Raffle Permit in Dubai and the UAE: Office, School and Charity Raffles

Last updated: 14 November 2026

The raffle permit in Dubai that most people find online, Dubai Economy and Tourism's (DET) promotion certificate, is built for businesses with a trade licence, not for an office party or a school fair. Whether a raffle is legal in the UAE depends on two questions: does anyone pay for a chance to win, and is money being raised for a cause? A free draw where nobody buys a ticket is the low-risk pattern; a paid-ticket raffle, or one that raises money for charity, brings in gaming and fundraising rules that need a permit or a check with the authorities first.

Key takeaways

• DET's "retail promotion certificate of participation" covers retail promotions "including raffles", but its users are businesses "holding a valid DET or free zone trade licence".
• The Penal Code defines gambling as a game where each party agrees, on losing, to pay the winner. A free draw with no stake does not fit that wording, on our reading.
• The GCGRA treats lottery games as commercial gaming and decides "in its sole discretion" what counts as a genuine promotion instead.
• Charity raffles raise a separate issue: Federal Law No. 3 of 2021 requires a permit to collect donations. In Dubai that is IACAD; in Abu Dhabi, the Department of Community Development.
• We found no official guidance written specifically for school or office raffles. Free entry plus a check with the relevant authority is the safe route.

Do you need a raffle permit in Dubai?

If you are a business running a promotion, the published route is DET's retail promotion certificate of participation, which the service page calls a DFRE certificate of participation. DET says it is for running "retail promotions during festivals and events including raffles and pop-up kiosks", applied for online through the DET Connect portal.

DET retail promotion certificate: what the service page says (viewed 4 November 2026)

• Who can apply: "Retailers, companies, shopping centres, distributors, e-stores, tourist attractions or restaurants holding a valid DET or free zone trade licence"
• Documents: trade licence copy; a venue No Objection Certificate for a pop-up kiosk
• Price: "Various", per a downloadable price list
• Processing time: three to five business days, longer for some permit types
• Steps: log in to DET Connect, apply to the Retail Calendar or Off-Season Calendar, complete the certificate request form, receive the permit

That design matters for everyone else. An HR team, a parents' association or a club committee does not hold a trade licence in its own name, so this service is not written for them. If a company runs a raffle for customers, that is a commercial promotion, and our guides to when a promotion becomes a lottery and the UAE prize campaign compliance checklist cover that ground. This page is about the non-commercial cases.

Is a raffle legal in the UAE?

It depends on how the raffle works. The starting point is Article 460 of the Crimes and Penalties Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021:

"Gambling is a game whereby each of the parties thereto agrees - in case of losing - to pay to the winner a certain sum of money or any other thing agreed upon."

Article 461 punishes "whoever gambles" with incarceration of up to two years or a fine of up to Dh50,000; Article 462 deals far more harshly with organisers. Our page on the UAE Penal Code gambling articles quotes all four provisions.

A draw where entry is free and the prizes are paid for by the employer or a sponsor has no stake that a loser hands over. On our reading of Article 460, that sits outside the definition. A raffle where people buy tickets is harder. The ticket money goes to the organiser rather than straight to a winner, so the Penal Code wording is not a neat fit, but the GCGRA's definitions are broader.

The regulator describes commercial gaming as any game of chance "where an amount of money, in cash or cash equivalents, is wagered ... for the purpose of winning a sum of money or other valuable items", and lists "lottery games" within it. A paid ticket for a chance at a prize looks a lot like a lottery. The GCGRA says it does not regulate genuinely promotional activity, but that it determines "in its sole discretion" what qualifies. We found no GCGRA guidance on small community or school raffles either way.

Can you hold a raffle at an office party?

The common office set-up is the company buying prizes and every employee getting a free entry. That is the low-risk version: nobody pays, so there is no stake under Article 460, and the prizes are a staff-welfare cost.

Where it gets murkier is when colleagues are asked to buy tickets, or put money into a pot that one person wins. A pot where each person pays in and the winner takes it is close to the Article 460 description of each party agreeing to pay the winner. We would not run that in a UAE workplace without legal advice. If your company is the organiser, ask HR or legal whether the event needs approval; if it is open to customers, it is a commercial promotion and the DET route applies in Dubai.

Do school and charity raffles need a permit in the UAE?

Charity raffles raise a second legal question that has nothing to do with gambling: fundraising. Federal Law No. 3 of 2021 on the Regulation of Donations controls who may collect donations. Article 6 of the official English text says: "It is prohibited for a natural person to collect donations", and that, apart from authorised entities, no organisation may "perform any act with the aim of collecting donations except after obtaining a permit to do so from the Competent Authority." Gulf News, reporting the Public Prosecution's awareness campaign in February 2026, summarised the same rule: no entity may organise donation collection without "a permit from the competent authority".

By emirate, the sources we found point to:

Who handles fundraising permits, by emirate

Emirate — Fundraising authority — Source

• Dubai — Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), under Dubai Decree No. 9 of 2015 — Khaleej Times legal column, Nov 2021
• Abu Dhabi — Department of Community Development (DCD); donations only via licensed charities and authorised bodies — Gulf News, updated Apr 2023
• Other emirates — Not researched; ask the emirate's community development or economic department — —

Breaching Article 6 is punished under Article 36(2) of the same law with "imprisonment and a fine not less than (150,000) one hundred fifty thousand dirhams and not exceeding (300,000) three hundred thousand Dirhams, or one of these two penalties", doubled for a repeat offence. Article 36(4) says that "in all cases" the court orders confiscation of donations collected in breach of the law, and deportation of a foreign offender after the sentence. (A Khaleej Times legal column of 21 November 2021 gave the same Dh150,000 to Dh300,000 range.) Promoting a donation drive online without a licence is separately covered by Article 46 of the Cybercrimes Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021: imprisonment and/or a fine of Dh200,000 to Dh500,000. A school WhatsApp group selling raffle tickets "for the new library" is the sort of thing to check first.

We found no official source dealing specifically with school-fair or PTA raffles. Routing any collection through a licensed charity fits the DCD line that collection is for "licensed charities, federal, local, and civil bodies with the required authorisations". Ask your school's management which approvals it already holds before printing tickets.

What is the safest way to run a raffle in the UAE?

Based on the sources above, this pattern carries the least legal risk:

1. Make entry free. No ticket sales, no "suggested donation" to enter.
2. Fund prizes from a sponsor or the organiser, not from entrants.
3. Keep any fundraising separate and run it through a licensed charity with the right permit.
4. For a business promotion in Dubai, apply for the DET certificate. Elsewhere, check with the emirate's economic department.
5. Draw transparently and deliver prizes promptly.

If tickets must be sold, treat it as a regulated activity and get advice or written approval first.

This article is general information about published UAE laws and government service pages, not legal advice. For a specific event, check with the relevant authority or a lawyer licensed in the UAE.

FAQ

Do I need a permit for a raffle in Dubai? Businesses running promotions, including raffles, can apply for DET's promotion certificate via DET Connect. That service is for trade-licence holders. Charity raffles that collect money also need fundraising approval; in Dubai, that is IACAD.

Is a free prize draw legal in the UAE? A draw with free entry and sponsor-funded prizes has no stake under the Penal Code's gambling definition, on our reading. Commercial free draws are still promotions that DET and the GCGRA have rules on.

Can a school sell raffle tickets for charity? Collecting donations needs a permit under Federal Law No. 3 of 2021, and Article 6 bars individuals from collecting donations at all. We found no rule specific to school raffles, so ask the school's management and the relevant authority first.

Is an office sweepstake legal in the UAE? A pot where everyone pays in and one person wins closely matches the Penal Code's definition of gambling. Free-entry draws with prizes bought by the employer are the safer format.

What is the fine for fundraising without a permit? Under Article 36(2) of Federal Law No. 3 of 2021, collecting donations without a permit is punishable by imprisonment and a fine of Dh150,000 to Dh300,000, or either penalty, doubled for a repeat offence, with confiscation of the money collected. Online promotion without a licence can add Article 46 of the Cybercrimes Law.

Further reading

• When does a promotion become a lottery in the UAE?
• UAE prize campaign compliance checklist
• UAE Penal Code gambling articles 460–463, quoted in full
• Why Big Ticket and Dubai Duty Free draws are legal

Sources

• Dubai Economy and Tourism, "Apply for a promotion certificate of participation for retailers and vendors" (viewed 4 November 2026): https://www.dubaidet.gov.ae/en/our-services/for-consumers-and-students/apply-retail-promotion-certificate
• UAE Legislation portal, "Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law" (No. 31 of 2021; text viewed 4 November 2026): https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529
• UAE Legislation portal, "Federal Decree-Law on Countering Rumors and Cybercrimes" (No. 34 of 2021; text viewed 4 November 2026): https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1526
• GCGRA, "What is Commercial Gaming" (viewed 4 November 2026): https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/commercial-gaming/what-is-commercial-gaming/
• UAE Legislation portal, "Federal Law Regulating Donations" (Federal Law No. 3 of 2021; text viewed 4 November 2026): https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1500
• Gulf News, "UAE Federal Law: Fundraising without a license is a criminal offence" (updated 26 February 2026): https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-federal-law-fundraising-without-a-license-is-a-criminal-offence-1.500455793
• Gulf News, "Abu Dhabi allows fundraising only through authorised entities, DCD clarifies" (updated 11 April 2023): https://gulfnews.com/uae/abu-dhabi-allows-fundraising-only-through-authorised-entities-dcd-clarifies-1.95041561
• Khaleej Times, "UAE law: Up to Dh300,000 fine for raising charity funds without a permit" (21 November 2021): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/legal/uae-law-up-to-dh300000-fine-for-raising-charity-funds-without-a-permit