Race night
Guests bet on filmed horse races or a parlour derby; the society keeps the margin, plus bar and food.
Typically raises
$3,000
$1,000–6,000 per eventest.
About $100 per organiser hour
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $2,000–10,000
- Work
- Weeks, part-time
- Helpers
- 7–15 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- Some
Fairly common: a classic club social night, less common now
- People
- 6-12
- Organiser time
- 20-40 (estimate)
- Lead time
- 6-8 weeks
- Up-front cost
- $200–$800. Race film pack or derby kit, venue.
- Risk
- Low to medium.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Sell at $50 a race sponsorship, keep $50, so 70 race sponsorships = $3,500, or about $3,000 after about $500 of costs. That’s about the typical result.
Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate. No NZ benchmark found.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Read the DIA game of chance rules.
- Book the venue and a race pack.
- Sell race and horse sponsorships.
- Sell tickets.
- Run races with a clear tote or fixed-prize system.
- Auction a few items between races.
- Record and bank proceeds.
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
- Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
- Ask people to buy
- People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- 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.
- Facebook events and what’s-on listingsMake a Facebook event people can say they’re going to, and list it on your council’s or town’s what’s-on page.
- Community newsletters and magazinesResidents’ newsletters, village magazines and other churches’ bulletins often run community notices free. Small ones close early.
- Other groups sharing itAsk the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.
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
- NeededA hired venue
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- Not neededNo food sold
- Alcohol
- CheckUse a licensed venue and confirm its licence covers your event. A club licence usually covers members and guests only
- Gambling rules
- NeededClass 2: prizes up to $5,000 and all tickets printed worth up to $25,000. Run by a club or society, with the money going to community or charitable purposes. Prizes at least 20% of ticket value; sold in person only, every ticket numbered (our rule: on paper). Prizes over $5,000 need a Class 3 licence
- Health and safety
- CheckA simple risk check and briefing
- Insurance
- CheckCheck your cover
Parlour derby and race-night betting are games of chance under DIA's Class 1/2 rules. Run it at a licensed clubrooms or get a special licence for the bar.
Make more from it
Sell horse or race sponsorships
often $20-100 per horse (estimate)
businesses and families buy a named horse
often $300-1,500 (estimate)
the crowd is already there with cash or cards out
Silent auction of donated items
often $1,000-5,000 at a 100-person event (estimate)
guests browse between courses or acts
Stack it: on its own, about $3,000. With the 3 priced add-ons above, roughly
$7,000est.
What you can get donated
Race sponsorship from businesses (they name a race), prizes, venue.
Tips
- Race-naming sponsorships at $50-$100 each are pure margin (estimate).
Watch out for
- Running a betting system that breaches DIA rules.
Race night: checklist
0 of 16 done
Before
On the day
After
Parlour derby and race-night betting are games of chance under DIA's Class 1/2 rules. Run it at a licensed clubrooms or get a special licence for the bar.
Also pairs with: Auction between races, Dinner
Sources
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide