How to Run a Legal Raffle in New South Wales

Running a raffle in New South Wales? Here's what you need to know before you sell a single ticket. Get this wrong and the person who signed the form is personally on the hook — not the venue, not the club, you.

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the total prize value. In NSW, the threshold is $3,000.

If your total prize pool is under $3,000 — no permit required. This covers most weekly pub raffles, meat trays, drink vouchers, and small fundraiser draws. You still need to follow the rules, but you don't need a piece of paper from the government.

If your total prize pool is $3,000 or over — you need a permit from NSW Liquor & Gaming before you sell a single ticket. No exceptions. "We didn't know" is not a defence.

Where to apply

NSW Liquor & Gaming handles all raffle permits. You can apply online through their website at liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au. Processing times vary, so don't leave this until the week before your event.

You'll need to be a registered club, charity, or nonprofit. Individuals can't hold raffle permits in NSW.

What the law says

Raffles in NSW are governed by the Lotteries and Art Unions Act 1901. That's not a typo — the law is over 120 years old, but it's been amended plenty of times and it's what you're operating under.

The Act covers who can run a raffle, what prizes are allowed, how tickets must be sold, and what records you need to keep. The short version: be a legitimate organisation, keep proper books, and don't pocket the proceeds.

Common scenarios

A pub running a Friday night meat raffle with a $100 prize? No permit needed. Sell tickets, draw the winner, everyone's happy.

A surf club running a Christmas raffle with a $5,000 holiday package? Permit required. Apply to NSW Liquor & Gaming, wait for approval, then you can start selling.

A school P&C running a fundraiser with a $2,500 total prize pool? No permit needed — you're under the $3,000 threshold. But keep records of tickets sold and money raised.

What to display

Every raffle needs to show the terms and conditions to ticket buyers. In NSW, this means referencing the Lotteries and Art Unions Act 1901 and showing your permit number if you have one.

You should also display: the organisation running the raffle, the draw date and time, the prize description, ticket price, and how winners will be notified.

How Drawdrop handles this

When you set your venue's state to NSW, Drawdrop automatically includes the correct legal citation on every public draw page. If you enter a prize value over $3,000, you'll get a step-by-step compliance checklist with a direct link to NSW Liquor & Gaming.

You can store your permit number and upload the actual document in your venue settings. Drawdrop tracks your licence expiry date and warns you at 30 days before it lapses.

No spreadsheets, no forgetting to check, no scrambling to find the permit when someone asks.