Lotteries and amusements licences

Society lotteries are lotteries promoted for the benefit of a non-commercial society.

How they are defined

The definition of a small society lottery has two distinct criteria:

1 Society status - non-commerical

Society lotteries are lotteries promoted for the benefit of a non-commercial society.

A society is non-commercial if it is:

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

2. Size of the lottery

The total value of tickets to be put on sale per single lottery must be £20,000 or less, or the aggregate value of the tickets to be put on sale for all their lotteries in a calendar year must not exceed £250,000. If the operator plans to exceed either of these values then they will be classed as a large lottery operator, and they must be licensed with the Gambling Commission instead.

The promoting society of a small society lottery must, throughout the period during which the lottery is promoted, be registered with a licensing authority.

The society will be required to register with their licensing authority in the area where its principal office is located. If a licensing authority believes that the society’s principal office is situated in another area it should inform that society as soon as possible and if possible inform the other authority.

Fees

The application fee to accompany an application for registration is £40, which is payable by cheque made out to The Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Each year to maintain registration, an annual fee of £20 will be payable by cheque made out to The Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Payment

For those societies previously registered under the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976, annual fees must be paid between 1 November and 31 December each calendar year.

For those societies not previously registered under the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976, the annual fee must be paid during the period of two months ending on the anniversary of the registration.

Application forms

Download the forms you need to submit your application.

When completed, send your application form, lottery constitution and fee to the Licensing department.

Change of promoter

If your promoter changes, please complete the change of promoter form and send it to the above address. This will make sure that your records are kept up to date and that any correspondence is sent to the correct address.