The default: a standard lottery permit
If tickets are sold to the public over more than one day — the classic school raffle sold at the gate for a few weeks — WA requires a standard lottery permit from the Gaming and Wagering Commission. Apply at least 14 days before tickets go on sale, for a fundraising purpose (sporting, benevolent, charitable and the like — a school raffle fits). No permit, no public sales: WA takes this seriously.
The two handy exemptions
- Same-day, on-site raffles up to $2,000 in prizes: sell and draw on the same day, on the premises — the fete-day raffle or assembly meat tray needs no permit.
- Private raffles up to $1,000: tickets sold only to members of the one club or workplace, drawn within 8 days.
What that means in practice
Plan the term raffle three weeks out: permit application first, printing second (that part takes an afternoon), selling third. Numbered tickets and proper records aren’t optional in WA — the permit conditions expect them, and the stub barrels prove the draw was fair.
The fine print: general information for school fundraisers, not legal advice. The authoritative source is the Gaming and Wagering Commission via DLGSC WA. Thresholds change — check before a big raffle.
Raffle rules by state: NSW · VIC · QLD · SA · WA · TAS · ACT · NT