is an online raffle legal in the uk with a view to profitable gain?

Dear mooty-ga,

To operate a lottery in the UK you must be registered with the Gaming
Board or Local Authority (unless it is a small lotteries incidental to
an exempt entertainment). However, registration will not be allowed as
it is for personal gain and therefore will not fall into the following
categories:

* small lotteries incidental to an exempt entertainment;
* private lotteries;
* society lotteries;
* Local Authority lotteries.

I recommend that you view, in full, the pages on the below web sites.
All sites recommend that you seek advice before starting any type of
lottery.


National Lottery Commission
======================

?Lotteries apart from the National Lottery
The National Lottery Commission regulates the National Lottery. The
Gaming Board (for Great Britain) is the regulator for most other UK
lotteries. All lotteries, apart from the National Lottery, are
unlawful unless they are: -
a) small lotteries incidental to an exempt entertainment;
b) private lotteries;
c) society lotteries;
d) Local Authority lotteries."

Further details as to these categories appears on the page.
http://www.natlotcomm.gov.uk/Information/content.asp?id=223


Department of Culture Media and Sport.
=============================

Lotteries
?Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976
 A lottery may only be conducted on the Internet providing it has been
registered with either the appropriate local authority or the Gaming
Board, in accordance with the usual rules for promoting a lottery
under the Act.
Lottery tickets may be sold almost anywhere except in the street. They
can be sold by post or by telephone, but not by means of a machine.
The Gaming Board's view is that a lottery run entirely by computer via
the Internet amounts to selling tickets by means of a machine, and it
has refused to authorise such lotteries. The Gaming Board has,
however, granted permission for two Lottery Managing Companies to run
lotteries over the Internet in much the same way as using the
telephone - as a means of communication connecting the buyers and
sellers of lottery tickets. The actual sale of the tickets must be
carried out by human agency. All lottery tickets must be paid for
before they are entered into the draw.
Foreign lotteries may not be promoted in Great Britain. It would,
therefore, not be lawful to advertise an overseas Internet lottery or
to sell tickets abroad under section 2 of the 1976 Act.?
http://www.culture.gov.uk/gambling_and_racing/fact_sheets/fact_internet_gambling.htm


Lotteries

?In June 2002 the Government doubled the key money limits on charity
and other "society" lotteries. The new limits are:

* Maximum size of a single lottery - £2 million in ticket sales
* Maximum number of tickets that one "society" can sell in a year - £10 million
* Maximum prize - £200,000
* Maximum ticket price - £2?
http://www.culture.gov.uk/gambling_and_racing/gaming.htm

Remote gambling
?Tickets for society lotteries are also not permitted to be sold
remotely as tickets must not be sold by machine under the current
legislation.?
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/client/detail.asp?ContentId=38
Small lotteries
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/client/detail.asp?Contentid=34
Society and local authority lotteries
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/client/detail.asp?Contentid=35

?There is no statutory definition of a lottery but the courts
generally consider a lottery to be a distribution of prizes by chance
where the persons taking part, or a substantial number of them, make a
payment or consideration in return for obtaining their chance of a
prize.?
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/client/detail.asp?Contentid=47


Customs and Excise 
===============

Lottery Duty and Regulations
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_InfoGuides&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_CL_000259


Local Authority
============

This is some guidance from a local authority on the registration of
small society raffles. (Local Authority chosen at random)

Corby Council
http://www.corby.gov.uk/An/wc.exe/ao2/View/?Version=16985&Site=1292&PF=NULL&SiteGroup=

Section 5 of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 (as amended by the National
Lottery etc. Act 1993) - explanatory notes.

http://www.corby.gov.uk/docs/supporting/released/2005-11/16985/EXPLANATORY%20NOTES%20FOR%20THE%20GUIDANCE%20OF%20LOCAL%20SOCIETIES.pdf


I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder

Search strategy
Personal knowledge of the sources.

Very helpful and precise - guess i'll just have to think of something
else to make my millions! Thankyou , Ollie.