Licence - lottery
The Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 (as amended by the
National Lottery etc. Act 1993) controls the conduct of small
lotteries, raffles and so on by societies raising money
for charitable, sports and other similar purposes, otherwise than
for personal gain.
The society on whose behalf the lottery is promoted must first
be registered with us if their Head Office is within Rochdale
borough; use the contact details to the right to get in touch with
us.
Registering a society
We may register a society, which is established for one of
the following purposes:
- Charitable purposes
- Participation in or support of athletic sports or games or
cultural activities
- Purposes which, not being described in paragraph (1) or (2)
above, are neither purposes of private gain or commercial
undertaking
If the total amount of chances sold for any one lottery is less
than £20,000 or the total for all lotteries held in a calendar year
is less than £250,000 then the society must register with the
us.
If a society wishes to run lotteries which exceed these amounts
they must register with the Gambling Commission. Any current
registrations with the Commission will be automatically converted
on 1 September 2007 under the new provisions under the Gambling Act
2005
Application for registration of small society
lotteries, for example less than £20,000 must be made to
us and a registration certificate may be issued, provided the
society meets certain criteria.
If the society is registered, we may subsequently decide
that the registration should be revoked if the society no longer
falls within the provisions of Section 5 of the Act or if any
person is convicted of a relevant offence.
Any current registrations with us will be automatically
converted on 1 September 2007 under the new provisions under the
Gambling Act 2005, after which all new registrations will be under
the Gambling Act.
Lottery returns
When a lottery has been held, the promoter must complete and
send a return form to us, not later than the end of the third month
after the date of the lottery. The return must be certified by two
members of the society, (other than the promoter) being persons 18
years old or over appointed in writing by the society's governing
body. Return forms will be sent to each society with their
registration certificate. Further forms may be obtained from the
address above.
The Council's authorised Licensing Enforcement Officers may
require that a society allows them to inspect and take copies of
any documents or information, relating to a lottery promoted on
behalf of the society, and give them such assistance as they may
require to enable them to inspect and check the operation of any
computer and any associated apparatus or material that is or has
been used in connection with the keeping of information.
Further information
For further information on the new arrangements under the
Gambling Act 2005, check out the Gambling Commission website.
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk