How to run a charity raffle in Australia

How to run a charity raffle
in Australia

A plain-English walkthrough of the decisions, permits, and pitfalls — written for Australian charities, schools, and community groups planning their first online raffle.

info

Not legal advice. Raffle rules are set by each Australian state and territory, change regularly, and depend on your organisation type. Use this guide as a starting map — then confirm details with the relevant regulator (each one is linked below) before you launch.

Four things that catch first-time runners off-guard.

policy

Each state has its own permit

There is no national raffle licence. NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT each have their own regulator, threshold, and forms. If you market your raffle across borders, you may need to comply with more than one set of rules.

redeem

The prize sells the tickets

A bigger prize is not always better. The prize that wins is the one that resonates with your audience and is easy to picture owning. A weekend getaway often outsells a generic gift card of the same value.

trending_down

Selling fewer tickets than you hoped is the real risk

If your prize is purchased outright and ticket sales are weak, you can lose money. The safest first raffle keeps prize value modest relative to the size of the audience you can reliably reach.

groups

Your donor list is your biggest asset

Most successful first raffles run on existing donor and supporter lists, not paid advertising. Warm contacts buy. Cold traffic rarely does — at least not at a margin that justifies the spend.

The first seven decisions, in order.

Work through these before you draft a poster or open an account. Skipping ahead is the most common cause of a raffle that stalls — or worse, has to be redone after a regulator query.

Confirm your organisation is eligible

Most states require the operator to be a registered charity, an incorporated association, a not-for-profit, a school, or another "declared" community body. Unincorporated friend-groups generally cannot run a raffle directly — they need an eligible host.

Hold your ACNC registration or incorporation number ready — most permit applications ask for it.

Pick the state(s) you will sell into

The rules of the state where the ticket buyer is located generally apply. If you only promote to your local community, that is one state. If you run paid social or email to a national list, you may be operating in many — each with its own permit.

A practical starting point: restrict your first raffle to one state, and add a clear notice on the buy page that entries are only accepted from residents of that state.

Check whether you need a permit

Each state sets a prize-value (or in QLD's case, ticket-sales) threshold below which an eligible group can run a raffle without a permit. Above the threshold, you apply, pay a fee, and wait — typically one to two weeks. See the state-by-state table for current thresholds and links.

Build the lead time into your launch plan. WA, for example, requires the application at least 14 days before tickets go on sale.

Choose a prize that fits your audience

Decide whether the prize will be donated (no out-of-pocket cost — best for first-timers) or purchased (higher draw but real downside if tickets stall). Avoid prize categories that some states restrict, such as large amounts of alcohol, firearms, tobacco, or vapes. See the prize selection section for ideas.

Size the prize against your reachable audience

Before you set a ticket price or print anything, do the back-of-envelope sums. How many warm contacts do you actually have? What conversion rate is realistic? See the worked example in Sizing the risk — it will protect your downside.

Plan the disclosures and ticket conditions

Buyers must be told who is running the raffle (the legal organiser, not a platform), the prize, the draw date and method, where results will be published, and any age or residency restrictions. Most states also require the permit/authority number on tickets and promotional material if one has been issued.

Decide how you will draw, notify, and report

The draw must be demonstrably fair — most states require an independent witness or a verifiable random method, plus records you can show on request. Winners must be notified and results made public within a defined window. Several states also require a post-draw financial return submitted to the regulator.

State by state

Permits, thresholds, and regulators.

A compact reference. Below each state's row is the link to the regulator and the legislation we drew the numbers from. Thresholds are indexed in some states and can change — always verify against the source before applying.

State	Regulator	Permit needed when…	Lead time / notes
NSW New South Wales	NSW Fair Trading — Community Gaming Community Gaming Regulation 2020	Eligible orgs generally need no authority for raffles with total prizes up to $30,000. Above that, an authority is required. Draw lotteries: at least 40% of gross proceeds must go to the benefiting cause. Alcohol prize limits apply.	If an authority is required, gaming rules must be lodged at least 10 working days before the activity.
VIC Victoria	Victorian Gambling & Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) Gambling Regulation Act 2003	A minor gaming permit is required when total prize value exceeds the indexed threshold (approx. $22,340 for the current financial year). Operator must be a declared community or charitable organisation.	Apply online via the VGCCC portal. Threshold is indexed annually on 1 July — check the current figure before you plan a prize near the limit.
QLD Queensland	Office of Liquor & Gaming Regulation (OLGR) Charitable & Non-Profit Gaming Act 1999	Tiered by total ticket sales, not prize value: Cat 1 < $2,000 — no licence Cat 2 $2,000–$50,000 — no licence for eligible associations Cat 3 > $50,000 — licence required Total ticket sales must not exceed 5× the prize pool value.	Eligible associations can run up to $50k in sales without applying. Cat 3 licence application is a longer process — start well ahead.
WA Western Australia	Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries — Racing, Gaming & Wagering Gaming & Wagering Commission Act 1987	A standard lottery permit is required whenever tickets are sold to the public over more than one day — which covers most online raffles. Applicant must be an "acceptable body" — typically a sporting, social, charitable or similar group; no private gain.	Lodge at least 14 days before the lottery starts. Permits are valid for ~3 months; extensions require 7 days' notice.
SA South Australia	Consumer & Business Services (CBS) Lotteries Act 2019 / Lotteries Regulations 2021	A major lottery licence is required when total prize value exceeds $5,000. Below that, eligible community lotteries can operate without one. At least 35% of ticket sales must be applied to the approved purpose.	Financial return to CBS within 1 month of the draw if prize pool is under $30,000; within 2 months if $30,000 or more.
TAS Tasmania	Tasmanian Liquor & Gaming Commission Gaming Control Act 1993	A minor gaming permit is required when total prize value exceeds $5,000. Proceeds must be applied to a not-for-profit / charitable purpose.	Indicative fee (verify current): ~$127.50 for a one-year permit, ~$178.50 for two years.
ACT Australian Capital Territory	ACT Gambling & Racing Commission Lotteries Act 1964	A permit is required when total prize value exceeds $2,500 (exempt lottery below that). ACNC-registered charities may apply to have fees waived.	Apply via Access Canberra. Among the lower thresholds nationally — easy to trip over with a single significant prize.
NT Northern Territory	Licensing NT Gaming Control Act 1993 (NT)	A permit is required when ticket sales exceed $5,000. Run by an approved association; conditions under the NT Code of Practice for Responsible Gambling apply.	Allow about 10 days for processing. Apply via a Territory Business Centre.

warning

Cross-border selling. If you advertise or accept ticket buyers from multiple states, the cautious view is that each state's rules apply to those buyers. The cleanest way to keep a first raffle simple is to restrict entries to one state — confirm residency on the buy page and refund any out-of-state purchases.

What actually makes people buy.

A great prize is specific, easy to picture, and slightly out of reach for the audience you are selling to. Three patterns we see work for community-scale raffles:

card_travelThe "weekend story" prize

A two-night escape at a recognisable local venue, a hot-air balloon trip, a fine-dining tasting menu for two. Mid-value (often $1,000–$3,000), photo-friendly, and the winner gets a story to tell. Conversion rates tend to beat a cash prize of the same dollar amount.

restaurantA bundle of donated items, not one big one

Many local businesses will donate $100–$300 of product or vouchers in exchange for being named. Five or six donations bundled as a single "hamper of the neighbourhood" can outperform one purchased $1,500 item and costs you nothing up front.

workspace_premiumMultiple smaller prizes, one ticket

A first / second / third prize structure increases each buyer's perceived odds of winning something. It also lets you accept several donations without merging them into an unwieldy bundle.

do_not_disturb_on

Avoid as prizes

Large quantities of alcohol (NSW and others impose strict caps)
Firearms, ammunition, knives
Tobacco, vapes, nicotine products
Live animals (most states restrict)
"Mystery" prizes where the value isn't disclosed up front

check_circle

Strong signals

Photographable — a single hero image sells the ticket
Locally relevant — your audience already wants this
Donated where possible — caps your downside at zero
Easy to deliver — no shipping headaches
Aligned with your cause's story — the connection sells

Match the prize to the audience you can actually reach.

If the prize is donated, your downside is bounded. If you buy the prize, you need ticket sales to cover it. Here is the back-of-envelope first-timers should run before printing anything.

A simple worked example

Donor list: 1,200 contacts

Realistic conversion: 8% buy a ticket on first ask = 96 buyers

Average tickets per buyer: 2 = 192 tickets

Ticket price: $10 → $1,920 in sales

If you bought a $2,500 prize, you have lost money. If the prize is a $400 donated hamper, you cleared $1,500 for the cause.

A first-raffle rule of thumb

If your prize is purchased, keep its cost at or below 25% of the ticket revenue you are confident you can reach with one well-targeted ask to your warm list.

If your prize is donated, choose for emotional pull, not dollar value — and don't be embarrassed about a small prize on your first run. Charities that test small first tend to be the ones who scale.

A bigger prize does increase the maximum upside — but only if your distribution can carry it. Without that, it just enlarges your downside.

checklistPre-launch sanity check

check_circleHave you identified the specific audience you will email or message? (Number of contacts, not "social media")
check_circleCan the prize be photographed in one image that makes someone want it?
check_circleDo you know your permit status for the state(s) you will sell into?
check_circleIs the worst-case outcome (zero ticket sales) one you can absorb?
check_circleHave you written the draw method, draw date, and how winners will be notified?