THE DOLPHIN PRESS

Printers & Publishers

A short guide to:-
Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976

Lotteries and Raffles have to be registered under the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976. The Act defines all lotteries, which do not constitute gaming, as illegal but there are exceptions to this general rule such as small lotteries and private lotteries which do not require registration.

Local Councils are the registration authority for society lotteries for the purpose of raising funds for sporting, charitable or benevolent purposes. A typical society lottery would be a local school parent teacher association or a local amateur football club. Lotteries not promoted by societies or where the value of tickets for sale in a lottery exceeds £20,000 have to register with the Gaming Board of Great Britain and not their local Council.

For society lotteries there is an initial registration fee of £35, payable to the Council, and then to remain registered, each society is has to pay an annual fee of £17.50 in January each year. Once registered, societies have to submit a return after each lottery showing the amounts collected, the amount spent on prizes and any expenses concerned with conducting the lottery. These returns are held for 18 months and are available for public inspection.

Tickets sold as part of a registered society lottery must be properly printed and detail:- the name of the society, the name and address of the promoter, the date of the lottery draw, the price of the ticket (which must not exceed £1), the name of the printer and the name of the Local Council that the society is registered with.

THE DOLPHIN PRESS

96 Whitehill Road, Glenrothes, Fife KY6 2RP, Scotland, United Kingdom