Organize lottery, contest, bingo

Target

Every game of chance must serve a general interest. Its purpose, for example, is to build a new clubhouse for the sports club, buy instruments for the music society or renovate the church. 

Bingo

A bingo falls under small games of chance, so it is not subject to the licensing requirement. However, a notification must be made pursuant to article 7c of the law. This article lists several criteria you must meet. A bingo may only be organized by an association (or foundation) that has existed for at least 3 years. Also, the prizes or premiums in money or goods may not have a value higher than € 400.00 per series or set and their combined value may not exceed € 1,550.00 per event. The municipality also may impose certain requirements for the bingo meeting. The meeting must be notified to the municipality at least 2 weeks in advance.
 

Review all criteria at item four, Statement/Criteria when reporting in the report form. 

Notice:

In addition to the rules in the Gaming Act, under the Alcohol Act, bingo and other games of chance (excluding slot machines) are also not allowed to take place in a hospitality venue. This means that no bingo may be organized in the premises where alcohol is normally served. That no alcohol is served at the time of the bingo is irrelevant.

For more information, please consult the following link: KHN | May I organize a bingo in my business?

Raffle

A lottery is a game of chance, which requires a license under Article 3 of the law. Linked to this is Article 2 of the Games of Chance Decree, which contains the criteria of a lottery.

In a game of chance, the player can win a prize, but has no decisive influence on the outcome. The maximum number of proofs of participation (lottery tickets) and the amount of the deposit (per ticket and/or series) must be clear in advance. The place and time must also be known in advance. The prizes and premiums may not collectively have a value greater than € 4500.00.

Please find enclosed a form to use when applying for a raffle permit. Please note that the processing time for an application for a permit for a raffle is 8 weeks. 

Contest

Organizing a contest requires the participant to do something for it, such as create a slogan, write a story or take a picture. A panel of judges then decides who wins the prizes.

Gaming tax

Keep in mind, that you owe gaming tax, when you organize a lottery or bingo.
You can find more information about this on the tax authorities' site, see Gaming tax.

Store week action (Article 7b of the law)

A shopping week promotion is a lottery conducted by several joint entrepreneurs in small and medium-sized businesses, in which the entrepreneurs give out the lottery tickets to customers free of charge. There are also regulations associated with this.

Do you want to organize a shopping week campaign? If so, you will need a permit from the Chamber of Commerce. We are therefore happy to refer you to this body.

You can also find information on this topic through Ondernemersplein.