Charity raffles and lotteries


Most of us will have been asked to buy a charity raffle or lottery ticket at some point. Despite the success of the National Lottery many charities continue to run their own - and these are often very successful.

As you’d expect the conduct of a lottery that the public can take part in is highly regulated and charities have to navigate their way through a complex web of legal requirements.

If you’ve ever sent a cheque to a charity or signed up for a regular monthly gift, it is possible that the organisation may approach you to sell raffle tickets on its behalf. The price of these tickets is usually very low and by law the charity can’t usually charge more than £2 per ticket. Many are sold for far less at 50p or even 20p each.

Many people who receive raffle tickets simply buy them themselves rather than sell them on to friends, neighbours or relatives. Others prefer not to receive them at all and can feel inundated at certain times of year, such as at Christmas.

If you would prefer not to participate in a raffle, just write to the charity and let them know. They will note that preference on their database and make sure that you don’t get any more.

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