which have been agreed between the society and premises for cash handling and the reconciliation and banking of ticket sales.

Other places lottery ticket vending machines can be used

Lottery ticket vending machines can also be used to dispense tickets in private lotteries such as private society lotteries.

Private members clubs

Lottery ticket vending machines can be sited and used in private members’ clubs in two ways.

Firstly the lottery ticket vending machine can be operated as a private society lottery and the lottery in question would need to adhere to Part 2 of Schedule 11 of the Gambling Act 2005. In this scenario the club would not need a licence from the Gambling Commission or the local authority to site the machine or operate the lottery, neither does the machine supplier need a licence. The ticket requirements for a private society lottery are set out at Part 2 of Schedule 11 of the Gambling Act 2005.

No age restrictions apply to this type of lottery.

Private societies are permitted to run private society lotteries to raise proceeds for the purposes for which the society is conducted, or to raise funds to support another charity or good cause.

The second way a lottery ticket vending machine can be operated in a private member’s club is by dispensing Gambling Commission licensed or local authority registered society lottery tickets. There are specific regulatory requirements which must be adhered to when selling society lottery tickets (see above).

In this scenario no specific permission is required to manufacture or supply lottery ticket vending machines but those who supply them can only supply the machine to a society lottery or External Lottery Manager (ELM).

Suppliers must be careful to ensure that the services they offer do not constitute ‘promoting a lottery’ (see section 252 of the Gambling Act 2005 (opens in new tab). If the machine supplier is promoting a lottery they will need to be licensed by the Gambling Commission as an External Lottery Manager.

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For local authority registered society lotteries

Last updated: 17 October 2024

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