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How to run a lottery with people you work with

You can run a lottery, raffle, tombola or sweepstake with people you work with without a licence. This is known as a work lottery.

You can use this type of lottery to either raise money for good causes, or just for fun.

You can’t make a profit from a work lottery. Proceeds must either be used for reasonable expenses and prizes, or donated to charity.

How to run a work lottery

Everyone who is taking part in a work lottery must all work at the same physical location, such as an office, factory or other place of work. You cannot run a work lottery across multiple sites.

Example

You could run an office sweepstake for the Grand National without a licence. However, you cannot run a work lottery between a chain of offices, across different locations.

Who can I sell tickets to?

You can sell tickets to anyone who works at your location.

Ticket requirements

You can’t sell tickets online, via email or over the telephone. You must provide physical tickets to the people playing and there are no specific requirements for what needs to be printed on the tickets.  

You must make sure that:

  • people pay the same price for each ticket 
  • the rights on the ticket are non-transferable, you can’t pass the ticket on to someone else
  • you only sell physical tickets to colleagues when you’re all at your place of work.

Where can the draw take place?

You can only do the draw on your businesses' physical premises. It can’t be done online.

Can I claim my costs?

Yes, you can claim money for prizes and reasonable running costs using the money you raise.

Prizes

Prizes can’t rollover to another lottery.

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How to run a lottery with people you live with
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