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Raffles, Sweepstakes and Lotteries

Raffles

Raffles, tombola’s, prize draws and sweepstakes are all very popular means of raising funds for charities and for good reason.

They are fun, fairly easy to organise, and inexpensive to put on. All you need is a bit of know-how, attractive prizes and some volunteers to sell the tickets.

To obtain prizes for your Raffle it is always best to approach local businesses rather than large chains. Local businesses will appreciate the opportunity for free publicising that you will bring with your raffle and will not need to consult a head office for approval. 

Always have a 'Letter of Authority', downloadable below, that you can show to prove you are an official fundraiser for Orchid. 

Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes work on the same basis  as a raffle but usually with participants making a guess on something e.g. the winner of the Grand National, your marathon finish time etc.

It’s a good idea to write the ticket buyer’s name and phone number on one side of the ticket just in case they’ve gone home before you do the draw.

Winning numbers are usually picked out of a hat and the winner takes the prize home – simple! It’s a great way of encouraging people to give more to the charity in the hope of winning something in return.

The Rules and Regulations

Any type of draw where participants pay money or make a contribution ‘in kind’ to have an equal chance of winning a prize are, in fact, lotteries.

There are some very simple rules governing charity lotteries which you’ll need to follow:

• All lotteries are illegal unless they are authorised by the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 or are exempt. A fundraising event where guests are invited to attend, such as a fete, dinner, dance, pub quiz, sporting event etc held over one or two days are officially classed as exempt and you are therefore allowed to host a small lottery at these events.
• The sale and draw of tickets must take place during the event. You can only sell tickets to people attending the event.
• The value of donated prizes is limitless but no more than £250 should be spent on purchased prizes and, whilst none of the prizes can be cash prizes, vouchers are allowed.
• A private lottery, (e.g. a sweepstake at work) which is not necessarily held at an event, can be offered only to people who live or work at the same premises or who belong to the same membership organisation
• To sell tickets to the general public over a period of time, charities must run a society lottery. In order to operate your own public lottery, you will need either your local authority or the Gambling Commission, depending on the size of the lottery, to regulate your lottery and you should check the Gambling Commission’s website www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk for more information. Due to the legalities of organising a public raffle/lottery we tend to advise against this method of fundraising.

If you have any queries regarding these rules just call Hannah in the Events Team on 0203 4657 293.