Raffle Ticket Requirements

The information that must appear on a raffle ticket is determined by the type of raffle being run. Small society lotteries have specific statutory requirements set out in the Gambling Act 2005 and enforced by local authorities. Incidental lotteries and private lotteries have fewer mandatory requirements but still benefit from clear, complete ticket information. Printing tickets without the required details can render the lottery non-compliant — and once tickets are printed, the error cannot be corrected without reprinting.

Small Society Lottery Requirements

For a raffle registered as a small society lottery, the Gambling Commission requires the following information on every ticket:

The name of the society. This is the registered name of the organisation promoting the lottery — the school, PTA, charity, sports club, or community group. It must match the name used on the local authority registration.

The price of the ticket. Every ticket in a small society lottery must be the same price, and that price must be printed on the ticket. The price is the amount the buyer pays — not the value of the prizes or the cost of production.

The name and address of the promoter. The promoter is the named individual authorised by the society to run the lottery. This is a personal name and a postal address — not the society's name or a generic "the committee". The promoter takes personal legal responsibility for the lottery's compliance.

The date of the draw. The date on which the winning tickets will be drawn. This anchors the lottery to a specific event and allows the local authority (and ticket buyers) to identify which draw the ticket relates to.

These four items are mandatory. A ticket missing any one of them is technically non-compliant with the conditions of a small society lottery.

Incidental Lottery Requirements

Incidental lotteries — raffles held at events where tickets are sold and drawn during the event — have no statutory requirements for what must appear on the ticket. The Gambling Act 2005 does not prescribe ticket content for this category.

In practice, incidental lottery tickets should still carry a unique number on each ticket and its corresponding stub or counterfoil. Numbering is essential for conducting a fair draw and matching winning tickets to holders. Most organisers also print the event name, date, and ticket price for clarity, even though these are not legally required.

Private Lottery Requirements

Private lottery tickets must state:

• that the lottery is a private lottery (using those words or equivalent)
• the name of the society, the workplace, or the premises

Beyond these two requirements, private lottery tickets have no additional statutory content obligations. However, printing the ticket price and a unique number on each ticket is standard practice.

Optional but Recommended Information

Several additional items are not legally required but are widely included and serve a practical purpose:

Prize information. Listing the main prizes (or the number of prizes) on the ticket gives buyers a reason to participate. For small society lotteries, the total prize value is often printed on the ticket or an accompanying poster.

Terms and conditions. A reference to where the full terms can be found — typically "Terms apply: see [website]" or "Terms available from [promoter]". Terms should cover the claim period for unclaimed prizes, the society's right to re-draw, and any age restrictions.

Charity registration number. If the society is a registered charity, including the charity number signals legitimacy and may encourage participation. It is not a legal requirement for the lottery itself.

Website or contact details. A website address or phone number allows winners to verify results and claim prizes. For small society lotteries, this supplements (but does not replace) the promoter's postal address.

The society's logo. A logo provides visual recognition and reinforces that the raffle is run by a legitimate organisation. It has no legal significance but improves trust and professionalism.

The Draw Date

The draw date on a small society lottery ticket must identify when the draw will take place. There are two common approaches:

Exact date — "Draw: 15 March 2026". This is the clearest option and removes ambiguity. It is the preferred approach when the draw date is confirmed at the time of ticket ordering.

Descriptive wording — "Draw: at the Summer Fair, July 2026" or "Draw: during the Christmas Raffle, December 2026". This allows flexibility when the exact date is not confirmed but the event and approximate timing are known. The wording must be specific enough to identify the draw — "to be confirmed" or "TBC" on its own is insufficient.

The most common mistake is printing an exact date and then postponing the draw without notifying ticket holders. If the draw date changes, the promoter should make reasonable efforts to inform all ticket buyers of the new date. This is another reason some organisers prefer descriptive wording that allows flexibility within a defined period.

Ticket Numbering

Every raffle ticket should carry a unique number. For small society lotteries, numbering is not explicitly mandated by the Gambling Act, but it is an operational necessity — the draw requires a method of identifying the winning ticket, and sequential numbering is the universal standard.

Each ticket should have two parts bearing the same number: the ticket itself (given to the buyer) and the stub or counterfoil (retained by the seller). The stub typically includes space for the buyer's name and contact details, which are needed to notify winners and complete reporting.

Numbering must be sequential with no gaps and no duplicates. Duplicate numbers would mean two ticket holders could claim the same prize — a dispute that undermines the integrity of the draw and may constitute a compliance breach.

Uniform Pricing

For small society lotteries, all tickets must be sold at the same price. This is a statutory requirement, not a suggestion. The consequence is that common retail tactics — bundle discounts, early-bird pricing, bulk deals — are not permitted.

A strip of five tickets priced at "£1 each or 5 for £3" results in some tickets being sold at 60p each, which violates the uniform pricing rule. If the society wants to encourage larger purchases, the compliant approach is to set a single price per ticket (for example, 50p) that makes buying multiple tickets naturally affordable.

This restriction applies only to small society lotteries and large society lotteries. Incidental lotteries are not subject to the uniform pricing requirement — variable pricing and discounts are permitted at event-based raffles.

Design Considerations

While the legal requirements dictate what must appear on the ticket, several design choices affect how effectively the ticket functions in practice.

Readability. The society name, price, promoter details, and draw date must be legible. Decorative fonts, very small text, or low-contrast colour combinations can make mandatory information difficult to read — which may draw scrutiny from the local authority.

Stub layout. The stub or counterfoil needs space for the buyer's name, telephone number, and optionally an email address. If the space is too small, sellers will abbreviate or skip the details, making it difficult to contact winners after the draw.

Ticket size. Standard raffle ticket sizes are designed to balance print cost, legibility, and practical handling. Larger tickets accommodate more information but cost more to produce. Smaller tickets save on printing but may compromise readability of mandatory details. For information on available sizes and formats, see our help centre.

Common Mistakes

The most common errors in raffle ticket specification relate to missing or incorrect mandatory information. These are the issues that arise most frequently:

No promoter name or address. The ticket names the society but not the individual promoter. The Gambling Act requires a named person, not an organisation.

Promoter address missing. The promoter's name is printed but without a postal address. An email address or phone number does not satisfy the requirement — a postal address is needed.

Society name does not match registration. The ticket uses an informal name (e.g. "The School PTA") while the local authority registration is under the formal name (e.g. "Greenfield Primary School Parent Teacher Association"). The names should match.

No ticket price. The ticket shows the prizes and the draw date but omits the price. This is a mandatory field for small society lotteries.

Bundle pricing printed on ticket. The ticket states "£1 each or 5 for £3", which violates the uniform pricing requirement for small society lotteries.

Draw date missing or vague. "Draw date TBC" does not meet the requirement. The ticket must identify when the draw will take place — either a specific date or a sufficiently descriptive reference to an event and time period.

Duplicate numbering across ticket books. When ordering tickets in multiple books, numbering must run sequentially across all books without repeats. Book 1 running 0001–0500 and Book 2 starting again at 0001 creates duplicate numbers.

Questions about raffle tickets? See our help centre.

Last reviewed: February 2026