Games of chance fall under Gambling Act 2005: in most cases, your fundraiser will require a licence and some degree of government supervision if you intend to sell raffle tickets and hold a prize draw for a large, multi-day raffle open to the general public. One way to circumvent this oversight is to transform the game of chance into a trivia contest.

To do so, rather than simply selling the ticket, you are selling an opportunity to answer a trivia question, which may lead to a prize. In general, this is done by selecting a question that most of your contestants should be able to answer. For the most part, asking this question eliminates the need for a licence, and in general, there should be no problems.

However, there have been cases wherein organisations with higher profiles have been held under suspicion for asking questions that were too easy: common knowledge versus trivia. According to the law, the question must be complex enough to “deter a significant proportion of potential participants, or to eliminate a significant proportion of entrants.”

Don’t court trouble! Protect yourself by choosing a question that is not dumbed down. For instance, “Name the Prime Minister,” might be considered a no-brainer. Depending on your supporters, you might instead ask donors to solve a math problem, or answer a question that would only be common knowledge only within your group.

Naturally, there will be a number of correct answers. All these raffle tickets go into the hat, and from there, you may hold your fully legal prize draw!

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If you’ve found success with a one or two day prize draw or raffle conducted within the auspices of your event (considered a “small lottery” under the law), it might seen logical to take it to the next step. Why not increase your profit by increasing the size of your prizes?

The answer to that is, of course, that this may be illegal. The law restricts small lotteries to prizes of with a value of 250 GBP or less, and forbids the awarding of a cash prize in such situations. You may already be aware of some of the other laws pertaining to small lotteries, lucky dips, tombolas, and sweepstakes. For instance, you may only sell these raffle tickets during the event, and you must choose the winner during the course of the event.

Cash Raffles may be arranged, but they require special licence and oversight. If you wish to maintain your fundraiser as a small lottery, you must avoid cash prizes. Otherwise, you must register with the Gaming Council and be subject to other rules and oversight.

If you’d like to learn more about using a prize draw or raffle as a fundraiser, you can ring the Institute of Fundraising on 020 7840 1000.

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• Use social media platforms to connect with like-minded individual and learn about their world
• Are more trusting of their peers’ opinions than of paid advertisement
• Prefer to purchase goods and services after reading positive consumer reviews

It’s clear, then, that great modern business require great modern feedback. If your supporters or customers can’t be bothered to write a few lines about you on a website that appraises your sort of organisation, you’re far less likely to attract new customers. Instead of selling Raffle Tickets, why not use the promise of a coveted prize from your business to drum up those positive reviews. Chances are, you can circumvent some our those pesky gaming laws while you’re at it.

Simply select those websites where you feel you should make an impression (e.g. Google Places or FourSquare) and then let customers know that they will receive a free virtual Raffle Ticket for each site on which they write a positive review. With very little expense, you’ve created the best possible sales pitch. And, unlike traditional advertising, this feedback has staying power. Most sites will reveal how many reviews you’ve received and what your average rating is. That makes it simple for potential customers to judge whether or not they wish to do business with you!

Another bonus: social media feedback is a two-edged sword. If you’ve received negative reviews in the past, an influx of positive reviews can hide the bad ones and raise your overall ranking.

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From the States, a similar circumstance, without the donated human genetic material. Dr. Mark Trolice, an infertility specialist, started the charity Fertile Dreams to help those who, like his own wife, have difficulty conceiving. Every year, they sell raffle tickets to raise funds for the organisation, with the grand prize being a full round of in vitro fertilization treatment. The group also encourages infertile couples to consider adoption, as Dr. Trolice and his wife have, completing their family with 5 children!

Last year’s raffle winners, Niki and Fred Trusty, won big. They had already decided, after many years of failing to conceive, to give IVF a try, and attended Fertile Dreams’ annual conference, Paths to Parenthood. Hearing of the prize draw, Fred calculated the odds and the couple decided to take a chance—20 chances, actually. The purchased 20 Raffle Tickets, spending $500 (about £320) and won the treatment. Doctors harvested 18 of Niki’s eggs, one of which eventually became her son, Harrison, now 6 months old. She calls him her miracle baby.

Planning your own prize draw? No, you can’t raffle off your own children, but you can think about what your group has to offer, and what your supporters likely desire. Like the Trusty’s investment, the price of your Raffle Ticket may seem small compared to the value of winning that top prize!

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Recall, of course, that you do not require government oversight for a small prize draw held in a confined location amongst a particular group of people: those who patronise a particular shop or pub on a certain day, or employees of a small business. You can sell Raffle Tickets to your particular group, at a particular time, in a particular venue, without going through the Gaming Commission. Do be sure to read up on the rules and ascertain whether your prize draw falls into the proper categories before you decide to forgo a visit to the Commission.

As you know, it is illegal to sell alcohol without a licence. It is not, however, illegal to offer alcohol as a prize in a contest! Therefore, you can earn money at a charity event by selling Raffle Tickets and offering drinks as prizes.

Some offer a single drink as a prize, which means you can offer many prizes and draw out the suspense. Or, you could help everyone get their drinks more quickly by using bottles as prizes. In theory, the winner would pour out draughts for each of their friends and the evening’s festivities can get underway with greater haste.

Consider your guests. Would they prefer an evening of drinking to another kind of entertainment? Whether they genuinely want to help your cause, or simply show up for a beer, selling alcohol Raffle Tickets can help turn your dry and dusty event into a rousing success!

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I’m not certain how much they were selling individual Raffle Tickets for, but the value of the prize is placed at £13,000. This covers not only the egg from a healthy female donor (the winner can choose a donor who looks like her, or choose based on the donor’s racial background, upbringing, and education) but also the cost of the IVF treatment needed to fertilise the egg with the male genetic material of ones choose and the implantation of the embryo into the uterus.

The company’s idea was to sell Raffle Tickets in order to promote their new service: Baby Profiling. It was a joint venture between a London fertility clinic called Bridge Centre, and and American group, the Genetics and IVF Institute (GIVF) in Fairfax, Virginia.

No matter how you break it down, this prize draw helped the group reach its goals. Not only did they earn money selling Raffle Tickets, they garnered a remarkable amount of publicity, a great deal of it free. Yes, much of the publicity was controversial, but I would argue that those who decry this prize draw are not potential clients to begin with. Their outrage, however, has allowed a greater number of potential clients to become aware of the clinic, as well as the technology.

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Brian and Wendy Wilshaw, owners of Oldborough Retreat, Morchard Bishop, a lovely estate featuring a 5-bedroom home, 4 holiday lodges, and a fishing lake, found it difficult to find a buyer at their £950,000 asking price. They thought perhaps a raffle would seem rather an easier way achieve the value they desired.

The Wilshaws sold 46,000 Raffle Tickets at a rate of £25 each, for a sum total of £1.15m. In short, they achieved their goal. As readers of this blog are well aware, lottery laws in the UK would make a straight raffle illegal, so the Wilshaws added a competition aspect to their draw, asking participants to answer a question about fishing licences. However, their method fell under suspicion, and the draw was delayed over six months while authorities investigated the legality of the contest. Besides allegations that the question was too simple, and that those who failed to answer correctly were given second chances, the Commission worried that the Wilshaw’s personal gain in the matter violated the law of the land.

At long last, however, the Gambling Commission found in the Wilshaw’s favour earlier this summer and the prize draw proceeded without any further difficulty. Another couple, Stephen and Caroline Sickelmore, immediately offered up their home as a prize in their own raffle, and other homeowners throughout the UK have followed suit.

In today’s economy, home sales can be even trickier than lottery laws. It was a long road for the Wilshaws, but once again, Raffle Tickets saved the day!

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UK raffle laws allow for certain types of small raffle without council oversight. However, large prize draws always require proper licensing. This may involve the filling out of forms and the paying of fees.

Of course, having gone to such trouble to begin, you really feel compelled to do the job right: in for a penny, in for a pound, you know! In that case, you’ve surely selected some lovely, high-quality designs and are planning to print your own Raffle Tickets.

And having gone so far as to print your own Raffle Tickets, indeed you want to sell every single ticket and recoup your investment. You need to work smarter, not harder.

Raffle Tickets sell themselves when they find their receptive audience. Clearly, your legwork can have a big impact, but you can only be in one place at a time. The solution: matching publicity materials to advertise for you!

Many Raffle Tickets can be paired with matching Posters and Flyers, so you can advertise your draw with minimum fuss and maximum style. If you prize draw occurs in conjunction with a larger event, you can even choose to match your Admission Tickets and Invitations to your Raffle Tickets.

The power of print can work to your advantage! Find a proper design and combine it with the proper materials and you’ll soon witness the strength of superior publicity!

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, your aim is to make money for your organisation. The last think you want is to violate the law of the land or create trouble for your favorite charity or group. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that you are aware of the legal implications of your raffle.

In the UK, we have some strict laws concerning lotteries and raffles, as per the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 and the National Lottery Act 1993. Large raffles are considered a form of gambling and therefore require a licence. There are three kinds of legal raffles.

• Small Raffle: If all your proceeds will go to charity and you intend to sell tickets only during the course of the event, a Small Raffle will suit your needs. Charge no more than one pound per ticket. You can give away any donated prizes, but may not have cash awards or spend over 250 pounds on prizes. You do not need a licence for this type of raffle.
• Private Raffle: If tickets will be offered only to a defined group, such as members of a club or employees of the same organisation, and the raffle will not be advertised or available outside this group, a Private Raffle will be appropriate. In this case, you will also not need a licence.
• Charity Raffle: If you want to sell raffle tickets amongst the general populace over a period of days, you will have to declare a Charity Raffle. Charge no more than 2 pounds per ticket and keep strict financial records. YOU MUST OBTAIN A LICENCE FROM THE GAMING BOARD OR LOCAL AUTHORITY FOR THIS!

An alternative way to sell raffle tickets without a licence is to hold a Prize Competition. Rather than determining the winner by drawing, you will ask a quiz question and reward prizes to those who answer correctly. Since the Prize Competition is based on skill rather than luck, it is not a matter for the Gaming Board.

Do It for Charity can offer some wonderful ideas on fund raising, including tips for keeping your raffle proper and legal. Best of luck!

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