SAFE Lottery rules

Last updated: 29 October 2026

1. The promoter

1.1 The SAFE Lottery (the "Lottery") is promoted by SAFE, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Scottish Charity No. SC050592, of Gayfield, Edinburgh EH1 3NW ("SAFE", "we", "us").

1.2 The Lottery is a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005, registered with the City of Edinburgh Council as licensing authority. It is promoted for the purposes of SAFE, which are charitable purposes.

1.3 The Lottery is promoted on SAFE's behalf by its Board of Trustees. Enquiries should be sent to SAFE Lottery, Gayfield, Edinburgh EH1 3NW or [email protected].

1.4 Total ticket sales will not exceed £20,000 for any single draw or £250,000 in any calendar year. If SAFE's lotteries approach these limits, SAFE will apply to the Gambling Commission for the appropriate licence before continuing.

2. Who can play

2.1 To play you must be aged 18 or over and resident in England, Scotland or Wales. Although the law permits society lotteries to be sold to people aged 16 and over, SAFE has set a minimum age of 18.

2.2 You must pay with a UK bank account or debit card in your own name.

2.3 Trustees of SAFE, and any volunteer directly involved in conducting or verifying the draw, and members of their households, may not play.

2.4 Each person may hold only one Lottery account.

2.5 SAFE will verify the age, identity and address of every player and may ask for documents at any time, including before a first draw or before paying a prize. SAFE may refuse or cancel any entry without giving a reason, in which case any payment for future draws will be refunded.

2.6 If a player is found to be under 18, their account will be closed, all entries will be void, all payments will be refunded and no prize will be paid. Any prize already paid to a person under 18 must be returned.

3. Entries and payment

3.1 Each entry costs £1 per weekly draw. All entries cost the same.

3.2 A player may hold between 1 and 5 entries in each draw.

3.3 Entries are paid in advance by monthly Direct Debit (£4.33 per entry per month, covering 52 draws a year) or by annual debit card payment (£52 per entry). Credit cards are not accepted.

3.4 Each entry is given a unique six-digit lottery number, which will be confirmed to the player in writing (by email) and which constitutes the player's ticket. The confirmation will state the name of SAFE as the promoting society, the price of the entry, the name and address of the promoter and the date of the draws.

3.5 An entry is valid for a draw only if payment for that draw has been received in cleared funds and the player's age has been confirmed before 6pm on the day of the draw.

3.6 If a payment fails, entries will be suspended until payment is received. Entries suspended for missed payments are not eligible for draws in that period.

3.7 Players may set a monthly spending limit lower than the maximum. Requests to reduce entries or limits take effect from the next payment. Requests to increase entries or limits take effect only after a 7-day cooling-off period.

4. The draw

4.1 Draws take place every Friday at 8pm UK time. If a draw cannot take place for reasons outside SAFE's control, it will take place as soon as practicable afterwards and players will be notified.

4.2 Three winning entries are selected at random by computer from all valid entries in that draw. Every valid entry has an equal chance of being selected.

4.3 Each entry can win only one prize in any draw.

4.4 Each draw is witnessed by two people who are not entered in the Lottery. A record of each draw, including the number of valid entries and the winning numbers, is kept for at least three years.

4.5 SAFE's decision on any matter relating to the draw is final, subject to the complaints procedure in section 11.

5. Prizes

5.1 The prizes in each weekly draw are: 1st prize £100, 2nd prize £25 and 3rd prize £10.

5.2 No prize will exceed £25,000 and the total value of prizes in any draw will not exceed the limits set by the Gambling Act 2005.

5.3 Winners do not need to claim. SAFE will notify winners by email on the Saturday after the draw and publish results on svdcharity.org/winners by noon.

5.4 Prizes are paid by bank transfer to the winner's own account within 14 days of the draw, once SAFE has confirmed the winner's age, identity and eligibility.

5.5 Prizes are not transferable and no cash alternative or exchange is offered.

5.6 Winners' first names and towns are published only with their consent.

6. Unpaid prizes

6.1 If SAFE cannot pay a prize within 6 months of the draw, despite reasonable efforts to contact the winner, the prize will be applied to SAFE's charitable purposes.

6.2 A winner who has not been paid may contact SAFE within 6 months of the draw at [email protected].

7. Use of proceeds

7.1 At least 20% of the proceeds of each draw will be applied to SAFE's charitable purposes. SAFE aims for at least 50%.

7.2 Expenses deducted from the proceeds will be reasonable and will not exceed the amounts actually incurred.

7.3 SAFE will make returns to the City of Edinburgh Council within three months of each draw as required by the Gambling Act 2005, and will report lottery income and expenditure in its annual accounts.

8. Changing or cancelling

8.1 Players may cancel at any time by emailing [email protected], writing to SAFE, or cancelling their Direct Debit with their bank.

8.2 On cancellation, any payment received for draws after the cancellation date will be refunded within 14 days. Entries in draws that have already taken place cannot be refunded.

8.3 SAFE may end the Lottery by giving players at least 30 days' notice by email. Payments made for draws after the end date will be refunded.

9. Responsible gambling and self-exclusion

9.1 Players may pause their entries for 1, 3 or 6 months. During a pause no payments are taken and no lottery marketing is sent.

9.2 Players may self-exclude for 6 months, 1 year, 2 years or 5 years. During self-exclusion SAFE will cancel the player's entries, refund any advance payments, send no lottery marketing and refuse any new account in the player's name. Self-exclusion cannot be reversed before the end of the chosen period.

9.3 SAFE acts on pause and self-exclusion requests within 2 working days and confirms them in writing.

9.4 SAFE may reduce or suspend a player's entries if it has concerns about the player's wellbeing or the affordability of their play.

9.5 Free, confidential support is available from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours a day. See Responsible gambling.

10. Personal data

10.1 SAFE is the controller of players' personal data, which it uses to run the Lottery, verify age and identity, take payments, pay prizes, meet its legal obligations and, with consent, to publish winners' details and send updates. See the Privacy policy.

11. Complaints and disputes

11.1 Complaints should be made in writing to [email protected] or SAFE Lottery, Gayfield, Edinburgh EH1 3NW, within 28 days of the event complained about.

11.2 SAFE will acknowledge a complaint within 5 working days and give a full response within 14 working days. If the player is not satisfied, the complaint will be reviewed by a trustee not previously involved, who will respond within a further 14 working days.

11.3 Concerns about whether the Lottery is being run in accordance with its registration can be raised with the Licensing Service of the City of Edinburgh Council. Concerns about SAFE's governance as a charity can be raised with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. See our complaints procedure.

12. General

12.1 SAFE is not responsible for entries or payments that are lost, delayed or incomplete for reasons outside its control.

12.2 SAFE may change these rules by giving players at least 30 days' notice by email. Changes will be published on this page. Continuing to play after the notice period means a player accepts the changed rules; players who do not accept them may cancel and receive a refund under section 8.

12.3 Nothing in these rules limits any rights a player has as a consumer under UK law.

12.4 These rules are governed by the law of Scotland, and the Scottish courts have jurisdiction, without affecting the right of players resident in England or Wales to bring proceedings in their local courts.