Australian Capital Territory
Raffle rules for the ACT — the $2,500 exemption, ticket-sales caps, and the online rule.
In the ACT, raffles are run under the Lotteries Act 1964, overseen by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission.
Who can run one
The ACT's published conditions refer to "the person or organisation conducting the lottery," and give not-for-profit organisations lighter ticket-information rules. Detailed eligibility sits in the Lotteries Act — if you're a genuine community or charitable cause, you're in the right territory; check with the Commission if your structure is unusual.
When you need a permit
- Total prize value $2,500 or less → no permit (an exempt lottery).
- Over $2,500 → a lottery permit is required. The application fee scales with total prize value, and processing takes about 7 working days.
- Also permit-free: purely member-only private lotteries (no external advertising), skill-only games, and rebate/discount offers open to all customers.
Prize and ticket rules
- Total ticket value is capped relative to prizes: up to 5× total prize value if prizes are under $10,000, or 10× if prizes are $10,000 or more. You can't sell unlimited tickets against a small prize pool. 🔴
- Where buyers could be under 18, the Commission will refuse inappropriate prizes — explicitly liquor, tobacco, and dangerous goods.
- No admin or delivery fee may be charged to a winner.
- Each ticket must show the permit number, the cause, the full prize list with values, the draw details, and where results are published (an NFP can omit most of this unless an individual prize is $2,000+).
The draw
- Fair, equal-chance draw; if there are multiple prizes the major prize is drawn first.
- Draw within 12 months of the permit issuing.
- Winners notified in writing within 21 days; results available within 7 days on request.
The ACT online rule
A website raffle needs no ACT permit unless the site is hosted in the ACT, or it's hosted elsewhere but advertised into the ACT (beyond the site itself). So advertising your online raffle to ACT residents can bring it under ACT permit requirements — worth knowing if you promote nationally.
Records
Keep records — ticket stubs, sold/unsold counts, seller details, and financial statements — for at least 12 months after results.
The official source
The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission is the authority — gamblingandracing.act.gov.au. This summarises the Commission's raffle conditions; the Lotteries Act 1964 and the Exempt Lotteries factsheet are the full picture.