The $2,500 exemption
A raffle with a total prize value of $2,500 or less is an exempt lottery — no approval needed, provided the Commission’s exempt-lottery conditions are met (the usual good behaviour: genuine draw, proceeds to the cause, honest tickets). Most class-hamper and fete raffles live comfortably here.
Over $2,500
Bigger raffles must be approved by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission before they are advertised or conducted — note the “advertised”: get the approval before the newsletter blurb goes out, not after. Applications run through Access Canberra under the Lotteries Act.
Either way
- Numbered tickets with matching stubs — the draw has to be provably fair.
- State the price, the organisation, the prizes and the draw details on the ticket.
- Draw as advertised, record winners, keep the books with the P&C’s records.
The fine print: general information for school fundraisers, not legal advice. The authoritative source is the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission. Thresholds change — check before a big raffle.
Raffle rules by state: NSW · VIC · QLD · SA · WA · TAS · ACT · NT