Online Raffles (UK)

[Dave]

Hello,

I have a site I already made with its main focus being raffles. This site will be hosted on servers in the UK and will be run by me (also in UK). Can somebody who knows anything about law please give me some advice on how to approach this? Do I need a license from the gaming commission? Are there other taxes involved?

If anyone can help me with this I would appreciate it.

Regards,

Dave

 

[Dave]

Can anyone help me? I have researched online but can't find an accurate answer.

 

[Traveler]

I think you should definitely contact a lawyer that specializes in this sort of thing in the UK. I would not rely on anyone's opinion from a domain forum regarding this.

Having said that I think a great deal would depend on what type of raffles you are running. If the raffle was free to enter then I would guess you would have less legal hurdles or maybe none at all. However, if you are charging for raffle tickets and offering real world prizes, or "cyber" prizes that could easily be converted to cash, then that is a whole different animal. In any case, I think this a situation where it is better to pay some legal fees upfront to get real legal advice rather then face a lawsuit, or even criminal charges in the future.

 

[bluesman]

Yes, a good "barrister" as you say in the UK would indeed be in order. And bear in mind that currently the UK has a very stinky reputation in the world regarding the "You've already won a UK lotto" tide of scams, and a "raffle" or other game of chance isn't far from it.

If you insist on proceeding (and I advise that you don't), you'll also need local and territorial approval, involving licenses, permits and a host of other authorizations required for running a gambling operation.

 

[AndyR]

My limited information on this is that there has to be an element of 'skill' for this to be legal. One person I have heard used an online raffle to sell his house with £10 pound tickets. He used a sudoku puzzle as an entry quiz to the raffle. A sports car company has been raffling cars recently.

It is a risky proposition so proceed carefully, andyr