Raffle, bingo and wheel of fortune for your Christmas drive

When you need a municipal licence, when the Gambling Authority steps in and what to notify: raffle, bingo and wheel of fortune, planned week by week.

In short A raffle with prizes under 4,500 euros needs a licence from your municipality, from 4,500 euros one from the Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA). Bingo or a wheel of fortune needs no licence, but you notify the municipality at least 14 days ahead. Start early and check every local condition.

This article describes the rules in the Netherlands.

Three types of game, three routes

Games of chance are banned in the Netherlands unless the Betting and Gaming Act (Wet op de kansspelen) allows them. Three forms matter for a Christmas drive. Which route you follow depends on what you organise and what prizes you pay out.

  • Raffle or tombola (our reading): tickets bought for a prize. Licence from the municipality or the KSA.
  • Bingo or wheel of fortune: no licence, but a notification to the municipality.
  • A game without a prize to win: not a game of chance.

At a Christmas market you will meet all three. Also read a Christmas market or stall for charity.

Raffle or tombola: municipality or Gambling Authority

A lottery or raffle for a general interest, such as sport, culture, care or education, needs a licence. The limit is the total value of prizes and bonuses: under 4,500 euros the municipality decides, from 4,500 euros the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

The word tombola is not a separate category in the official texts. We read a tombola with tickets as a raffle, but that is our reading, not a statement by the KSA. We found no separate threshold below which you may sell tickets without a licence. Do not assume one exists.

Under 4,500 euros: the municipality

You apply to the mayor and aldermen (college van burgemeester en wethouders) of the municipality where the winners are drawn. We cannot confirm which conditions your municipality sets, for example on duration, the share of proceeds for the cause or a notary. Ask the licensing department of your municipality.

From 4,500 euros: the Kansspelautoriteit

The KSA has fixed rules. At least 40 percent of the proceeds goes to the charity and at most 60 percent to costs, prizes and gaming tax. The licence is valid for 6 months, with a maximum of 13 draws. The draw is public, held at a physical location and attended by a notary. Minors do not take part.

The fee is 600 euros for prizes from 4,500 to 50,000 euros. The KSA takes up to 8 weeks to decide. You may sell tickets online, but the draw stays physical. Ask your municipality whether this also applies to a municipal licence.

Bingo and wheel of fortune: notify instead of a licence

A bingo or wheel of fortune is a small game of chance. You need no licence, but you notify the municipality at least 14 days before the event. The municipality can forbid it or add conditions.

  • The organiser is a Dutch association that has existed for at least 3 years.
  • According to its articles, organising games of chance is not the purpose of the association.
  • The game benefits a charity announced in advance.
  • Prizes are at most 400 euros per series or set.
  • All prizes together are at most 1,550 euros per event.

Does your organisation not fit, for example because it is new? Then the bingo falls outside this scheme. Ask your municipality or the Kansspelautoriteit which route is open.

Bingo online or in a closed circle

A bingo in a closed group, such as family, friends, a care home or the members of an association, needs no notification or licence. Online bingo is only allowed in such a closed circle. An online game open to everyone, with a paid entry, is illegal.

What does not count as a gift

A ticket or bingo card is not a gift. According to the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst), anyone who receives something in return makes no deductible gift, and raffle tickets are named explicitly. Cash is not deductible either. So be honest: the proceeds of a raffle go to your charity, but the buyer cannot deduct the purchase.

If you want givers to be able to deduct, that is only possible through an ordinary gift to an ANBI (a recognised public benefit charity), provable with a bank statement. So keep raffle and gift separate.

How to plan it week by week

This schedule is our own plan for a raffle with prizes under 4,500 euros and a bingo on a Christmas evening. For a KSA licence, start at least 10 weeks earlier, because the decision can take up to 8 weeks.

  1. Eight weeks ahead: call your municipality and ask about the licence, conditions and processing time. Check whether your association meets the bingo rules.
  2. Seven weeks ahead: choose the cause, write it down and set the prizes. Keep the total under 4,500 euros, or under 1,550 euros for a bingo.
  3. Six weeks ahead: apply for the licence or prepare the notification.
  4. Five weeks ahead: ask local businesses for prizes.
  5. Four weeks ahead: notify the municipality of the bingo or wheel. The legal term is 14 days.
  6. Two weeks ahead: prepare the announcement, the sign with the charity and the division of roles among 5 to 10 volunteers.
  7. On the day: say the cause out loud, keep the prize list up to date and count the proceeds with two people.
  8. Afterwards: thank participants and publish what the proceeds do.

A full plan for the whole drive is in organising a Christmas drive in the Netherlands.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

You arrange the raffle itself outside the platform. What WeGlow.world does is collect the ordinary gifts around your drive. With a donation page in three steps, givers choose a one-off or monthly amount, also on mobile. So anyone who cannot be at your bingo can still give.

  • Let supporters start their own action page and invite their circle.
  • Set a thank-you text, so givers receive a word of thanks straight away.
  • Put a QR code to your page on the prize table.

The Gift Yard, one of our Christmas experiences, suits a drive with prizes. You choose the setting, such as a forest, a village or a frozen lake, and fly to the next gift. Note: the Christmas experiences are still a concept until the official launch. Take a look at the Gift Yard. You start your page via WeGlow.world.

Ideas to enrich your drive

Combine your raffle or bingo with a stall or an online appeal. A small drive with a clear cause often works better than a big one with too many parts.

An overview of formats is in Christmas fundraising ideas for a charity in the Netherlands. Pick one or two.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a licence for a Christmas tombola?

In our reading, a tombola where you sell tickets counts as a raffle. For prizes under 4,500 euros you apply for a licence from the municipality, from 4,500 euros from the Kansspelautoriteit. Confirm with your municipality.

What do I have to notify for a bingo?

You notify the bingo or wheel of fortune to the municipality at least 14 days ahead. You do so as a Dutch association that has existed for at least 3 years, with a charity announced in advance and prizes within the limits of 400 and 1,550 euros.

May I sell tickets online?

With a KSA licence, sales may be online, but the draw stays at a physical location. We cannot confirm whether that also applies to a municipal licence. Ask your municipality before you offer tickets online.

May a bingo be online?

Only in a closed circle, such as family, friends or the members of your association. An online game open to everyone with paid entry is illegal. Online, use an ordinary donation page instead.

Are tickets deductible for the buyer?

No. Anyone who receives something in return, such as a raffle ticket, makes no deductible gift. An ordinary gift to an ANBI can be deductible, provided it is provable with a bank statement.

Sources

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