Plans by the owner of a house in Blackheath, southeast London, to raffle her home after failing to sell it for £1.25m have been halted after intervention by the local council.
Prize competitions can be organised for private benefit and profit, lotteries can only be run for good causes, Sarah Gardner of the Gambling Commission said. To meet prize competition criteria, home raffles must have an element of skill, knowledge or judgement that is hard enough to prevent a significant number of people from taking part.
The owner of a second property being raffled described the rules as being very complicated and said he had spent around £6,000 ensuring he met the legal requirements.
