Gambling and Gaming - Lotteries
The Gambling Act 2005 defines a lottery as "any arrangement where persons are required to pay in order to participate and prizes are allocated to one or more participants by a process of chance (or multiple processes the first of which is chance)". There are many types of gaming that qualify as a lottery - from a 100 club to a raffle.
You cannot run a commercial lottery without a licence from the Gambling Commission.
If you are running a lottery for the benefit of a good cause (ie. NOT for private gain) you must check you meet the criteria to be exempt from the need to obtain a licence from the Commission.
There are various types of exempt lottery, as explained in our guidance leaflets and on the Commission’s website. The main one is a small society lottery registration, for which you must be registered with the Moray Licensing Board (or the Licensing Board where your society’s main office is located).
You must also comply with the Gambling Commission’s Code of Practice.