Small society lotteries

Under the Gambling Act 2005 Westminster City Council can issue a permit or licence for small society lotteries.

Societies that run small society lotteries (sweep stakes, draws or raffles) must be registered by the local authority for the area where their principal office is located. 

Small society lotteries are exempt from being required to be licensed by the Gambling Commission.

Who can apply

The society must be established and conducted for:

• charitable purposes
• the purpose of enabling participation in, or of supporting, sport, athletics, or a cultural activity
• any other non commercial purpose other than that of private gain

You can find out more about small society lottery licences and who can apply through the Gambling Commission.

How to apply

You can make an application by filling in in our application form and returning it to us via email at [email protected] with the relevant fee.

Fees

The fee to apply for a small society lotteries licence is £40 and lasts for 12 months.

An annual renewal fee of £20 must be paid within the two months before the expiry date of a licence. If the renewal fee is not paid within this time the licence will expire and a new application will need to be made along with the full £40 fee.

To pay, please visit our online payment system and quote your reference number.

Filing of records

The promoting society must send a return statement to us regarding each lottery held. This statement must be sent to us within three months from the date of the draw, or the date when the last draw in the lottery takes place.

The statement must be signed by two members of the society who are appointed for the purpose in writing by the society, or its governing body.  A copy of the appointment must be sent with the return statement. It is an offence not to submit a statement for each lottery held.

Written records of any unsold or returned tickets should be retained by the society for a period of one year from the date of the lottery draw.