Any non-commercial society that wishes to promote small lotteries, raffles, prize draws or similar, in order to raise funds for a purpose of the society, must be registered with the local authority for the area in which the principal offices of the society are situated.

The initial registration fee is £40, with an annual fee of £20 payable in each subsequent year that the registration is in force.

To be classified as a ‘small’ lottery, each draw must meet the following requirements –

• the proceeds from a single lottery must not exceed £20,000
• the aggregate proceeds from lotteries promoted in a calendar year must not exceed £250,000
• at least 20% of the proceeds of every lottery must be used for a purpose for which the promoting society is established and conducted.

The council maintains a public register listing all of the societies registered for the promotion of small society lotteries.