Licensing

These can only be promoted by one of the members of a group or society established and conducted for purposes not connected with gaming, betting or lotteries, for example a private members' club. Tickets can only be sold:

• to other members of that same society or
• people on premises used for the administration of the society.

The lottery may only be promoted for a purpose for which the society is conducted.

Private lotteries cannot be conducted on vessels. The Gambling Act 2005 defines a vessel as:

• anything (other than a seaplane or amphibious vehicle) designed or adapted for navigation or other use in or on or over water;
• a hovercraft;
• anything or part of any place situated on or in water.

Advertising of private lotteries

Private lotteries must comply with conditions relating to advertising which state that no advertisement for a private society, work or residents lottery maybe displayed or distributed at any other premises except the society's or work premises or the relevant residence.

Tickets

The conditions of sale are:

• ticket may be sold or supplied only by or on behalf of the promoter;
• tickets and the rights they represent are non-transferable;
• each ticket must state the name and address of the promoter of the lottery, the people to whom the promoter can sell or supply tickets and the fact they are not transferable;
• the price of each ticket must be the same and must be paid to the promoter of the lottery before any person is given a ticket.

Workplace lotteries

The promoter of the lottery must work on the premises and tickets can only be sold to other people who work on the same premises. The lottery must not be run for profit and all the proceeds must be used for prizes or reasonable expenses incurred in organising the lottery, for example a Grand National sweepstake.

Residents' lotteries

These must not be run for profit and all the proceeds must be used for prizes or reasonable expenses. The promoter of the lottery must reside in the premises covered by the lottery and tickets can only be sold to the residents of the same premises. The residency requirement can still be satisfied where the premises are not the sole premises in which a person resides, for example student halls of residence.

^ (back to top)