How to Run a Raffle (Without the Regulator Drawing Your Name)

A raffle is the little black dress of fundraising: cheap, reliable, and it works for the school fete, the footy club, and the church hall alike. So if you're trying to work out how to run a raffle and you've got a donated hamper and a book of tickets staring at you, good news, the hard part isn't the raffle. It's the paperwork you didn't know existed. Here's the short version: a raffle is a lottery, in Australia lotteries are regulated state by state, so before you sell a single ticket you check whether your state wants a permit, then you pick a prize people want, price the tickets, sell them, and draw a winner fair and square. That's the whole job. Let's walk through it, one chai then one beer in.

A raffle is a lottery, and Australia has opinions about lotteries

Here's the bit every overseas guide skips, because they're not the ones who'll get the phone call. A raffle is legally a lottery: people pay for a chance to win a prize decided by luck. Australia regulates that, and it does it state by state, not federally. So the rules that apply to your raffle depend entirely on which state or territory you're running it in, and they're genuinely different in each.

The good news is the shape is broadly similar everywhere. Raffles are almost always reserved for not-for-profits, charities, schools, clubs, community groups, so if you're one of those, you're in the right lane. Total prize value is usually one of the factors, most states set a threshold below which a small raffle needs no permit, but it's only one factor and every state draws the lines differently. Victoria, for instance, runs several prize-value tiers, each with its own conditions, while Queensland sorts these games into licensed and unlicensed categories rather than a single cut-off. Even a small, permit-free raffle can still carry conditions you have to meet. So don't assume a low-value prize means no rules: check your own state's requirements (the table below links every one) before you print a single ticket, because "we didn't know we needed a permit" is a sentence that has ended more fundraisers than bad weather.

First, sort your permit: the state-by-state bit nobody else lays out

Every guide that ranks for this either covers one state and stops, or quietly assumes you're in the UK. So here's the thing none of them give you: who to actually talk to, wherever you are. Find your state, click through, and check the current threshold and forms, because the exact dollar figures move and I'd rather you read them from the source than from me at a fundraiser.

The pattern almost everywhere: a small raffle (low total prize value) needs no permit, a bigger one does, and the permit is usually cheap or free for a genuine not-for-profit. Some states also have rules about what you can offer as a prize (cash and, awkwardly, alcohol come with strings), who can sell tickets (minimum ages apply), and what has to be printed on each ticket. Read your state's page once, follow it, and the regulator becomes a non-event. Which is exactly how you want a regulator: quiet.

Pick a prize people want, then do the ticket maths

A raffle lives or dies on one question: is the prize worth a punt. A single good prize (a hamper worth chasing, a weekend away, the big TV) usually beats a scatter of small ones, because desire concentrates. Chase donated prizes first, local businesses will often give one for the mention and the goodwill, and a donated prize means every dollar you raise is profit. If you're already lining up sponsors for the event this raffle sits inside, the event sponsorship guide doubles as a prize-getting playbook.

Then the maths, which most guides skip entirely. Work out what you want to raise, then price backwards.

• Offer books, not just singles. A small multi-buy discount nudges people to take a few tickets rather than one, which tends to lift the total.
• Match the price to the prize. A modest hamper won't carry premium ticket prices, a big-ticket prize will. As a rough rule of thumb, aim to sell tickets worth comfortably more than the prize is worth, or the raffle isn't raising, it's redistributing.
• Cap it if you must. Printing a set number of tickets creates honest scarcity and tells buyers their odds, which builds trust for the next one.

If this raffle is running at a bigger event, fold the numbers into the event budget so you know whether it's the main earner or a bit of fun on the side.

Sell the tickets, and yes, you can do it online now

The old guides will tell you to sell paper tickets at the door and nowhere else. One British guide flat-out says you can't sell raffle tickets online, but that's their law, not ours. In Australia, online raffle sales are common, though whether you can and on what terms depends on your state or territory regulator, your permit conditions, and the platform you use, so check your local official guidance. Where it's allowed, selling online can lift how much a raffle raises, because your reach stops being "people physically holding a ticket book" and becomes "everyone who's ever come to one of your events".

Selling online also fixes a couple of things that quietly cost raffles money: tickets that never get paid for, and a shoebox of stubs you have to reconcile by hand. Sell entries online and every buyer is captured and paid, and you've got the details you need to run the draw and contact the winner. Just don't assume that also lets you market to them later: sending follow-up promotion needs their explicit opt-in for exactly that, a clear privacy notice on how you'll use their details, and a working unsubscribe on every message. You can run raffle entries the same way you'd sell event tickets, set up an entry as a ticket type, share the link, done. The one habit worth stealing from the checkout world: buy a ticket yourself on your own phone before you send the link to the whole school. It takes moments, and it catches the "why isn't the link working" panic before it happens. Keep selling paper at the door too if it suits your crowd, plenty of raffles run both. Just put the bulk of it where the people are, which these days is their phones.

The money bits: fees, GST, and getting paid before the prize is

A few money things the regulator pages won't tell a fundraiser, because that's not their job.

Fees. If you sell online, there's a processing cost, and here's my one strong opinion for this post: a charity or school should never pay standard commercial rates to raise money for itself. That's the whole reason Ticketted's not-for-profit rate is 2.45% + 45c a ticket instead of the standard 3.95% + 95c. On a raffle of any real size, that gap is real money that should be buying the next prize, not padding a platform. If your ticketing charges a P&C the same as a promoter, that's a choice someone made, not a law of physics.

GST. For a registered charity, GST generally doesn't apply to raffle ticket sales, but it has conditions and depends on your organisation's status, so don't take my word for it, take the ATO's (search their not-for-profit fundraising guidance). Many small groups sit under the GST-registration threshold anyway. Know which side of the line you're on before you bank a cent.

Getting paid in time. Watch the timing, because a raffle can have a cash-flow trap the same as any event: if you've paid a printer or bought a prize up front, you need the ticket money to actually land before those bills fall due. Some platforms sit on your funds until the event's over, which is no help when the deposit's due now. Money moving on the normal Stripe schedule, first payout 2 to 3 days after your first sale, means the cash is there when you need it. Budget the raffle as real money you can reach, not a nice number you can see but can't touch.

Draw it fairly, then actually tell the winner

The draw has to be genuinely random, that's the whole deal, and in some states it must happen at a stated time and place. Pull tickets from a barrel, or use a random number if you've sold online, either is fine as long as nobody could rig it. Do it in public if you can, a livestream works, because a raffle nobody saw drawn is a raffle somebody will quietly wonder about.

Then close the loop, which is the step tired committees forget late on the night: contact the winner, hand over the prize (some states set a deadline for this), and have a plan for a prize nobody claims, because there's usually a rule about that too. And say thank you, to the buyers, the prize donors, the poor soul who sold tickets in the rain. A raffle isn't just money, it's the warm list of people who'll back your next one. Treat them well and next year's raffle half-sells itself.

Keep the records, because the regulator can ask

Unglamorous, important, and the reason to keep it simple: most states want you to keep records of a permitted raffle, how many tickets, how much you raised, what the prizes were, where the money went, for a set period after. Selling online hands you most of this automatically, which is a quiet argument for not running the whole thing off a paper stub and your memory. If the regulator ever asks (rare, but it happens), "here's the report" beats "give me a fortnight and a shoebox".

When you don't need any of this

Now the honest bit, the one that talks me out of a signup. If you're running a tiny raffle, a small hamper at the school cake stall, a handful of tickets sold to the same parents who baked the cakes, you do not need a platform, a permit hunt, or a spreadsheet. Most states have a small-raffle exemption designed for exactly this. You need a book of cloakroom tickets from the newsagent, an ice-cream tub to draw from, and someone with legible handwriting. That's the entire operation, and it's perfect.

The machinery in this post earns its place when the stakes climb: when the prize is worth real money, when you're selling beyond the room you're standing in, when a permit's actually required, or when you're running it every year and a list of past buyers is worth having. Below that line, a full setup is more effort than a tiny raffle needs. Put the effort into a prize people want and a draw people trust. For the bigger fundraiser this raffle probably belongs to, how to run a trivia night and the wider fundraising ideas guide pick up where this leaves off.

How to run a raffle: FAQ

Do I need a permit to run a raffle in Australia? It depends on your state and the total value of the prizes. Every state and territory regulates raffles separately, and most have a threshold: a small raffle (low total prize value) usually needs no permit, while a larger one does. Raffles are generally reserved for not-for-profits, charities, schools, and community groups. Check your state's regulator (the table above links every one) for the current threshold and forms before you sell a ticket.

How much should I charge for raffle tickets? Match the price to the prize and offer books, not just singles, a small multi-buy discount nudges people to take a few rather than one. As a rough guide, aim to sell tickets worth comfortably more than the prize is worth, so the raffle actually raises money rather than just covering the prize. If the prize was donated, every dollar is profit, which changes the maths in your favour.

Can I sell raffle tickets online in Australia? Often, yes, but it depends on where you are. Unlike the UK, online raffle sales are widely available in Australia, though whether you can and on what terms comes down to your state or territory regulator, your permit conditions, and your platform, so check your local official guidance. Where it's allowed, it can lift how much you raise, because your reach expands beyond people physically holding a ticket book, and every entry is captured and paid automatically. You can sell entries the same way you'd sell event tickets, and still sell paper at the door if it suits your crowd.

Do you pay GST on raffle tickets? For a registered charity, GST generally doesn't apply to raffle ticket sales, but there are conditions and it depends on your organisation's GST status. Many small groups sit under the registration threshold and aren't registered at all. Don't guess, check the ATO's not-for-profit fundraising guidance for your situation.

What makes a good raffle prize? Something people actively want and would struggle to justify buying themselves, a quality hamper, a weekend away, the big-ticket electronics item, or a bundle of local business vouchers. One strong prize usually beats a scatter of small ones because desire concentrates. Chase donated prizes first: local businesses often give one for the goodwill and the mention, and a donated prize means every ticket sold is profit.

How do I draw a raffle winner fairly? The draw must be genuinely random and, in some states, held at a stated time and place. Pull tickets from a barrel, or use a random number generator if you sold online. Do it in public or on a livestream where you can, so nobody has to wonder whether it was straight. Then contact the winner promptly, arrange the prize (some states set a deadline), and keep a record of who won.

How much money can a raffle raise? Anywhere from a modest float at a cake stall to a substantial sum at a big club fundraiser, it depends on the prize, the ticket price, and how many people you can reach. The reach is usually the lever: a paper-only raffle is capped at the room, while selling online opens it to everyone on your list. Set a target, price the tickets to hit it, and track sales as they come in.

Still stuck? Give us a call

If you've got the prize and the goodwill but you're not sure whether your state wants a permit, or how to sell tickets to more than the people in the hall, that's worth a quick chat before you print anything. Email support@ticketted.com or call 0452 590 455 and you'll get a real person, usually inside the hour, any day. We'll help you set up online entries, sort the not-for-profit rate, and make sure the money lands when you need it. We can't pull your name out of the barrel. We can make sure everyone else's is in there properly.