Sweepstakes - Sweepstakes in The UK and Ireland

Sweepstakes in The UK and Ireland

Sweepstakes in the UK are considered to be lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005.

Most sweepstakes in the UK are small scale. They are classed as work lotteries, resident's lotteries or private society lotteries and do not require a licence, provided that all the money staked is paid out as prize money.

The popularity of the term sweepstakes may derive from the Irish Sweepstakes, which was very popular throughout the world from the 1930s to the 1980s.

There is a tradition of office sweepstakes (known as office pools in the U.S.), which usually take place over large sporting events such as the Grand National and the World Cup. Entrants pay an equal stake for each horse/team they draw out of the hat before the event. The winner then takes the pot. For horse racing events, the pot may be split among the horses which come first, second and third.

What an American would call a "sweepstakes" is likely to be labelled as a "competition" in the UK.