You Can Be Fined $3K for Raffling Without a License

Lewin Samuels

According to Samuels, any violation of this specific law and its regulations is an offence that carries a fine of three thousand dollars and/or six months in jail.

Lewin Samuels, Secretary, Lotteries Committee

“We have not really been receiving complaints, but we know that there are activity out there which are not regularized. So, we try to reach out to them, some of them complied. But by right, it is an offence and there is a fine of a thousand dollars or six months in prison or both.  So, to enforce the law, who do not know would believe it is something new but it is not. But we must protect the consumers as well. The consumers are the ones who pay you money to assist in your promotions and at the end of the day we need to know that the person who has won had not been disenfranchised of their winnings.”

Hipolito Novelo

“How would you answer the criticism that the law needs to be revised? As you mentioned, you have not been getting much complaints even though you have unlicensed rafflers out their conducting business. Would you agree with someone to say this law needs to be done away with or revised to allow some sort of lee way to small time rafflers?”

Lewin Samuels

“If you notice, the law was established in 1953 and then there has been a revised edition in 2000. The only way you will know if a law should be revised is based on issues – based on complaints of persons brought up by small individuals who want to do raffles. But there is a charge for an application based on the value of the prize, so it is not across the board.”

The committee is chaired by the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Trade, Duane Belisle.