Small society lotteries

After your lottery has taken place, you must submit a return within 3 months of the draw or last draw.

The return must:

• be signed by 2 members of the society who are appointed in writing for this purpose
• include a copy of their written appointment
• be signed by people aged 18 or over

The return must include a statement providing the following information:

• dates tickets were sold and the date of the draw
• total proceeds of the lottery
• amount deducted for prizes and expenses
• amount applied to the society’s purpose (this must be at least 20% of the gross proceeds)
• any expenses not paid from the proceeds and how they were funded

We can request to inspect your records, computers and related materials linked to the lottery.

Lottery offences and penalties

The person running the lottery (the promoter) and anyone else involved may be taken to court if they:

• break the rules of registration
• do not send the return form on time
• give false information on a return form

If found guilty, they could:

• be fined up to £5,000
• go to prison for up to 2 years
• get both a fine and a prison sentence