Pub Raffles

Pub raffles are a long-standing tradition in the UK, from the weekly meat raffle at the local to the charity draw at a quiz night. They are subject to the same legal framework as any other raffle under the Gambling Act 2005, but the pub setting introduces specific considerations around licensing, alcohol as prizes, staff involvement, and the classification of regular draws.

Legal Classification

A pub raffle falls into one of three categories depending on how it is structured.

Incidental lottery. If the raffle is held at an event in the pub — a quiz night, live music evening, or charity function — and tickets are sold and drawn during that event, it operates as an incidental lottery. No registration or licence is needed, provided the standard conditions are met: tickets sold at the event only, draw during the event, no more than £500 deducted from proceeds for prizes, no more than £100 for expenses.

Private society lottery. If the pub has a members' club or social club attached, a raffle restricted to members of that club may qualify as a private society lottery. No registration is needed, but tickets can only be sold to members, no external advertising is permitted, and all proceeds must go to prizes or the society's purposes.

Small society lottery. If the raffle is run by a charitable or non-commercial society using the pub as a venue — for example, a charity hosting a fundraising night at the pub — the society's own small society lottery registration applies. The pub is the venue, not the promoter.

The publican or pub company is not itself a non-commercial society. A pub business cannot register as a small society lottery. If the pub wishes to run a raffle for its own commercial benefit (not for a charity or non-commercial society), it must structure the raffle as either an incidental lottery at an event or a private lottery for a qualifying group.

Meat Raffles

The meat raffle — where prizes are cuts of meat, typically from a local butcher — is a traditional pub format. Legally, a meat raffle is classified in the same way as any other pub raffle. The name does not create a special legal category.

A weekly meat raffle at a pub where tickets are sold on the night and the draw takes place the same evening operates as an incidental lottery, provided there is a qualifying event (the social evening, quiz, or gathering to which the raffle is incidental). The £500 prize deduction limit and £100 expense limit apply.

If the prizes are donated by a local butcher and cost the pub nothing, the donated prizes do not count against the £500 deduction limit — only prizes purchased from ticket sale proceeds are subject to the cap.

Regular Weekly Draws

A pub that runs a raffle every week raises the question of whether each draw is a separate incidental lottery or whether the regularity of the arrangement changes its legal character.

Each qualifying event's raffle is technically a standalone incidental lottery. A quiz night every Tuesday with a raffle each week can be treated as a series of independent incidental lotteries — provided each one independently meets all the conditions. Tickets are sold that evening only, the draw happens that evening, and the prize and expense limits are observed each time.

However, regularity can attract scrutiny. If the raffle becomes the primary attraction rather than the event it accompanies, it may not genuinely be "incidental" to the event. A quiz night where 60 people attend for the quiz and the raffle is a secondary activity is clearly incidental. A Tuesday gathering where people attend primarily for the raffle and the quiz is a token formality is more ambiguous.

The practical position is that regular event-based raffles in pubs are widespread and rarely challenged, provided each draw genuinely accompanies a real event and operates within the incidental lottery conditions. If there is any doubt, the safest approach is for the organising body to register as a small society lottery — which requires the raffle to be run by a non-commercial society rather than the pub business itself.

Premises Licence Interactions

Pubs hold premises licences under the Licensing Act 2003. The premises licence governs the sale of alcohol, entertainment, and late-night refreshment. A raffle at a pub does not require a separate premises licence for gambling — lotteries are regulated under the Gambling Act 2005, not the Licensing Act 2003.

However, there are practical interactions:

Alcohol as prizes. If alcohol is offered as a raffle prize, the premises licence is relevant. At a licensed pub, alcohol supplied as prizes is generally covered by the premises licence. The position is more nuanced at events held on pub premises but organised by an external body — the external organiser should confirm with the licensee that the premises licence covers alcohol distribution in this context.

Gaming machine interaction. Pubs with gaming machines operate under a specific permissions regime. Running a raffle does not affect the pub's gaming machine entitlements, but the pub should ensure that the raffle is clearly separate from any gaming machine activity.

Conditions on the premises licence. Some premises licences contain specific conditions about gambling-related activities on the premises. The licensee should check whether any such conditions exist before hosting a raffle.

Alcohol as Prizes

Pubs routinely offer alcohol as raffle prizes — bottles of spirits, wine, or beer. At a licensed premises, this is standard practice and rarely raises issues. The alcohol is being given as a prize, not sold directly, and the premises licence covers the supply.

The age restriction applies: no person under 18 may receive alcohol as a prize. If a winning ticket is held by someone under 18 (which itself raises questions, since under-16s cannot legally buy raffle tickets), the alcohol prize must not be awarded to them. An alternative prize of equivalent value should be offered.

At charity events held in pubs where the charity (not the pub) is running the raffle, the charity should confirm with the licensee that alcohol prizes are covered by the premises licence arrangements.

Staff Involvement

Pub staff may sell raffle tickets and assist with the draw, but the roles should be clear. If the raffle is an incidental lottery run by the pub as part of an event, staff are acting on behalf of the pub. If the raffle is run by an external charity or society, staff selling tickets are acting on behalf of that society and should be briefed accordingly.

Staff should not act as the named promoter for a small society lottery unless they are authorised members of the promoting society. The promoter role carries personal legal responsibility and is specific to the registered society, not to the venue.

Raffles for Charity at Pubs

Many pub raffles are run for charitable purposes — a collection for a local cause, a fundraiser for a community project, or support for a national charity. If the raffle is run by a registered non-commercial society (the charity itself, or a committee established for the fundraising purpose), it can operate as a small society lottery with the charity's registration.

If the pub is simply collecting for charity without a formal society structure, the raffle should operate as an incidental lottery at an event. The proceeds are then donated to the charity, but the raffle itself is not run under the charity's registration. The distinction matters for reporting — an incidental lottery requires no return, while a small society lottery does.

Questions about pub raffles? See our help centre.

Last reviewed: February 2026