Warning over charity lotteries and raffles

The Jersey Gambling Commission said legally only charities or licenced third parties were allowed to organise charity lotteries or raffles

Businesses have been warned not to offer lotteries or raffles for charities - as they might fall foul of the law.

The Jersey Gambling Commission said it had been made aware of incidents which involved companies organising games to fundraise for charities over the past few months.

It said while the business owners might have "honourable motives" for organising the lotteries or raffles, legally only charities or licenced third parties can hold them.

David Evans, the commission's deputy chief executive, said the restriction was in place to ensure charities or societies knew what activities were being promoted under their name.

"This speaks to reputational risk as, without this approval, the good cause has no control over what is being undertaken in its name and the adverse publicity it may receive if these promotions go wrong," Mr Evans added.

"The commission, on the other hand, needs to make certain there is no blurring of lines that could lead to the presumption commercial lotteries are legitimate, leading to a potential spread of unlicenced activity."