Raffle Returns and Reporting

Every small society lottery draw requires a return to be submitted to the local authority. The return is a statutory obligation under the Gambling Act 2005 — it is not optional and cannot be deferred. The deadline is three months from the date of each draw. The return provides the local authority with the financial summary of the lottery and confirms that the draw operated within the prescribed limits. Incidental lotteries and private lotteries have no reporting requirements.

Which Raffle Types Require Returns

This page covers the return requirements for small society lotteries, which is the category relevant to most community organisations. Large society lottery reporting is governed by the Gambling Commission and involves more detailed requirements.

Information Required in a Return

The return must include the following information for each draw:

Date of the draw. The actual date on which the winning tickets were drawn.

Total proceeds. The gross revenue from ticket sales — the total amount received before any deductions. If 2,500 tickets were sold at £1 each, the proceeds are £2,500. This is not profit; it is gross income.

Amount deducted for prizes. The total value of prizes funded from ticket sale proceeds. Donated prizes that cost the society nothing are not deducted from proceeds and do not need to be reported as a deduction — though the total value of all prizes (purchased and donated) may be relevant for the society's own records.

Amount deducted for expenses. The total expenses deducted from proceeds — ticket printing, promotion, venue costs, and any other costs directly attributable to the lottery.

Amount applied to the society's purposes. The net amount reaching the society's charitable, sporting, or other non-commercial purposes. This is proceeds minus prizes minus expenses. It must be at least 20% of the total proceeds.

Whether an external lottery manager was used. A yes or no statement. If an ELM was used, the return should identify them.

Worked example

The 20% minimum is met (81.7%). The per-draw limit of £20,000 is not exceeded. This return is compliant.

Signing the Return

The return must be signed by two members of the society who are authorised to do so. This is typically two members of the committee or governing body — for example, the chair and the treasurer, or the promoter and the secretary.

The requirement for two signatures provides a check on the accuracy of the figures. Both signatories should have reviewed the financial records before signing.

Submission

The return is submitted to the local authority where the society is registered — the same authority that processed the original registration.

Submission methods vary by council. Some accept returns by post, some by email, and some through an online portal. A few local authorities provide a standard form; others accept returns in any format provided all required information is included. If no form is provided, the return can be submitted as a letter or document containing the required information.

The society should retain a copy of every submitted return. If submitting by post, a recorded delivery receipt provides proof of submission. If submitting by email, the sent message serves as the record.

Deadline

The return must be submitted within three months of the date of the draw. If the draw took place on 15 March, the return must be submitted by 15 June.

The deadline applies to the date of submission, not the date the local authority processes it. Submitting on the deadline date is compliant, though submitting well in advance avoids any dispute about timing.

There is no provision in the Act for extending the deadline. Late submission is a breach of the society's registration conditions.

Consequences of Late or Missing Returns

Failure to submit a return within the three-month deadline is a breach of the conditions attached to the society's small society lottery registration. The consequences may include:

Written warning. The local authority may issue a warning letter requiring the return to be submitted immediately and warning of further action.

Revocation of registration. The local authority has the power to revoke the society's registration. Revocation means the society can no longer run any lottery until it successfully re-applies for registration. Re-application may be refused if the previous revocation was recent.

Prosecution. Persistent failure to submit returns, or operating lotteries without submitting returns, can lead to prosecution under the Gambling Act 2005. This is rare for community organisations but is within the local authority's enforcement powers.

In practice, most local authorities will contact the society before taking formal action — a reminder letter or phone call is the typical first step. However, the obligation sits with the society, not the local authority. The local authority is not required to chase societies for returns.

Record Retention

All records relating to each lottery must be retained for a minimum of three years from the date of the draw. The records that must be kept include:

• ticket stubs or counterfoils (or a record of ticket numbers sold and to whom)
• financial records (ticket sales income, prize costs, expenses, bank statements)
• draw records (winning ticket numbers, winners' names, prizes awarded, witness details)
• copies of all returns submitted to the local authority
• correspondence with the local authority relating to the lottery
• records of any unclaimed prizes and the action taken

The local authority has the power to inspect these records at any time during the three-year retention period. The inspection may be triggered by a complaint, a routine check, or a concern arising from the submitted return. The promoter — or, if the promoter is no longer involved, the society's governing body — must make the records available on request.

After three years, the records may be securely destroyed. Personal data on ticket stubs (names, contact details) should be destroyed in accordance with UK GDPR requirements — shredding for paper records, secure deletion for digital records.

Societies Running Multiple Draws

A society that runs more than one lottery per year must submit a separate return for each draw. A PTA running a Christmas raffle, an Easter raffle, and a summer fair raffle submits three returns — one within three months of each draw.

The annual proceeds limit (£250,000) applies to the combined total of all draws in a rolling twelve-month period. The society should track cumulative proceeds across all draws and ensure the total does not approach the threshold. If it does, the society must apply for a Gambling Commission operating licence before the draw that would breach the limit.

Each return is self-contained — it reports on a single draw. However, the local authority may review returns collectively to assess whether the society is approaching the annual limit or whether any patterns of concern are emerging (such as declining percentages to good causes or increasing expenses).

Annual Renewal and Returns

The society's small society lottery registration must be renewed annually (£20 fee). The renewal and the lottery returns are separate obligations — renewing registration does not remove the requirement to submit returns, and submitting returns does not automatically renew registration.

A society that fails to renew its registration cannot lawfully run a lottery until registration is reinstated, regardless of whether previous returns were submitted on time.

Questions about raffle returns? See our help centre.

Last reviewed: February 2026