Unclaimed Raffle Prizes

Not every raffle winner collects their prize. The winner may not have been present at the draw, may have lost their ticket, or may not respond to notification attempts. The Gambling Act 2005 does not prescribe a specific procedure for handling unclaimed prizes, but the society's terms and conditions should set out a clear process — and the promoter should be able to demonstrate that reasonable efforts were made to contact the winner.

Obligations to Contact Winners

When a winning ticket is drawn and the winner is not present to claim the prize, the promoter has an obligation to make reasonable efforts to contact them. "Reasonable" is not defined in the Act, but it means more than a single attempt through one channel.

The contact information available depends on the ticket format. If the ticket stub includes the buyer's name, telephone number, and address, the promoter should attempt contact through each available channel. If the stub only includes a name and phone number, contact attempts are limited to those details.

A standard approach:

1. First attempt — telephone the number on the stub within 48 hours of the draw.
2. Second attempt — if no response, try again by telephone within a week.
3. Third attempt — send a letter or email (if an address or email is available) stating the prize, the claim deadline, and how to collect.
4. Final notice — a written communication stating that the prize will be forfeited if not claimed by the deadline.

Each contact attempt should be dated and recorded. This record protects the society if the winner later disputes the handling of their prize.

Holding Periods

The holding period is the time between the draw and the deadline for claiming a prize. There is no statutory minimum or maximum. The period should be stated in the raffle's terms and conditions and should be long enough to give the winner a fair opportunity to claim, but not so long that it creates an indefinite obligation for the society.

28 to 30 days from the date of the draw (or from the date of first notification, for small society lotteries where winners are contacted after the draw) is the standard holding period used by most community organisations. This allows sufficient time for postal notification, response, and collection.

Some organisations use shorter periods — 14 days is common for incidental lotteries at events where winners are expected to collect on the day. The key is that the period is stated in advance and applied consistently.

Options for Unclaimed Prizes

When the holding period expires and the prize remains unclaimed, the society has several options. The chosen approach should be stated in the terms and conditions before the draw.

Re-draw

A new winning ticket is drawn for the unclaimed prize. This is the fairest approach from the participants' perspective — the prize goes to another ticket buyer rather than being retained by the society. The re-draw should be conducted with the same transparency as the original draw (witnesses, recording).

Re-draws must use the same pool of sold tickets (minus the original winning ticket and any other tickets already drawn as winners). The re-draw should be announced to participants through the same channels used to publicise the original results.

Retain for the society

The society keeps the prize and applies its value to its purposes (or retains the physical item for use at a future event). This is the simplest option administratively and is common when the prize is a donated item that cannot easily be re-drawn (for example, a perishable hamper).

Return to the donor

If the prize was donated by a business or individual, returning the unclaimed prize to the donor is an option — particularly where the donor's terms of donation specified this. The society should check whether any agreement with the donor covers this scenario.

Forfeit

The prize is forfeited entirely — not re-drawn, not retained, not returned. This is less common and is typically used only for low-value prizes or where the terms explicitly state forfeiture.

Terms and Conditions

The raffle's terms and conditions should address unclaimed prizes before the draw takes place. Participants should be able to know, before purchasing a ticket, what will happen if a winner does not claim their prize.

The terms should state:

• the holding period (e.g. "prizes must be claimed within 28 days of the draw")
• how winners will be notified (e.g. "by telephone and post using the details on the ticket stub")
• what happens if the prize is unclaimed (e.g. "unclaimed prizes will be re-drawn" or "will be retained by the society for its charitable purposes")

For a full terms and conditions template, see Raffle Rules Template.

Recording Unclaimed Prizes

Unclaimed prizes should be recorded as part of the raffle's documentation. The record should include:

• the winning ticket number
• the prize that was unclaimed
• the dates and methods of each contact attempt
• the date the holding period expired
• the action taken (re-draw, retained, returned, or forfeited)
• if re-drawn: the new winning ticket number and the new winner

For small society lotteries, this record forms part of the documentation the society must retain for three years. The lottery return to the local authority requires the total amount deducted for prizes — this should reflect prizes actually awarded, including any re-drawn prizes.

If an unclaimed prize was purchased from ticket sale proceeds and is subsequently retained by the society (not re-drawn), the prize cost was still deducted from proceeds. The return should report the deduction accurately.

Incidental Lotteries

At incidental lotteries — event-based raffles — unclaimed prizes are typically handled on the day. If the winner is not present when their number is called, the standard approach is to:

1. Announce the number and wait briefly.
2. If no one claims the prize, set it aside.
3. At the end of the draw, re-draw for any unclaimed prizes.
4. If still unclaimed, retain the prize for the society.

Because incidental lotteries have no post-draw reporting requirement and ticket stubs often have limited contact details (or none), contacting absent winners after the event is not always possible. Stating at the start of the draw that "winners must be present to claim" simplifies the process, though this should be communicated before tickets are sold.

Questions about unclaimed prizes? See our help centre.

Last reviewed: February 2026