Lottery Licence

The Gambling Act 2005 controls the conduct of small lotteries, raffles etc by non-commercial societies raising money for charitable, sports or other similar purposes, otherwise than for personal gain.

The society on whose behalf the lottery is promoted must first be registered with the Council if their Head Office is within Solihull Metropolitan Borough.  The fee is £40 and registrations run for an unlimited period, unless the registration is cancelled, but an annual maintenance fee of £20 is payable by the Society on the anniversary of registration. Evidence of the society’s charitable status will be required as part of the registration process.

To qualify as a small lottery, no single prize must exceed £25,000 in value and the proceeds from all lotteries held in a year must not exceed £250,000.  There is no price limit on tickets and rollovers are permitted, provided that these limits are not exceeded.

As the minimum age for participation in a lottery is 16, Societies must take steps to minimise the risk of tickets being sold to children.

The Gambling Act 2005 requires the society to make a return to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council following every lottery detailing the amount raised and how the proceeds were disposed of.

Some types of lottery do not require registration with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, for example;

Incidental lottery  - for example a raffle held at a school fete or a dinner dance where the tickets are sold only at the event and the result is declared at the event.

Work lottery - an employee organising a raffle amongst work colleagues at the same premises, for example a sweepstake on the Grand National.

There are other exemptions and conditions in respect of lotteries, for further information please contact the Licensing Department.

Contact Details

For more information please contact Licensing;

    Licensing
    Central Depot
    Moat Lane
    Solihull
    B91 2LW

    Tel: 0121 704 6830
    Fax: 0121 704 6888
    Email: licensing@solihull.gov.uk

We will respond to any request for advice within the following time frame

• Telephone calls - 95% answered
• Telephone messages - responded to within two working days
• Personal callers - initial consultation at Solihull Connect, a further appointment will be made necessary
• Email responded to within one working day
• Letters and faxes responded to within five working days from receipt