Lotteries, raffles and scratchcards: the rules in Great Britain
The National Lottery, charity lotteries, raffles, scratchcards and online prize draws all look similar, but the law treats them differently. Some are 18+, some can legally be played from 16, and some raffles can be sold to children. This guide explains who runs each type, the age rules, the limits that apply and where to complain in Great Britain. It does not cover odds or prizes for particular games.
In short
- You must be 18 or over to buy any National Lottery product, including scratchcards and online instant win games. It has been illegal to sell them to under-18s since 1 October 2021.
- Society lotteries (lotteries run for charities, sports clubs and other good causes) have a legal minimum age of 16, though many operators already apply 18.
- Large society lotteries are licensed by the Gambling Commission. Small ones register with the local council. At least 20% of the proceeds must go to the good cause.
- A raffle at a one-off event such as a fete or dinner needs no licence, but tickets can be sold only at the event.
- Prize draws with a free entry route are not lotteries and do not need a gambling licence. A voluntary government code asks operators to limit play to over-18s.
The National Lottery
The National Lottery is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993, separate legislation from the Gambling Act 2005. The Commission says the current licence, its fourth, began on 1 February 2024, when Allwyn took over as operator (opens in a new tab) from Camelot. It runs until 31 January 2034. In February 2024 the Commission said the National Lottery had raised more than £48 billion for more than 685,000 good causes across the UK since it launched in 1994.
Age: 18 for every product
Following a consultation, the government raised the minimum age for all National Lottery products from 16 to 18. The National Lottery (Revocation and Amendment) Regulations 2021 (opens in a new tab) made it illegal to sell a National Lottery ticket to anyone under 18 from 1 October 2021. The government’s 2023 gambling white paper says this covers draws, instant win games and scratchcards, and that the operator stopped selling to under-18s in April 2021, ahead of the legal deadline.
The same regulations raised the minimum age for selling National Lottery tickets to 18. A 16 or 17-year-old can still sell them if they have written authorisation, or if a responsible person specifically approves the sale.
Unclaimed prizes
According to the National Lottery Distribution Fund’s accounts, prizes not claimed within 180 days of the draw, or within 180 days of the close of a scratchcard or interactive instant win game, are paid into the fund for good causes. Check the rules for your game when you buy.
Complaints about the National Lottery
Complain to the operator first. If you are not happy with Allwyn’s final response, or you are concerned about how the National Lottery is being run, you can complain to the Gambling Commission (opens in a new tab). The Commission says it uses complaints to check Allwyn is following the rules and can take action, but it does not have the power to settle individual disputes or change the outcome of a decision.
Society and local authority lotteries
A society lottery is run to raise money for a non-commercial society, such as a charity, hospice or sports club, and cannot be run for private or commercial gain. Councils can also run lotteries. Many charity lotteries fall into this group.
Age: 16, with many operators applying 18
The Commission says the minimum age for a society or local authority lottery is 16 (opens in a new tab). It is an offence to invite or allow a child to take part, and licensed lotteries must have written policies to prevent under-age play.
In its April 2023 white paper (opens in a new tab), the government said many society lottery and football pools operators already apply an age limit of 18. It challenged those that still allow 16 and 17-year-olds to follow suit, so that there is no online or widely and easily accessible scratchcard gambling for under-18s, and said it would legislate to bring them in line with the National Lottery when parliamentary time allows. Check the rules of the lottery you are playing.
Large and small society lotteries
| Small society lottery | Large society or local authority lottery | |
|---|---|---|
| Who authorises it | Registration with the local licensing authority (in Scotland, the licensing board) | Licence from the Gambling Commission |
| Ticket sales per lottery | Up to £20,000 | Up to £5 million |
| Ticket sales per year | Up to £250,000 | Up to £50 million |
| Largest single prize | £25,000, even if donated | £25,000 or 10% of the proceeds, whichever is greater, so at most £500,000 |
| Minimum to the good cause | 20% of proceeds | 20% of proceeds |
The Commission’s guidance says that up to 80% of the proceeds can be split between prizes and expenses. Every ticket in a lottery must cost the same, and tickets must be paid for before entry into the draw. The Commission says there is no maximum ticket price. Rollovers are allowed as long as the maximum prize limit is not breached.
Tickets in licensed society lotteries must not be sold to anyone in a street, which includes passages through shopping centres. They can be sold from a kiosk or stand, from a shop, door to door, and from vending machines. For small society lotteries, the Commission says tickets can be sold door to door, online, by phone or face to face, but not in a street.
The Commission says small society lottery tickets must show the name of the society, the ticket price, the name and address of the organiser (or of the external lottery manager running it), and the date of the draw or how it will be decided.
The Commission says that from 29 July 2020 the limits rose to £5 million per draw and £50 million a year, and new requirements came in on what operators tell players, including how much goes to good causes, prizes and expenses, and the likelihood of winning a prize.
Raffles and other lotteries that need no licence
Some small lotteries need neither a licence nor a registration, provided they follow the rules in the Commission’s guidance on exempt lotteries (opens in a new tab).
Raffles and tombolas at events
A raffle, tombola or sweepstake held at a fete, fair, fundraising dinner or festival is an “incidental lottery”. The Commission’s guide to raffles at events (opens in a new tab) says:
- it must raise money for charity or another good cause, not for private gain, and must not be the main reason for the event;
- tickets can be sold only at the event, while it is taking place, and not online, on social media or in advance;
- you must give out physical tickets, though cloakroom tickets are fine, and there is no limit on the ticket price;
- no more than £100 of the proceeds can go on expenses and no more than £500 on prizes, but there is no limit on donated prizes;
- prizes cannot roll over to another lottery;
- tickets can be sold to children.
If you want to sell raffle tickets in advance or online, it is no longer an incidental lottery. A society would normally need to register a small society lottery with its council, which the Commission says normally costs £40, with a £20 renewal fee after the first year.
Work, residents’ and private society lotteries
These lotteries cannot be sold to the public. A work lottery is open only to people who work at the same premises as the organiser. A residents’ lottery is open only to people who live in the same premises, such as sheltered accommodation. A private society lottery is open only to the society’s members, or people on its premises, and the society cannot exist for gambling. None of them can roll prizes over.
Customer lotteries
A business can run a lottery for customers on its premises, but it cannot make a profit from it. The Commission says tickets cannot be sold to under-16s, no prize can be worth more than £50, there can be only one draw every seven days, and it cannot be run online or on premises with a gambling premises licence.
Prize draws and competitions
Many online “win a house” or “win a car” draws are not lotteries in law. The Commission’s guidance on when a lottery is not a lottery (opens in a new tab) says a draw is not a lottery if:
- it is a free draw, with a free entry route by first or second-class post, or by another method charged at the normal rate. The free route must be advertised as prominently as the paid route and must not be more expensive or less convenient, and prizes must be allocated the same way whichever route you use; or
- it is a prize competition that needs enough skill or knowledge that a significant proportion of people would not be able to enter.
For the legal tests in more detail, including what counts as payment, the skill test and what to check before you pay to enter, see prize competitions and free draws.
Because they offer a free entry route, these draws do not need a licence under the Gambling Act 2005. On 20 November 2025 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a voluntary code of good practice for prize draw operators (opens in a new tab). Signatories agreed to put it in place by 20 May 2026. Under the code, operators should:
- offer prize draws only to people aged 18 or over, with reasonable age checks, and not target adverts at under-18s;
- accept no more than £250 a month per player by credit card, and no credit card payments at all for instant win draws;
- set monthly spending limits, or let players set their own, and let players suspend their account for at least six months or close it;
- publish details of the free entry route clearly before the point of purchase;
- give information on the likelihood of winning where possible, and not reduce a prize, move the closing date or cancel a draw because of low ticket sales.
The code is voluntary, so check whether an operator has signed up before you play. The government says the market is worth £1.3 billion a year, with 7.4 million adult players across the UK.
Tax and getting help
For how lottery winnings are treated for tax, and the Lottery Duty businesses pay on ticket sales, see tax on gambling winnings. If you are worried about how much you spend on lotteries or scratchcards, the safer gambling tools guide and free treatment and support pages can help. The National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133 (England and Scotland) and the NHS All-Wales Gambling Helpline on 0808 2819 265.
The society lottery, raffle and prize draw rules here apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own gambling law: see gambling law in Northern Ireland.