How to run a fair raffle or lucky draw at your event

A barrel draw is one of the simplest ways to give a stand or corporate event a moment everyone watches. It only works if people trust it. That means clear rules before the first entry goes in, a barrel that keeps entries secure, and a draw that anyone could watch and agree was fair.

Here's our checklist for running one smoothly, from the rules you need to the moment you call out the winner. The rules come from each regulator's own website, checked on 4 October 2026. Your promotions or legal team should own the final terms.

Raffle or trade promotion: which are you running?

The word "raffle" covers two different things in Australian law, and the difference decides which rules apply.

• A free draw to promote a business is a trade promotion. NSW describes a trade promotion as "a free-entry lottery used by businesses to promote their goods or services". A draw for everyone who visits your stand or attends your event belongs here.
• Selling tickets is a raffle, with separate rules. In Tasmania, for example, raffle proceeds "must be used exclusively for the lawful purposes of a not-for-profit organisation or a charitable purpose". In NSW, a promotional raffle with paid tickets "can only take place at a venue that holds a club licence".

If a business wants a lucky draw at its own event, plan it as a free-entry trade promotion. If a charity partner is selling tickets at your event, the charity runs it under its state's raffle rules. The rest of this page covers the business draw.

#1 - Check the permit rules where your entrants live

Trade promotion rules are set state by state, and a national event draws entrants from everywhere. What the regulators said on 4 October 2026:

• NSW: an authority is required if the total prize value for a single trade promotion exceeds $10,000.
• ACT: no permit is needed where the total prize value doesn't exceed $3,000, but conditions apply.
• NT: no permit is needed for a minor trade lottery with prizes worth $5,000 or less.
• VIC, WA and TAS: no permit is required, but conditions apply.
• QLD: promotional games are free-entry draws and no licence is required.
• SA: check with Consumer and Business Services (CBS).

Entry must be free, but buying can be a condition. South Australia allows entry to be tied to buying the goods or services being promoted, the Northern Territory says entry "can be conditional on buying goods or services", and NSW allows entry by buying goods "at their normal retail value".

#2 - Write the terms before the first entry goes in

Queensland lists what the terms of a promotional game must include. Most of its list makes a good checklist anywhere:

• who is running the draw
• who can enter
• a description and the retail value of each prize
• the closing and drawing dates
• the order prizes will be drawn in, if not from highest value down
• how winners will be told
• whether and where results will be published
• whether a prize will be redrawn if the winner isn't there

Put the terms, or where to find them, on the entry form or on a sign beside the barrel. Western Australia requires a prize description on any entry form, and NSW requires the rules to be clearly advertised.

#3 - Decide who can't enter

Leave out your own team. South Australia bars anyone "involved in the conduct or promotion of the lottery (whether as principal, agent or employee)". The Northern Territory says "no employees of the business or their family members may participate". Brief stand staff, event crew and agency staff before doors open.

#4 - Collect entries with privacy in mind

An entry form is a collection of personal information. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's guidance says an organisation covered by the Privacy Act that collects it must take reasonable steps to tell people things such as who is collecting it, why, and who it is usually disclosed to.

• Say what happens to the details. Victoria requires the conditions of entry to state if entrants' information will be used "for a purpose other than the lottery". If entries become sales leads, say so on the form.
• Use one entry format. Folded forms of different sizes don't mix evenly. Print entry cards that fit the barrel's slot.
• Keep spare forms and pens out of sight, so nobody can stuff the barrel with extra entries.

A competition entry box beside the barrel works well if you collect entries over several days.

#5 - Set up the barrel so entries stay secure

Choose a barrel that holds your expected entries and fits the space. Our raffle barrels come in two styles:

• Floor-standing raffle barrels: a hexagonal acrylic barrel 360mm in diameter and 600mm wide, on a steel frame with castors. The unit is 930mm high, and the entry slot is 98 x 8mm.
• Counter-top raffle barrels: acrylic barrels in two sizes, with a 250mm or 375mm diameter, both with a 180mm x 10mm slot.

Both have locking doors and come with two keys. On the day:

• Lock the door once the barrel is set up and give the keys to one named person.
• Put the barrel where staff can see it at all times.
• Clear acrylic lets the crowd see the entries tumble, which helps people trust the draw.

#6 - Run the draw so anyone could check it

Each entry needs an equal chance. Victoria says the draw method "must allow each ticket a random and equal chance of being drawn".

1. Announce the time and place in advance and draw then. South Australia requires draws "on the day, time and place specified in the terms and conditions".
2. Invite people to watch. Western Australia says that if practicable, members of the public must be given the chance to witness the draw.
3. Use a witness who isn't running the promotion. South Australia requires an independent scrutineer if the total prize value is over $30,000. A witness is good practice at any value.
4. Stop taking entries, then turn the barrel several times before opening the door.
5. Draw the major prize first. Queensland requires this unless the terms set out another order.
6. Read the winning entry aloud and set it aside, then record the result before the next draw.

Be careful with "must be present to win". South Australia says a new ticket can't be drawn just because the winner isn't there, and Queensland's terms must say whether a prize will be redrawn if the winner isn't present. Check before you print it on a sign.

#7 - Tell the winners and keep the records

• Notify in writing. Victoria requires winners to be advised in writing. South Australia gives seven days to tell an absent winner in writing what they have won.
• Hand over prizes promptly. Victoria requires prizes to be paid or transferred within 28 days of the draw. Queensland requires delivery within a month of the winner being decided.
• Keep the entries and a draw record. Write down the date, time, witness, winning entries and prizes. How long to keep them varies: at least three months after the draw for a minor promotion in South Australia, 12 months in Western Australia, at least 2 years in the Northern Territory, 3 years in Victoria and five years in Queensland unless a shorter period is approved. Keep them for the longest period that applies.

Planning a draw for a stand or an event? Our raffle barrel guide covers choosing a barrel, or call us on 1300 240 250 and we'll help you pick the right one.