Legal Requirements for Holding a Raffle in Victoria, Australia

In Victoria, Australia, a raffle is defined as an event where people can buy tickets in order to gain a chance at winning an item from a predefined prize pool. The definition and the legislation that stands behind it can be found under the Gambling Regulation Regulations 2005. Similar to the other Australian regions, Victora has its own regulatory body: the VCGLR (Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation). The commission operates under the Victorian Department of Justice.

Knowing and understanding the laws and regulations of Victoria are essential to holding a legal raffle. Illegal events will be punished accordingly to the penal law!

Conducting a raffle in Victoria requires a company or organization to first register as a nonprofit or charitable organization with the VCGLR. In order to register your company, the VCGLR provides extensive documentation and application forms on their official website.

The application for registering must be submitted to the VCGLR at least 21 days prior to the date of the raffle. There are cases when this process can be sped up, but it cannot be guaranteed. Once approved, the registration is valid for 10 years. However, a company can renounce its registration at any time.

Besides the initial registration with VCGLR, a company must also apply for a minor gaming permit if the total prize pool of the planned raffle exceeds $5,000. Every company looking to apply for a minor gaming permit must first appoint a nominee to be their representative. The VCGLR can approve or deny the appointed nominee. Moreover, as a part of the permit application, the nominee will have to provide a credit check, fingerprints, and a National Police Certificate.

Once the nominee is appointed, he or she will be solely responsible for supervising the raffle activity and its legality.

Small Raffles

Any raffle with a total prize pool that doesn’t exceed $500 can be considered a small raffle. Due to the small prize pool, there are very few regulations in place for these events. The organizer of the raffle is not required to print tickets, while the value of the tickets must be at least twice that of the prize pool. Moreover, records of funds, tickets, and prizes must be kept for 3 years.

Medium Raffles

If the total prize value ranges between $501 and $5,000, the raffle is considered medium-sized. A minor gaming permit is not required for these events. However, printed numbered tickets are required. Each ticket must contain enough details for the organizer to be able to contact the winner and vice-versa. The draw date must be no later than 3 months after the tickets are put on sale and it must be printed on the ticket.

Large Raffles

Every raffle that has a prize pool exceeding $5,000 is considered to be a large raffle and requires a minor gaming permit. Printed numbered tickets are also a requirement. If the total prize pool exceeds $100,000 the company’s nominee must obtain a National Police Certificate. This certificate must also be obtained if the prize pool exceeds $60,000 and the price of the printed tickets is $35 or more

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Raffles and Raffle Tickets