Report
Exploring online, illegal, individual-led lotteries and raffles
Exploring online, illegal, individual-led lotteries and raffles
Executive summary
Background and approach
This report sets out the findings from a 3-phase research project commissioned by the Gambling Commission to understand how consumers engage with online individual-led lotteries and raffles promoted on social media.
Under the Gambling Act 2005, most lotteries promoted online, including on social media, require a society lottery licence from the Commission or a registration with a local authority and can only be run to raise money for good causes, not for private or commercial gain.
Where people run paid‑entry draws online without the appropriate licence or registration, they are likely to be promoting an illegal lottery. In this report, the terms online individual‑led lotteries, raffles and draws are used as practical labels for these paid‑for activities run by individuals, influencers, or small businesses on social media.
To build a comprehensive picture of this online ecosystem, Yonder conducted digital intelligence to map the online landscape, a quantitative survey of over 4,000 UK adults to measure the scale of exposure and participation, and qualitative in-depth interviews with players and a host carrying out the draws to explore the lived reality of participation. The overarching findings from across these 3 phases are summarised as follows.
Social media makes online individual-led lotteries and raffles easy to encounter and engaging to enter
This research explored how people encounter, interpret and take part in online individual-led lotteries and raffles promoted through social media, with a particular focus on TikTok, while also recognising that Facebook and Instagram featured in some participants’ experiences. While overall participation is low, these activities are often encountered passively while participants are scrolling, through reposts, live content or recommendations from friends or community networks.
Prize-led posts, countdowns, live draws, and winner announcements help turn passive exposure into interest by creating hype, urgency, and a sense that the draw is active and worth joining.
These activities feel casual and low risk, with trust built through social cues rather than formal checks
For many participants, online individual-led lotteries and raffles felt like casual, low-stakes fun and were easy to justify. Low ticket prices, mobile-first journeys and the social presentation of the content made participation feel more like light entertainment than serious gambling. Trust was typically built through visible winners, repeated exposure, familiar hosts and recommendations from friends, rather than through formal checks relating to licensing or regulation.
Awareness of illegality is low, and, when recognised, it is unlikely to be challenged by consumers
Awareness of legality was generally low among both participants and with the host we interviewed. Players were not usually asking whether an activity was licensed, and the smaller-scale host interviewed also appeared unclear on the licensing requirements. Payment and entry often took place away from the original social media platform, where the journey still felt smooth and familiar even when protections may have been weaker. Because these draws feel low stakes and subsequently low risk to the player, they are unlikely to be reported. This means that there is difficulty in the challenge of identifying the size of this illegal activity.
A note on legality
Crucially, it is important to note that consumers who engage in illegal online lotteries are not doing anything illegal themselves. It is those hosting the draws who are conducting illegal activity by failing to comply with gambling regulations in Great Britain. This report focuses on understanding consumer perceptions and behaviour.
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Exploring online, illegal, individual-led lotteries and raffles – Introduction
Last updated: 13 August 2026
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