Australian Raffle Rules by State: Permits, Thresholds and How to Stay Legal

There is no national raffle law in Australia. Raffles are regulated by each state and territory, and the differences are real: a raffle that needs no paperwork in Sydney can require a permit in Melbourne and a licence in Brisbane. If you sell tickets online to buyers in more than one state, you need to comply with the rules of every state where a ticket is sold, not just the state where your organisation is based. That one principle catches more fundraisers out than any other.

This guide covers the permit thresholds and key rules for every Australian jurisdiction. It is general information, not legal advice, and thresholds change (some are indexed annually), so confirm current requirements with your regulator before opening ticket sales.

The rules that apply everywhere

Before the state detail, four principles hold across Australia:

• Raffles can only be run for the benefit of not-for-profit community or charitable organisations. A for-profit business cannot sell raffle tickets for its own gain.
• The organisation running the raffle is responsible for compliance: permits, ticket content, the draw, and how proceeds are used.
• Certain prizes are prohibited or restricted in most jurisdictions, commonly firearms, tobacco and vaping products, cosmetic surgery, and large quantities of alcohol. Cash prizes are banned or capped in several states.
• Records of ticket sales, expenses and the draw outcome must be kept, with retention periods of three to five years depending on the state.

New South Wales

Regulator: NSW Fair Trading, under the Community Gaming Act 2018 and Community Gaming Regulation 2020.

No authority is required for a standard community raffle where the total prize value is $30,000 or less. Above that, you need an Authority to Conduct Community Gaming from NSW Fair Trading, issued for one, three or five years, and gaming rules must be lodged before the activity commences.

Below the threshold the conduct rules still apply: proceeds must be banked within two business days of receipt, the benefiting organisation must receive a minimum share of gross proceeds, winners must be notified promptly, and accounts must be audited where annual gross proceeds exceed $250,000. NSW is the most straightforward large state for most community raffles.

Victoria

Regulator: Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), under the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.

Only a declared community or charitable organisation can conduct a raffle in Victoria. Declaration is a one-off application to the VGCCC and lasts ten years, so check your status before planning anything.

A minor gaming permit is required when the total prize value exceeds $22,340. This threshold is indexed each financial year, which is why older guides still quote $20,000 (the figure set in September 2022) or $5,000 (the pre-2022 threshold). Permit applications go through the VGCCC portal and should be lodged at least 21 days before the raffle.

Below the permit threshold, conditions still apply: tickets must be printed with the required details, buyer contact details must be recorded, the total value of tickets on sale must sit between two and six times the total retail value of the prizes, and prizes must be delivered to winners within 28 days. Small raffles with a total prize value of $500 or less, drawn on the day, have lighter rules. Cash is not a permitted raffle prize in Victoria.

Queensland

Regulator: Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), under the Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Act 1999. Queensland legislation calls raffles art unions.

Queensland works on gross ticket sales, not prize value, across three categories:

• Category 1: gross proceeds up to $2,000. No licence needed, and prizes must total at least 20% of estimated ticket sales.
• Category 2: gross proceeds between $2,000 and $50,000. Eligible associations (charitable, community, educational, religious or sporting organisations) can run these without a licence, but stricter rules apply to ticket content, advertising and the draw.
• Category 3: gross proceeds above $50,000. A licence from OLGR is required before ticket sales begin, and the licence number must appear on tickets and advertising.

Where gross proceeds exceed $10,000, an auditor's certificate must be lodged after the end of the financial year. Records must be kept for five years.

South Australia

Regulator: Consumer and Business Services (CBS).

Small lotteries below the prize-value threshold can be run without a licence, while larger raffles require a lottery licence from CBS. The commonly applied threshold for licensing is a total prize value above $5,000, making SA one of the lower-threshold states. Check current requirements with CBS before your draw, particularly for higher-value prize pools.

Western Australia

Regulator: Gaming and Wagering Commission, administered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

WA takes the strictest approach in the country: standard lotteries (raffles) generally require a permit regardless of scale, with only narrow exemptions for very small draws in limited circumstances. Alcohol prizes are capped at under $1,000 retail value. If you are selling tickets nationally online, WA is usually the state that decides whether you apply for a permit or exclude a state from sales.

Tasmania

Regulator: Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission, under the Gaming Control Act 1993.

A minor gaming permit is required where the total prize value exceeds $10,000. Tasmania adds an obligation most states do not have: even with a permit in place, each individual raffle must be separately notified to the regulator seven days before it is conducted. Cash prizes (including cash-equivalent vouchers) are capped at $5,000 per raffle.

Australian Capital Territory

Regulator: ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, with applications through Access Canberra, under the Lotteries Act 1964.

A permit is required where the total prize value exceeds $2,500, the lowest threshold in the country. Small draws under that value can generally proceed without a permit, subject to conditions. If your online raffle offers a substantial prize, the ACT is often the first jurisdiction to require paperwork.

Northern Territory

Regulator: Licensing NT.

Smaller community raffles can be run without a permit, with larger lotteries requiring a permit from Licensing NT once ticket sales exceed the prescribed threshold (commonly cited as $20,000 in gross sales). The NT also applies a prize-to-ticket ratio: the total prize value must be at least one third of the total value of tickets on sale. Confirm current requirements with Licensing NT before opening sales.

Online raffles: the multi-state problem

Selling raffle tickets online is legal and increasingly the default, but the internet does not merge eight sets of rules into one. If a buyer in another state can purchase a ticket, that state's rules apply to your raffle. In practice, organisations running national online raffles take one of two approaches: obtain permits in every jurisdiction that requires one for their prize value, or restrict ticket sales to the states where they are compliant.

Either way, the operational requirements are the same: know where every ticket was sold, hold buyer contact details, keep clean financial records, and be able to show the draw was fair. This is where digital ticketing earns its keep. Platforms such as GalaBid record every sale and buyer automatically, and the draw uses certified random number generation, which answers the fairness question every regulator and every ticket buyer eventually asks. The organisation remains the conductor of the raffle and holder of any permit; the platform provides the ticketing, payment and draw tools. If you are planning your first one, see the step-by-step raffle guide and the guide to running an online raffle draw.

Running a raffle in the UK instead? The rules are national rather than state-based, and we cover them in our guide to UK raffle rules and licences.

Quick reference: permit thresholds by state

Thresholds current as at August 2026 and subject to change. Victoria's threshold is indexed each July. Always confirm with the regulator before selling tickets.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to run a raffle in Australia?

It depends on the state and the value involved. In NSW, no authority is needed up to $30,000 in total prize value. In Victoria, no permit is needed up to $22,340, but your organisation must be declared by the VGCCC. In Queensland, no licence is needed up to $50,000 in gross ticket sales for eligible associations. WA requires a permit for most raffles, and the ACT threshold is only $2,500 in prize value.

Can anyone run a raffle?

No. Across Australia, raffles can only be conducted for the benefit of not-for-profit community or charitable organisations. A business cannot sell raffle tickets for its own profit; free-entry trade promotions are the commercial alternative and are regulated separately.

Can I sell raffle tickets online to people in other states?

Yes, but the rules of every state where a ticket is sold apply to your raffle. If your prize value triggers a permit requirement in a state, you either obtain that permit or exclude that state from ticket sales.

Can I give cash as a raffle prize?

Not everywhere. Victoria does not permit cash prizes at all, and Tasmania caps cash and cash-equivalent prizes at $5,000. Other states allow cash but check before advertising it.

How long do I need to keep raffle records?

Three years in Victoria and five years in Queensland; other states sit in the same range. Keep ticket sale records, buyer details where required, expense records and the draw outcome.

What happens if I run a raffle without a required permit?

Conducting an unlawful lottery is an offence in every jurisdiction, with penalties ranging from fines to prosecution. If you realise mid-campaign that you have crossed a threshold, stop selling and contact the regulator; approaching them is always better than being reported.

Last reviewed August 2026 against state regulator guidance including NSW Fair Trading, VGCCC and OLGR publications. Rules and thresholds change; confirm current requirements with your regulator before your draw.

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