Small Society Lotteries
The Gambling Act 2005 creates two broad classes of lottery.
If you sell more than £20,000 of tickets in a single event or
you raise more than £250,000 in a year then you need
a lottery operating licence issued by the Gambling
Commission (external link).
Small societies based in Carlisle that run lotteries need to be
registered with Carlisle City Council.
Registration will only be granted if the society is established
and conducted wholly or mainly for one or more of the
following:
- Charitable purposes
- Participation in, or support of, athletic sports or games or
cultural activities
- Other "not for profit or personal gain" causes.
Reasons to refuse or revoke registration are listed in the
guidance notes, GA19 (below).
The society has a right to appeal to the Crown Court, except where
the Gambling Commission have refused or revoked the
registration.
Running the lottery
Before holding the first lottery, the society must:
- Nominate a member of the society as the lottery
promoter
- Approve its own lottery scheme
- Notify the Council in writing
The society may employ an external lottery manager to undertake
the running of a lottery on its behalf. The persons who may manage
a society's lottery are:
- a member or employee of the society
- a company that is wholly owned by the society
- a person certificated as a lottery manager by the Gambling
Commission
- an employee of a certificated lottery manager
Applications for certification of lottery managers should be
made to the Gambling Commission
(external link).