Online raffle (Class 3 licensed)

A licensed society raffle with over $5,000 of prizes that can legally sell tickets online since 1 Nov 2024.

Typically raises

$15,000

$3,000–100,000 per campaignest.

About $188 per organiser hour

Based on one licensed raffle with over $5,000 of prizes

Is it right for us?

Money: $10,000–50,000
Work: A team for weeks
Helpers: 3–6 people
Lead time: 2–4 months
Red tape: Some

Rare in NZ: licensed big-prize raffles are run by few groups

People: Organiser, treasurer, independent auditor, draw supervisor
Organiser time: 40-120 [Estimate]
Lead time: 2-3 months (licence about 20 working days minimum)
Up-front cost: Licence $88.89 ex GST (<= $50k prizes) or $628.44 (> $50k); audit and platform fees; prizes over $5,000 are a real cash risk if bought.
Risk: Prizes over $5,000 are a real cash risk if bought, plus the licence, audit and platform fees.

Can suit, but rarely run by: Sports club or team, Charity, Community group, marae or service club

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Winter (Jun–Aug), Spring (Sep–Nov), Christmas

How big a job: A small team for weeks, 3–6 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Take about $17,000, pay about $2,000 of costs, and you keep about $15,000 per campaign: the typical result for one licensed raffle with over $5,000 of prizes.

From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

[Estimate] Prizes must exceed $5,000 and be >= 20% of potential income; costs include the licence, audit and platform fees.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Confirm the prizes exceed $5,000 and the group is a society.
Apply to DIA (form GC11L) at least 20 working days ahead.
Choose a compliant platform (flat fee, not percentage).
Publish the full terms, including the cancellation rule.
Sell; run a supervised draw.
Publish results; file the audited statement within 3 months.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Sellers to take a book of tickets, and businesses to give prizes.
Ask people to buy: People to buy tickets.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 6–8 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
Free notices in local papersMany local papers print some community notices free: ask what they offer. Not every town still has one, so check what comes to your letterbox, and book early.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: Not neededNone needed
Landowner’s permission: Not needed
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: Not neededNo food sold
Alcohol: Not neededNo alcohol sold
Gambling rules: NeededClass 3 licence from DIA before tickets are printed (allow 20+ working days). Societies only

DIA Class 3 licence (about 20 working days, fee from $88.89 ex GST), independent audit within 3 months. Since 1 Nov 2024 only Class 3 lotteries may sell online; platforms can charge flat fees, not commission.

Make more from it

Sponsor-donated headline prize
removes the main cash risk (estimate)
a bought prize over $5,000 is owed whatever sells

What you can get donated

Major sponsors (car, holiday, big meat box bundle).

Tips

For most schools, a Class 2 paper raffle earns similar money with far less admin.

Watch out for

Selling online without the licence.
Platform fees taken as a percentage.