Gambling Commission returns for society lotteries
If your charity or hospice runs a lottery, you have to report on it regularly. Who you report to, and how often, depends on the size of your lottery. This guide explains the two routes and how to keep the figures ready, so returns take minutes rather than days.
Small or large: which rules apply?
Under the Gambling Act 2005, a society lottery is either small or large.
Small society lotteries are registered with your local council (the licensing authority). They don't need a Gambling Commission licence.
Large society lotteries need an operating licence from the Gambling Commission. A lottery is large if its proceeds could exceed £20,000 in a single lottery, or if your lotteries' proceeds in a calendar year have reached, or could reach, £250,000.
Once a society has run a large lottery, its lotteries count as large for that year and the following three years. If a small lottery looks likely to go over either limit, you must apply for a licence before it does.
Returns for small society lotteries
Small lotteries make a return to the local council after each lottery, within three months of the draw. For instant lotteries such as scratchcards, the three months run from the last day tickets were on sale.
The return covers:
the dates tickets were on sale and the date of the draw;
the total proceeds;
the prizes and the costs deducted from the proceeds;
how much went to the society's good cause.
Two members of the society, appointed in writing, sign it. Missing or late returns can put the registration at risk, so it's worth putting the deadlines in the diary.
Returns for large society lotteries
Licensed society lotteries report to the Gambling Commission through its online eServices. The returns cover:
the lottery's proceeds;
the prizes paid;
expenses;
the amount that went to the good cause.
The Commission sets out the current timetable and the exact figures it wants in your licence conditions and on eServices. Check there for your own lottery.
Whichever route you're on, at least 20% of the proceeds of each lottery must go to the good cause. Your returns are how you show that.
Keeping the figures ready
Most of the effort in a return goes into finding and checking the numbers. You need:
Proceeds: what came in for each draw, from every payment route (Direct Debit, standing order, card and cheque), net of any reversals.
Prizes: every winner and every amount, including rollovers, raffles and superdraws.
Expenses: the costs you charge against the lottery.
The good-cause figure, and a way to show how you worked it out.
The easiest way to stay ready is to make sure payments are matched to players and every draw is recorded at the time it happens, rather than piecing it together at the end of the quarter.
The rest of compliance
Returns are one part of running a lottery responsibly. The Commission also expects:
age checks;
self-exclusion for players who ask to stop;
limits on how much one person can play;
records of marketing consent;
a clear record of how every draw was run.
How compliance is built into Combase covers each of these.
How Combase helps
Combase Cloud keeps every payment, draw and winner in one place, so the figures for your Gambling Commission returns are there when you need them. It:
imports bank, Direct Debit, standing order and card files and matches them to players;
records every draw and winner;
produces the return figures.
It also enforces a maximum number of chances per person, handles self-exclusion and keeps a log of every change. See all features.
It is free for lotteries with fewer than 200 players; see pricing. New to running a lottery? Read our guide to running a hospice lottery.
Want to see the figures for yourself? Book a free demo and we'll run a draw and show the returns with sample data.
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