Selling Raffle Tickets

Where and how raffle tickets can be sold is determined by the type of raffle being run. Incidental lotteries restrict sales to the event itself. Small society lotteries permit advance sales in person and by post. Selling tickets online requires a remote lottery operating licence from the Gambling Commission. The legal distinction between these channels is one of the most common sources of compliance mistakes.

Sales Channels by Raffle Type

The key distinction is between event-only sales (incidental lottery) and advance sales (small society lottery). This single factor determines whether the society needs to register with the local authority.

Selling at Events

Event-based selling is the primary channel for incidental lotteries and a significant channel for small society lotteries that also sell in advance.

Positioning sellers

In practice, sellers positioned at entry points, near the prize display, and in high-traffic areas typically see the highest volume of individual sales. At a school fair, the entrance and the area around the prize table are the most common selling positions. At a dinner or gala, table-to-table selling during the meal is the standard approach.

Multiple selling points

Raffles with more selling points typically record higher total ticket sales. A school summer fair with one raffle table will typically sell fewer tickets than the same event with two or three sellers circulating through the crowd. At larger events, a fixed stall (for visibility and prize display) combined with roaming sellers is the standard setup.

Cash and card payments

Most event-based raffle ticket sales are cash transactions. Each seller should start with a float — sufficient change for the expected denomination of notes received. A £20 float in coins and small notes is typically adequate for a seller handling £1 tickets.

Card payments are increasingly expected. If the society accepts card payments for ticket sales, the payment must be recorded separately from cash. A single card reader shared between multiple sellers requires a clear system for tracking which transactions relate to raffle tickets versus other event sales.

Advance Selling (Small Society Lottery)

Advance selling — distributing and selling tickets before the draw date — is the defining feature of a small society lottery. It is the reason registration with the local authority is required.

Distribution to sellers

The promoter distributes batches of tickets to authorised sellers. Each batch should be recorded: the seller's name, the ticket numbers issued (e.g. 0501–1000), and the date issued. When the sales period ends or the seller returns, the number of sold tickets and unsold tickets should be reconciled against the original allocation.

Selling locations

Common advance selling locations include:

• school gates (before and after school)
• club meetings and training sessions
• the society's premises (church hall, community centre, clubhouse)
• local shops and businesses (with the owner's permission)
• workplaces (where colleagues are members or supporters)

Sellers must not sell to anyone under the age of 16. At school gates, this means selling to parents and adult carers, not to pupils.

Selling by post

Small society lotteries may sell tickets by post. The society sends tickets and a return envelope; the buyer returns payment and their stub or contact details. Postal sales are slow and have a lower response rate than in-person selling, but they extend the reach of the raffle to supporters who cannot attend events.

The online boundary

Promoting the raffle online is permitted — posting about the raffle on social media, the society's website, or in email newsletters is not the same as selling online. The distinction is between advertising the raffle (permitted) and processing a ticket purchase transaction online (not permitted without a remote lottery operating licence).

Common activities that cross the boundary:

• accepting payment via PayPal, bank transfer, or online card payment in exchange for a raffle ticket
• using a website form to take ticket orders and payment
• running a Facebook group where members pay and are allocated ticket numbers

These all constitute online sales and require a remote lottery operating licence from the Gambling Commission. The compliant alternative is to promote online and direct buyers to purchase in person. See Online Raffles for the full legal position.

Volunteer Briefing

Sellers act on behalf of the society and the promoter. Each seller should understand:

The price. What the ticket costs and that the price is fixed (for small society lotteries — no discretion to offer discounts or freebies).

The age restriction. No sales to anyone under 16. Sellers should ask if there is any doubt about a buyer's age, particularly at events where teenagers are present.

Cash handling. How to store cash securely, what float they have been given, and the process for returning cash and unsold tickets at the end of their shift.

The basics of the raffle. When the draw is, what the prizes are, and who is running it. Buyers ask questions, and sellers who can answer them confidently sell more tickets.

What not to say. Sellers should not make claims about the odds of winning, guarantee that specific prizes will be won by specific buyers, or suggest that buying more tickets increases the chance of winning a particular prize. These statements can be misleading and may constitute a promotional breach.

Record Keeping During Sales

Accurate records during the sales period protect the society at every subsequent stage — the draw, the return, and any inspection by the local authority.

The minimum records to maintain are:

• total tickets printed and their number range
• tickets distributed to each seller (with number ranges)
• tickets returned unsold by each seller
• total tickets sold (calculated from distributed minus returned)
• total cash received (reconciled against tickets sold × price)
• total card payments received
• any tickets voided, damaged, or unaccounted for

Discrepancies between tickets sold and cash received should be investigated and documented before the draw. A missing ticket or unexplained shortfall in cash may indicate a lost ticket, an honest error, or a problem that needs addressing.

For small society lotteries, these records feed directly into the return submitted to the local authority. The return requires the total proceeds (gross ticket sales), which can only be accurately reported if sales records are maintained throughout the selling period.

Pre-Event vs On-the-Day Sales

Many small society lotteries combine advance sales with additional on-the-day sales at an event. This is permitted — the society sells tickets in the weeks before the draw and continues selling at the event itself.

The legal position is clear: the raffle operates as a small society lottery (because advance sales occur), and the incidental lottery rules do not apply to the on-the-day portion. All tickets — whether sold in advance or on the day — are part of the same registered lottery, subject to the same rules, and included in the same return.

In practice, this means the on-the-day tickets must still comply with small society lottery rules: uniform pricing, mandatory ticket information, and the same promoter named on every ticket. An organiser cannot sell advance tickets at £1 each (small society lottery rules) and then offer "5 for £3" at the event (incidental lottery pricing). The entire raffle is a single registered lottery.

Promoting the Raffle

Promotion and selling are legally distinct activities. Promotion means making people aware of the raffle — what it is, when it happens, what the prizes are, and how to buy tickets. Selling means processing the transaction where money changes hands in exchange for a ticket.

For small society lotteries, the Gambling Commission's guidance on promoting lotteries applies. Promotional material must not be misleading, must identify the society running the raffle, and must not target children.

Common promotional channels include:

• posters at the society's premises and local noticeboards
• newsletters and email communications to members and supporters
• social media posts (promoting, not selling)
• announcements at meetings, services, or events
• flyers distributed at events or through letterboxes

The promotional material does not need to include all the information that appears on the ticket, but it should identify the society, the draw date, the ticket price, and where tickets can be purchased.

Questions about selling raffle tickets? See our help centre.

Last reviewed: February 2026