Running a competition using Helm Tickets
If you're looking to run a competition using Helm Tickets, please read this article first - it sets out the legal requirements for doing so and how payments will work.
Are there any legalities I need in place beforehand?
It's definitely worth looking at the Gambling Commission website. This page sets out the requirements for your competition under the Gambling Act 2005. You might need to seek legal advice before starting the competition.
The Gambling Commission doesn't regulate prize competitions or free draws and you don't need a licence, but you must make sure your draw doesn't constitute an illegal lottery.
Competition requirements
In order to be a 'competition' rather than a lottery, you need to add a knowledge-based question to your tickets in order to qualify a potential winner. The Gambling Commission says "the outcome of a genuine prize competition must depend on the exercise of skill, knowledge, or judgment by the participant."
Section 14 (5) of the Act explains this element of skill, knowledge or judgment in a competition must prevent a significant proportion of people from taking part or make sure that a significant proportion of people who do take part don't receive a prize. The question can't be too easy and it has to be relevant to your event. For example, if you're raffling an Edwardian house, the question should be something like 'Between what years was the house built?' A question like this requires a certain level of knowledge from the buyer.
If your competition relies on chance, it may be considered a lottery and could be illegal.
The answer to this question must be final and cannot be changed if the attendee gets it wrong. Once an answer is selected the attendee will be able to buy a ticket. Make sure to include this in your event description and/or terms & conditions to make sure this rule is clear to your customers.
Postal Votes
For the event to be fully compliant, you'll also have to allow the option for entrants to enter by postal vote. This will be entirely managed by you and not Helm Tickets. You'll have to arrange an address for the postal votes to be sent to and any votes sent to the Helm Tickets office will not count and will be destroyed to protect any customer data.
How and where is the money held until the competition closes?
The money is held securely by Helm Tickets until proof of winner has been delivered to our support team. Helm Tickets reserve the right to withhold all funds if we believe the competition is potentially fraudulent or in breach of any existing laws or regulations.
How easy is it to access the money once the competition is complete?
Usually, we pay out monthly, before an event is over. However, we have to meet certain regulations set by the Gambling Commission to run these types of events. We are unable to pay out until confirmation of transfer of the prize has been sent to us. After this, we can look to pay out as soon as possible.
How will Helm Tickets help my customers?
If Helm is sent queries from attendees or potential attendees regarding how the event is run, we will forward these to you to answer. Of course, however, Helm will continue to offer purchase or generalised website accessibility support as always.
Please note: We reserve the right to pause, cancel or refund all tickets sold, by any event in breach of the conditions laid out by Helm Tickets. Helm Tickets only provides helpful information surrounding the listing of your event and this does not warrant or count as providing legal advice. If you are unsure then please consult a solicitor for the legalities surrounding your event.