Lottery registration

Societies, which fulfil the main criteria below, are designated as Small Society Lotteries under the new Act:

• A non-commercial society.
• In neither the current calendar year, nor any past three calendar years, the proceeds of any one lottery has been capable of exceeding £20,000, and the aggregate proceeds of all lotteries promoted by you has not exceeded £250,000.
• The lottery is promoted for the purposes of the society.
• At least 20 per cent of the lottery proceeds are applied to the society purposes.
• No prize is greater in value than £25,000.
• Tickets comply with certain conditions, including that they are each of the same price.

What you must do

The promoter of the lottery must complete the relevant application and return it to the address on the form. 

A fee of £40 is payable on first registration and an annual fee of £20 thereafter. 

The promoting society of a small society lottery must, throughout the period during which the lottery is promoted, be registered with a licensing authority. The licensing authority with which a small society lottery is required to register must be in the area where their principal office is located. If we believe that a society's principal office is situated in another area, we will inform the society and the correct authority as soon as possible. We are the licensing authority in County Durham.

Following registration the promoting society must send us a return form within three months of the lottery draw (or the last draw) and the registered promoting society must pay an annual renewal fee to us.

What we must do

In accordance, with its duties under the 2005 Act, we will pass details of registrations to the Gambling Commission.

Your right to appeal 

Paragraphs 47 and 48 of Schedule 11 of the 2005 Act specify the grounds for refusal of a Small Society Lottery registration application.

Grounds for refusal include:

• Refusal or revocation of an operator licence in the past five years,
• Not being a non-commercial society,
• A person connected with the promotion being convicted of a relevant offence, or
• False or misleading information being given in connection with an application.

The society will be given the opportunity to make representations if we refuse an application, by written correspondence or at a formal hearing. The applicant or society has a right of appeal within 21 days of the determination directly to the local Magistrates' Court.