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What Are the Alternatives to the Postcode Lottery?
The main alternatives to the Postcode Lottery are other society lotteries, which raise money for good causes, such as The Health Lottery, where a line costs £1, and the many smaller lotteries run by charities, clubs and hospices. The National Lottery is separate.
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What a society lottery is
People’s Postcode Lottery runs society lotteries: lotteries promoted for a non-commercial cause, such as a charity, sport or a cultural activity, rather than for private gain. Under the Gambling Act 2005, at least 20% of a society lottery’s proceeds must go to the cause it supports.
There are two kinds. A small society lottery sells no more than £20,000 of tickets in a single lottery and no more than £250,000 in a year, and registers with its local council. Above those levels it is a large society lottery and needs a licence from the Gambling Commission. Since 29 July 2020, large society lotteries can sell up to £5 million of tickets per draw and £50 million a year, with a top single prize of £500,000.
The Health Lottery
The Health Lottery is a group of society lotteries managed by The Health Lottery ELM Limited, licensed by the Gambling Commission and played across Great Britain. Its main game, the Big Win, costs £1 a line: you choose five numbers from 1 to 50, or take a Quick Pick. There is a draw every day, and matching all five numbers wins a top prize of £25,000, split equally if more than one line matches. Big Win lines on Wednesdays and Saturdays also go into a £100,000 Superdraw.
People’s Postcode Lottery, by contrast, is a subscription of £12.50 a month, your postcode is your ticket, and every day each ticket in 20 drawn postcodes wins £1,000.
| People’s Postcode Lottery | The Health Lottery (Big Win) | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | £12.50 a month, by subscription | £1 a line, per draw |
| Your entry | Your postcode | Five numbers from 1 to 50 |
| Draws | Daily prizes | A draw every day |
Charity, club and local lotteries
Many charities, hospices, sports clubs and community groups run their own lotteries. The bigger ones hold Gambling Commission licences; the smaller ones are registered with a local council and work within the small-lottery limits above, including a £25,000 ceiling on any single prize. You can check a large lottery’s operator on the Gambling Commission’s public register, and a small one with the council it is registered with.
Prize draws and the National Lottery
Some draws that look similar are not lotteries in law. The Birthday Draw, for example, runs as a prize draw with a no-purchase-necessary postal entry route. The National Lottery is not a society lottery: it is one national lottery with draw games such as Lotto, Thunderball and EuroMillions, licensed by the Gambling Commission under its own rules.
Whichever you choose, prizes are a matter of chance, and most entries win nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Health Lottery like the Postcode Lottery?
Both are society lotteries, but The Health Lottery is £1 a line with numbers you choose, while the Postcode Lottery is a £12.50 monthly subscription.
How much of a society lottery goes to good causes?
By law, at least 20% of the proceeds must go to the cause the lottery supports.
Are small charity lotteries legal?
Yes. Small ones must register with their local council and stay within the small-lottery limits; larger ones need a Gambling Commission licence.
Is the National Lottery a society lottery?
No. It is a single national lottery, separate from society lotteries.
Related guides: how the Health Lottery compares with the Postcode Lottery, how The Birthday Draw compares with the Postcode Lottery and what each Postcode Lottery prize pays.
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