50/50 Raffle

A 50/50 raffle — also called a half-time draw, split-the-pot, or fifty-fifty — is a raffle format where the prize is a fixed percentage of the total ticket sales. The most common split is 50% to the winner and 50% to the organising society. The format is not a separate legal category under the Gambling Act 2005; it is a standard lottery classified as either an incidental lottery or a small society lottery depending on how it is run.

How It Works

In a 50/50 raffle, the prize pool grows as tickets are sold. There are no pre-determined prizes. Instead, the total ticket revenue is divided — typically half to the winner and half to the society. The winner receives a cash prize equal to 50% of the gross ticket sales.

The format is transparent: every ticket buyer can see (or calculate) the current prize value, which increases with each ticket sold. At a match-day draw where £800 in tickets has been sold, the winner takes home £400 and the club keeps £400. If sales reach £1,200, the winner gets £600 and the club gets £600.

The split does not have to be exactly 50/50. Some organisations use a 60/40 split (60% to the society, 40% to the winner) or allocate a fixed amount to expenses before splitting the remainder. The specific ratio is a matter of policy, not law — but it must be communicated clearly to ticket buyers before they purchase.

Legal Classification

A 50/50 raffle is a lottery. The three elements are present: participants pay (for a ticket), a prize is allocated (the cash prize), and the allocation is determined by chance (the draw). The legal classification depends on how and where tickets are sold.

50/50 as an incidental lottery

A 50/50 draw at an event — a match, a quiz night, a dinner — where tickets are sold and drawn during the event operates as an incidental lottery. No registration or licence is needed.

The key constraint is the £500 prize deduction limit. For an incidental lottery, no more than £500 may be deducted from the proceeds for prizes. In a 50/50, the prize is 50% of proceeds. This means the incidental lottery limit is reached when total ticket sales hit £1,000 — generating a £500 prize.

Clubs and societies running 50/50 draws that routinely exceed £1,000 in ticket sales cannot operate as incidental lotteries. They need to register as small society lotteries.

50/50 as a small society lottery

When ticket sales exceed the incidental lottery threshold, or when tickets are sold in advance, the 50/50 raffle operates as a small society lottery. The society must be registered with the local authority, a named promoter must be appointed, tickets must carry the mandatory information, and a return must be submitted within three months.

The 20% minimum to good causes is comfortably met by a 50/50 format — 50% of proceeds going to the society far exceeds the 20% requirement. However, expenses must be accounted for. If the society deducts expenses before making the split, the amount actually reaching the society's purposes must still be at least 20% of gross proceeds.

The uniform pricing rule applies: all tickets must be the same price, with no bundle discounts.

Common Formats

Match-day draw

The most widespread 50/50 format. Volunteers sell tickets around the ground during the first half. The total sales figure is announced, the draw takes place at half time, and the winner is announced over the PA. The prize is 50% of the total.

This format works at football, rugby, cricket, and other sports where there is a natural interval for the draw. It operates as an incidental lottery when total sales stay within the £1,000 ceiling.

Event-based draw

A 50/50 draw at a charity dinner, quiz night, or social event. Tickets are sold during the event and the draw takes place before the end. The format is identical to a match-day draw but in a different setting.

Season-long draw

Some sports clubs sell 50/50 tickets across an entire season, with a single large draw at the season's end. This requires small society lottery registration because tickets are sold in advance across multiple events. The cumulative ticket sales over a season may be substantial — a club selling £500 in tickets per match over 20 home matches generates £10,000 in total proceeds, producing a £5,000 prize.

Rollover draw

A variation where unclaimed prizes or a portion of the pot rolls over to the following week's draw. Rollover is not permitted for incidental lotteries — each event's draw must be self-contained with no prizes carrying forward. Rollover is permitted for small society lotteries, provided the total prize value for any individual draw does not exceed £25,000.

Worked Financial Examples

Example 1: Match-day 50/50 (incidental lottery)

This is within the incidental lottery limit (prize is £400, under £500). No registration needed.

Example 2: Match-day 50/50 exceeding the limit

The prize exceeds £500. This cannot operate as an incidental lottery. The club needs small society lottery registration to run draws at this scale.

Example 3: Season-long 50/50 (small society lottery)

The 20% minimum to good causes is met (47.2% reaches the club after expenses). The per-draw limit of £20,000 is not exceeded. This is a compliant small society lottery.

The Growing Prize as a Feature

The 50/50 format differs from a standard raffle in one significant respect: the prize is not fixed in advance. It grows as tickets are sold. This is inherent to the format — the prize cannot be stated on the ticket because it depends on total sales.

For incidental lotteries, tickets do not need to state the prize. For small society lotteries, tickets must include the mandatory information (society name, price, promoter name and address, draw date) but there is no requirement to state the prize value on the ticket. The prize can be described as "50% of ticket sales" or "half the pot" — this is accurate and complies with the requirement not to make misleading claims.

Displaying the running total during the sales period — on a board, over the PA, or on a screen — is standard practice at 50/50 draws. The visible total informs potential buyers of the current prize value.

Ticket Considerations

50/50 raffle tickets follow the same requirements as any other raffle ticket for the relevant lottery type. For small society lotteries, the mandatory information (society name, price, promoter, draw date) must appear on every ticket. See Ticket Requirements.

Because the prize is cash and determined by total sales, the ticket does not need to list specific prizes. A statement such as "50/50 Draw — winner receives 50% of total ticket sales" is sufficient to describe the format.

For match-day incidental lotteries, there are no statutory requirements for ticket content. Numbered tickets with the club name and "50/50 Draw" printed on them are the standard format.

Questions about raffles? See our help centre.

Last reviewed: February 2026