What is a legal opinion letter for a raffle business?

If you're starting a raffle business, you'll hear about legal opinions early on. Banks, payment providers and Meta often ask to see one before they'll work with you. Here's what a legal opinion letter is, what it isn't, and how to get one.

What a legal opinion letter is

A legal opinion is a formal letter from a solicitor. It looks at how your raffles work, such as how people enter, the free entry route, how winners are picked and your terms and conditions, and explains why, in the solicitor's view, they're lawful under the Gambling Act 2005 and not an illegal lottery.

That matters because a draw where people pay to enter and the winner is picked purely by chance is a lottery, unless there's a proper free way to enter. We explain the law in are online raffles legal in the UK?

What it isn't

• It isn't a licence. Properly run prize draws don't need a gambling licence, so there's no licence to get. See do you need a licence to run a raffle?
• It isn't a certificate. No regulator issues it or signs it off.
• It isn't a guarantee. It's a professional opinion based on how your raffles work when it's written. You still need to run them the way it describes.

Who asks to see it

Meta

Meta's advertising rules treat raffles as "online gambling and games", and advertisers have to show their activity is "appropriately licensed by a regulator or otherwise established as lawful" before Meta authorises their ads. With no licence to show, UK raffle sites usually provide a legal opinion. See how to get approved to advertise on Facebook and Instagram.

Banks and payment providers

Many banks and payment providers are cautious about raffle businesses. A legal opinion helps show them your business is set up properly.

What a good legal opinion covers

• who runs the raffles, and the company behind them
• how players enter, including the free entry route and how it's publicised
• how winners are picked, and that free and paid entries have the same chance
• how instant wins work, if you run them
• your terms and conditions

Keep it up to date

A legal opinion describes your setup at the time it's written. If you change how your raffles work, such as adding a new type of draw or game, or changing how free entries work, check with your solicitor that it still applies. Keep your website matching what the letter describes: if it says something is shown clearly on every raffle page, make sure it is.

How to get one

Ask a solicitor who specialises in prize promotions and gaming law. They'll want to see how your site works, your terms and conditions, and how you handle free entries and draws. Costs vary, so ask for a quote up front. If you're choosing a raffle platform, check whether a legal opinion is included.

If your platform arranged it

Some raffle platforms provide a legal opinion as part of their service. If yours did, Meta may ask how your company relates to the platform. Be clear: your company runs the raffles and is the advertiser, and the platform provides the technology.

How Reffle helps

Every Reffle build includes a solicitor's legal opinion confirming your site complies with the Gambling Act 2005, plus solicitor-written terms and conditions. It's a legal opinion letter, not a licence, and it's ready for Meta, your bank and your payments. We then give you step-by-step support with Meta's approval to advertise.

Want to know more? Book a free demo.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Gambling Act 2005 (legislation.gov.uk); Meta Advertising Standards, Online gambling and games (transparency.meta.com). Last checked October 2026.