Club lotto
Members pick numbers each week and an unwon jackpot rolls over. A staple of GAA and community clubs in Ireland.
+ Club lotto and sports clubs · Guide
Club lotto and sports club draws.
From GAA club lotto to 50/50 draws at the rink, clubs rely on regular draws to fund pitches, kit and coaching. Here is how club draws work and what the rules expect.
01 At a glance
Country by country.
- Ireland
- Club lotto runs under a Garda permit, with prizes up to €5,000 a week, or a District Court licence for bigger funds
- United Kingdom
- Clubs run society lotteries, registered with the local council within the small lottery limits
- Canada
- 50/50 draws and Catch the Ace under provincial licences, with buyers located in the province
- Australia
- Raffles under each state's community gaming rules
- United States
- Charitable raffles under state law, which varies widely
02 The models
Three club favourites.
Most clubs run one of three formats, often every week of the season.
50/50 draws
Half the pot to the winner, half to the club. Popular at games and events in Canada and the US, increasingly sold online.
100 and 200 clubs
Members buy a number for a regular draw, a long-standing favourite of UK clubs and schools, usually run as a small society lottery.
+ Know before you run
What clubs need to know.
- Permit and licence thresholds depend on the prize fund, so a growing jackpot can move a draw into a different category.
- Proceeds must go to the club's permitted purposes, and some regimes set a minimum share.
- Online 50/50 draws in some Canadian provinces must run on systems from approved suppliers.
- Members want to see that draws are run straight, especially when committee members handle the draw.
03 Questions
Common questions.
Does a club lotto need a permit in Ireland?
Yes. Club lotto runs under a Garda permit for prize funds of up to €5,000 a week, or a District Court licence for bigger funds, until GRAI lottery licensing opens.
Can clubs sell 50/50 tickets online?
In many places, under a licence. Ontario and Alberta require the electronic raffle system to come from a registered, approved supplier, with buyers in the province.
Do UK sports clubs need a licence for a weekly draw?
Clubs usually run them as small society lotteries, registered with the local council, within the £20,000 per lottery and £250,000 a year limits.
How can a club prove its draws are fair?
Use a draw that is sealed before tickets go on sale and published in full afterwards, so any member can check the result for themselves.
Sources
- Existing licences, GRAI
- Licences for small society lotteries, Gambling Commission
- Raffle lottery licence, AGCO
- Raffle FAQ, AGLC
- Competitions, raffles and bingo, Queensland Government
General information, not legal advice. Rules change and depend on exactly how a draw is run, so take advice for your own model. Reviewed September 2026.
04 Access
Running club draws? Talk to us.
Every Blockdraws draw is sealed in advance and verifiable by anyone, under your club's own name and brand.
Blockdraws is white-label draw software with every draw verifiable by anyone. Available by application.
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