How to get approved to advertise raffles on Facebook and Instagram
If you want to run Facebook or Instagram ads for your raffle site, you need Meta's approval first. Meta's advertising rules treat paid-entry prize draws as "online gambling and games", even when they're set up legally as prize draws in the UK. People in the industry often call this getting your "RMG licence", but it's an authorisation from Meta, not a licence from a regulator. Here's how it works.
- Meta's rules cover anything where something of monetary value is part of both the way in and the prize. Raffles are named in the policy.
- You request authorisation in Meta Business Suite, in the Authorisations and verifications tab.
- Meta asks for evidence that your raffles are lawful. In the UK that's usually a solicitor's legal opinion, because there's no licence for prize draws.
- Once approved, your ads still can't target anyone under 18, and they still have to follow the advertising rules.
What Meta's rules cover
Meta defines online gambling and games as "any product or service where anything of monetary value is included as part of a method of entry and prize". Its list of common types includes raffles and sweepstakes, so a raffle site with paid tickets falls inside it, whatever you call your draws.
The rules also cover ads that send people to a page promoting these products, even if nobody can enter on that page. So you can't get around them by advertising your homepage instead of a raffle.
What you need before you apply
- A live website with at least one raffle, your terms and conditions, and the free entry route clearly shown
- A Meta Business Suite account with your Facebook page and ad account connected
- Business details that match your company and your website
- Evidence that your raffles are lawful in the UK
Meta asks for evidence that the activity is "appropriately licensed by a regulator or otherwise established as lawful" in the country you want to target. UK prize draws with a proper free entry route don't need a gambling licence, so there's no licence to upload. Instead, most raffle businesses provide a legal opinion letter from a solicitor explaining why their draws are lawful. Read more in our guide to legal opinion letters.
How to apply
- Open Meta Business Suite and find the Authorisations and verifications tab.
- Request authorisation to run online gambling and gaming ads, and declare the United Kingdom as the country you want to advertise in.
- Add your business and website details, and explain how your raffles work, including the free entry route.
- Upload your legal opinion and anything else Meta asks for.
- Watch your email and Business Suite notifications, and answer any questions quickly.
Questions Meta may ask
Meta sometimes comes back with questions before it decides. Common ones are who operates the raffles, and how your company relates to any platform or agency named in your documents. Be clear and consistent: your company is the promoter and the advertiser, responsible for the raffles and the ads. If your site runs on a platform, the platform is your technology provider.
How long it takes
It varies. Some businesses are approved within days, and on average it takes two to four weeks. Meta decides, and it doesn't always reply quickly, so apply as soon as your site is live.
Once you're approved: ads that stay approved
Approval doesn't mean anything goes. Meta's rules still apply to every ad, and so do the UK advertising rules in the CAP Code. Ads can't target anyone under 18, and the DCMS Code for prize draw operators says the same.
Do
- Show the real prize, with real photos
- Make the ticket price and the closing date clear
- Mention the free entry route, for example: "18+. UK only. No purchase necessary: free postal entry available. T&Cs apply."
- Send people to a page that matches the ad, with the free entry route easy to see
- Use honest wording, like "enter for your chance to win"
Don't
- Say or suggest that winning is likely, easy or guaranteed
- Suggest that a prize draw can fix money worries or replace a job
- Use fake countdowns or false urgency
- Use stock photos, or show prizes you can't deliver
- Use words linked to gambling, which make your raffles sound like something they're not
Breaking the rules can get ads rejected, ad accounts restricted or pages taken down, and that's much harder to fix than to avoid.
What to do while you wait
- Get your launch ads and a short brand video ready, so you can start the day you're approved
- Build your email list and send your raffles to people who've opted in
- Text regular players who've agreed to hear from you
- Reward loyal players with site credit or free entries
- Pay winners quickly and share it: fast payouts build trust
Our guide to raffle marketing has more ideas.
What about TikTok, Snapchat and X?
Each platform has its own rules and review process for this kind of ad. Meta's approval doesn't carry over, and some platforms are stricter, for example about how clearly the free entry route shows on your landing page. Check each platform's current policy before you spend.
How Reffle helps
Every Reffle site comes with a legal opinion letter from our solicitor and solicitor-written terms. We upload your legal opinion to Meta for you and give you step-by-step support through the approval. Your site launches with the free entry route on every raffle, 18+ confirmation and tracking for your ads, so you're ready to advertise as soon as you're approved. If you want to advertise on TikTok too, we can put you in touch with TikTok's team.
Want to see how it works? Book a free demo.
This guide is general information, not legal or advertising advice. Meta's policies change, so check the current version before you apply. Sources: Meta Advertising Standards, Online gambling and games (transparency.meta.com); DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators (gov.uk). Last checked October 2026.
