Guide on lotteries at pubs

The lotteries observed in pubs are of various compositions. Among these is for example “beer-scratch-cards”, where the player buys a scratch-card with the chance of winning a beer. Another popular type of lottery that has been observed is a game in which the player buys one or more “numbers” and at a specified day and time, there is a draw for the pool prize. The prize in this type of game depends on the number of participants and whether the pool is won the previous weeks. Most of the lotteries observed have prize sizes ranging from DKK 500 to DKK 5,000. 

It appears from section 3 of the Danish Gambling Act that provision of gambling services and products requires a licence from the Danish Gambling Authority when the following conditions are met: 

• the participants must pay a stake to participate in the game,
• the participants have a chance of winning a prize, and
• the activity includes a bet or a game, in which the chance of winning a prize solely depends on chance or depends on a combination of skill and chance. 

All three conditions must be met for the game to require a licence from the Danish Gambling Authority. 

The cases that fall outside the requirement of a licence are games without a stake, games taking place at private gatherings, and charity lotteries held in closed clubs or associations. Games covered by the Executive Order on public amusements (bekendtgørelse om offentlige forlystelser) which thereby have the permission of the police fall outside the Danish gambling legislation. Games at private gatherings cover low-stake gambling as entertainment for oneself and one’s family or a small group of friends. 

The crucial factor for games taking place at private gatherings is thereby not the size of the stake or prize alone, but the select group of people that may participate as well as the way the lottery is arranged. 

The Danish Gambling Authority assess that several of the lotteries at pubs are open for the public to participate in, and consequently, the game is covered by the requirement of a licence pursuant to the Danish Gambling Act. Due to the monopoly on lottery, a licence to offer lottery cannot be issued unless the lottery is a charity lottery. Read more about the specific rules on charity lotteries below.