Although Raffles at Festive Boards are a traditional way of raising money for charity and other good causes there are a few important points to remember.
To be exempt from Registration under the Gaming Act 2005 and be legally defined as a "Free Draw" or as an "Incidental Non-Commercial Lottery" these would need to be Free OR :-
Prizes and/or prize money must NOT rollover from one meeting or draw to the next AND
Not more than £500 may be spent by the Lodge, Organiser or Promoter on prizes (value of donated prizes may be excluded from this computation) AND
The Raffle must not incur running costs in excess of £100 AND
Recipient of the proceeds (RMTGB etc) must be announced before any tickets are sold AND
Prizes need to be identified, identifiable or stated and may be monetary, non-monetary, vouchers or other items and must be available at the conclusion of the draw.
NOTE Money from Lotteries or Raffles cannot be Gift Aided AND
There should be no link between the distribution of Raffle Tickets and provision, supply or completion of Gift Aid Envelopes.
Any other type of Raffle or Lottery, one requiring skill or involving a rollover of money or prizes will probably need Registration.
If in doubt contact the Gambling Commission.
Bearing in mind the disadvantage that proceeds from Raffles etc cannot be Gift Aided and with the 25% advantage to the donor and the charity of Gift Aiding, many Lodges are now holding free or £1 per ticket one ticket per participant Raffles in the hope that (but not dependent upon) participants donating more via Gift Aid Envelopes.
Gambling Commission / Lotteries / Draws. Following recent queries received in Provincial Office re raffles, key draws etc. I have attached information and guidance from the Gambling Commission. It is suggested lodges and chapters consider their activities against the information provided and acquire the relevant licence as necessary. In most cases a licence is not needed. A key draw or roll over is a common request for advice, and details related to such can be seen clearly in the ‘Quick Guide’ documentation table.