Lottery as a business idea for beginners. Is it realistic to open a lottery business? What is needed to open

It is worth noting that gambling is prohibited almost throughout the entire territory of the Russian Federation, except for four specially organized zones. And in Ukraine, casinos are generally prohibited throughout the country, but Ukrainian legislation does not prohibit lotteries, just like in Russia. Therefore, the organizer of this type of games may well rely on former clients of such establishments.

You should start by understanding the figure you are willing to invest in the project. After all, the above business idea is quite complex in terms of organization. It is advisable to have an experienced lawyer, accountant and marketer on staff or outsourcing. Hiring on a permanent basis will be more costly and less effective than hiring the necessary specialists one-time.

Organizational aspects

To calculate and understand how to open points of sale of lottery tickets, you need an analysis of the most visited or walked places in the city. Also, it will be useful to conduct research on potential clients, based on this it will be possible to make favorable playing conditions and understand what amount is of the greatest value. In your portfolio, in addition to the amount for starting a business in this area, there should be an amount of winnings that you can immediately pay to the player.

Employees at the first stage:

  • Technical Specialist;
  • salesman;
  • economist.

For example, lottery tickets can also be sold at ticket sales points of partners or competitors. Basically, there are many points where tickets from several companies are available for sale.

What it is advisable to have on hand:

  • permitting documentation;
  • financial plan with a budget for the project;
  • agreements with partners;
  • drawing up statutory documents.

Opening costs

To open a lottery business and calculate approximate costs, you should decide whether it will be a regular lottery or on the Internet. In this business plan, we will consider the costs of opening our own lottery in a physical format. In order to know exactly how to open an enterprise in this area, it is better to obtain a complete list of required documents from the federal authorities. Advertising should be given in local information resources.

Main expense items:

  • advertising (from 50,000 rubles);
  • registration of all documents (up to 20,000 rubles);
  • obtaining permission from authorities (up to 15,000 rubles);
  • equipment for printing lottery tickets (from 50,000 rubles);
  • development of a layout with security watermarks (from 50,000 rubles);
  • staff organization (from 200,000 rubles);
  • opening of islands in shopping centers for sale (from 150,000 rubles per point).

Approximate package of documents:

  • detailed rules for the lottery;
  • agreements with points of sale of your lottery tickets;
  • documents on income distribution with a prize budget of at least 50%;
  • charter documents of the founders;
  • example of a lottery ticket with security watermarks;
  • description of the system for determining the winner;
  • documents on registration of individual entrepreneurs or LLCs;
  • rules for storing and using unclaimed winnings.

Possible problems and risks

For those who open their own lottery, the main risks should be interaction with inspection authorities and customer reviews. Also, in the case of an electronic lottery, this is protection of the system from hackers, and in the case of physical ticket sales, this is protection from counterfeits. You should also ensure the security of the ticket circulation itself and the protection of the company’s trade secrets.

Main risks that could cause damage:

  • audit by tax authorities;
  • attack on servers where the lottery database is located;
  • counterfeit lottery tickets;
  • negative feedback from players;
  • lawsuits by losers.

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From this video you will learn all the secrets of printing lottery tickets.

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Holding lotteries in Russia, along with the bookmaker business, did not fall into the category of prohibited gambling, so they can be carried out throughout Russia, and not just in certain gaming areas. Lotteries were not so popular among the population while casinos and slot machine halls were available, but after the introduction of the law, interest in them began to increase. There are some companies, of course, that illegally operate their casinos under the guise of lotteries, and such offices can become competitors to an entrepreneur who has decided to start a legal business on lotteries, but they are constantly closed, and as a result, many illegal entrepreneurs end up in court.

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It is, of course, difficult to engage in the lottery, but it is quite possible, given that this is actually one of the two types of gambling that remain available everywhere, there will almost certainly be a demand for lottery tickets. At the same time, even in large cities there are not too many companies that operate their own lotteries; some competition comes, of course, from all-Russian lotteries that promise huge rewards, but many consumers prefer faster games, which at the same time are somewhat cheaper, allow promptly receive information about the drawing, and in some cases, some companies hold several lotteries a day - this attracts avid players. There is another important point - in 2014, the issuance of licenses for the so-called incentive lotteries (which, however, were more of a marketing tool than a full-fledged game) was stopped; the restrictions also affected some other aspects, so before starting your activities you should find a good lawyer who can assist with registration.

To start working, you need to register as a legal entity, but you do not need to register as an individual entrepreneur. In general, this process will not drag on for too long; it is much more difficult to obtain permission to conduct lotteries. Now the state aims to ensure that lotteries are held throughout the entire country, in other words, so that the player can receive winnings regardless of where he bought the ticket or where he lives. This complexity is, in fact, easily overcome if you use electronic systems, so it is worth initially thinking about being able to operate throughout the country. There are also international lotteries, but they have not become so widespread, because to register them you need to conclude an agreement between several organizers, obtain permits in your country, as well as in the country(ies) where the lottery will also take place, and there you need to take into account foreign jurisdiction. Overall, this is a fairly complex area for a beginner to tackle.

To register a Russian lottery, you must first of all, having in hand all the documents on the registration of your legal entity, contact the local tax authority. An important point is that the legal entity must be registered in Russia, that is, foreign companies do not have the right to conduct their own lotteries. To obtain a license to conduct a lottery, you need to provide the following package of documents:

    Application for permission to conduct a lottery.

  1. Lottery conditions.
  2. Standards for distribution of proceeds from the lottery (in percentage).

    A layout of a lottery ticket (receipt, other document provided for by the terms of the lottery) with a description of the mandatory requirements for it and, if necessary, ways to protect the lottery ticket from counterfeiting, as well as a description of the hidden inscriptions, drawings or signs applied to it; degree of protection – “B”.

    Rules for identifying a lottery ticket when paying out, transferring or providing winnings.

    A feasibility study for the holding of a lottery for the entire period of its implementation, indicating the sources of financing the costs of organizing the lottery, conducting the lottery and calculating the estimated revenue from the holding of the lottery.

    Description and technical characteristics of lottery equipment.

    The procedure for recording distributed and undistributed lottery tickets.

    The procedure for returning, storing, destroying or using undistributed lottery tickets in other circulations.

    The procedure for confiscating undistributed lottery tickets.

    The procedure for storing unclaimed winnings and the procedure for claiming them after the deadline for receiving winnings has expired.

    Charter (notarized copy).

    Certificate from the tax authority confirming that the organizer has no debts on taxes and fees.

    The organizer's balance sheet as of the last reporting date preceding the submission of the application for permission to hold the lottery.

It should be noted that the state fee for consideration of the application is 6 thousand rubles. However, it is usually more expedient to register your company, which will conduct lotteries, through a special office that deals with obtaining licenses of this kind. And the cost of services of such a company is usually very high, you have to pay for a considerable number of operations, but today, given that the state does not seek to develop this sector (and even on the contrary, it is introducing new stricter requirements), working through a licensing company practically becomes the only way out of the situation. Here you need to count on several hundred thousand rubles, a lot also depends on the format of the lotteries, for example, whether it will be an electronic lottery, a non-draw lottery or some other format. It’s also a good idea if the company has a full-time lawyer who will not only help with registration, but also resolve all other issues that will almost certainly arise in the course of work. In the end, this is a rather complex business, including from a legal point of view, and an enterprise that has not insured itself against risks can quickly leave the market, suffering considerable losses.

Currently, in fact, the entrepreneur chooses from two possible types of lotteries: operating through electronic systems or in the “traditional” way, that is, issuing and distributing tickets and then conducting a drawing. The advantages of the first method are obvious - lower costs, faster games, eliminating the need to check tickets, because often a person can receive money through the terminal itself, in which he joined the game. In general, progress has greatly affected the possibilities of running lotteries, so you should not neglect the emerging opportunities. Today, organizing a “traditional” all-Russian lottery is quite difficult; it requires a lot of time and money, and the entrepreneur does not receive any special advantages. Although a certain percentage of the population is interested in just the usual lotteries, moreover, there is still considerable demand for them, and a person who purchases a lottery ticket at the nearest newsstand will not always trust the terminal that promises him to play the game in an hour. That is, it is impossible to say that organizing a simple lottery is futile.

Let's take a closer look at the general requirements for the lottery. The fact is that an entrepreneur does not have to act alone; there are so-called lottery operators who have lottery equipment at their disposal - this is the name of all the technical means that generate winning combinations. This can be, relatively speaking, like a rotating sphere that throws out barrels with numbers (we are talking about the very means that are supposedly used for generation in television lotteries), or simply a computer with a special program. The main condition for using lottery equipment is that it must be tested by a regulatory authority, which determines whether it is suitable for running a lottery. So it is not always necessary for an entrepreneur to have such funds; it is enough to find a company that, in fact, runs the game, and deal directly with the sale of tickets and the issuance of winnings. Sometimes it's much easier. You just need to understand that both the organizer and the operator must have licenses.

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In general, the licensing authority tests the equipment for suitability for the game in such a way that the required threshold of winning combinations is identified. According to the law, the lottery prize fund must be at least 50% of the amount collected from the sale of the tickets themselves, and if the equipment does not produce enough winning combinations to satisfy this indicator, it cannot be used.

Now let's take a closer look at the option of organizing a simple lottery. First, you need to issue a certain number of tickets, for this you can contact a professional printing house. Professional – because security elements must be applied to tickets; This, of course, is not printing securities, but such printing will not be carried out in a simple operational printing center. Not in every relatively large city you can find a company of this kind. The cost of one ticket can vary greatly, but usually amounts to 5-15% of the final cost for the end consumer. In other words, if a ticket at a kiosk costs 50 rubles, then the average cost of printing it for the organizer was 5 rubles. With a circulation of 100 thousand tickets, the result is already half a million rubles, and such a circulation is acceptable only for lotteries that take place in a small area.

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Additionally, you need to take care of delivering tickets to points of sale, that is, you need to manage distribution. As you can understand, an entrepreneur is unlikely to be able to do all this alone, unless he plans to sell tickets exclusively in his city. You need to contact third-party companies when ordering transportation, and here the cost of the ticket can increase greatly, but the exact figures depend on many factors. You can also sell tickets through printing houses if they supply their products to different cities (for example, they print newspapers). There are also distribution firms that buy all possible products for newsstands; Today, lottery tickets are most effectively distributed through them. In general, it makes sense to work throughout Russia only if there is a large (very large) circulation. And you need to understand that people are unlikely to trust an unfamiliar lottery. That is, here you will either have to carry out a marketing campaign on a considerable scale, or start small.

In addition, after the lottery has been held (and it is almost always advisable to give this to the operator), you need to post the results in the media, and then ensure that the winners receive their winnings. Small amounts of winnings can be issued through ticket sales points, but large amounts can be issued through credit organizations, that is, you need to find an organization that will be ready to cooperate.

In general, holding even a not very large-scale lottery will cost about a million - for the same circulation of 100 thousand tickets, provided that it works only in one city and provides the results through local media. As for the profit, out of five million (with a ticket price of 50 rubles), two and a half will go as a prize fund, in total the entrepreneur will receive about one and a half million rubles. A lottery of this format can be organized in a couple of months, and with well-organized work – even in one month. But you need to understand that not all tickets can be purchased, unforeseen expenses may arise, and a prize fund of 50% does not always allow the formation of jackpots and simple winnings that are interesting to the target audience, that is, sometimes it has to be increased. In addition, the costs of a marketing campaign are not calculated here, which even in a small city can be quite significant. And, of course, a certain amount of funds goes to the operator, there are no exact indicators here, because it all depends on how exactly the lottery is conducted. The maximum is if you have to cooperate with a television channel on which the game is broadcast, then the bill runs into millions of rubles; However, it will be somewhat cheaper to hold a lottery on local television, but it will still require a lot of money.

The situation is different with electronic lotteries. Here you will need to purchase a considerable number of special terminals, they are also called lotto terminals. The cost of one is on average 100 thousand rubles, and may vary depending on the format and some features. You need to buy several cars at once, and then place them in special places, for which you also need to obtain permits. The simplest option is bookmaker's offices, it is easiest to engage in such activities there, and the flow of visitors to the bookmaker's office is, to one degree or another, the target audience.

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It is better to apply for the purchase of terminals to companies that themselves are lottery operators, because such companies are licensed, which means that their equipment has already been tested, and it is not profitable for the organizer himself to also purchase lottery generators and deal with them directly. That is, here too it is better to work in tandem with an operator who will issue electronic keys supplied to the terminals. You need to understand that terminals are not slot machines - they are a means of informing, issuing tickets and, sometimes, issuing funds (if we are talking about small winnings). For the end consumer the difference is not too great, but from a legal point of view it is significant. Having installed several terminals and established communication with the operator, there is no need to publish the results in the media - the user receives information about the draw promptly through the terminal itself.

It is clear that this option for running your own business is much simpler and much less expensive. Moreover, you will only have to spend money on the purchase of terminals; subsequently there will be no need to print tickets and sell them. The main costs will be only for maintaining the terminal and paying for rental space (starts at approximately 5 thousand rubles per month for one terminal, in some cases slightly more expensive). The cost of one electronic ticket is usually lower than a regular one, but the cost of the ticket is also an order of magnitude lower, that is, here the entrepreneur receives a slightly higher percentage. But the complexity of this undertaking is that the number of players in one game can be several times less than in the traditional type of lottery organization; a standing terminal will attract players, but this does not mean that the total number of participants even for a month will be the same as when organizing a “traditional lottery”. When working with bookmakers, of course, you don’t have to worry that no one will be interested in the lottery; gambling people generally want to play in every available way, but it’s unlikely that they will be able to attract too many buyers for their tickets.

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How to make an online lottery on a website? How to conduct an electronic lottery on the Internet?

Organizing a lottery business on the Internet is quite simple and does not require significant investments of money and time. To open an electronic lottery business, you do not need to obtain a license, study the basics of legislation, or write a complex business plan. Since there are no physical lottery tickets, no points of sale, lottery machines or terminals, this activity is not legally a lottery.

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Using our numerical lottery script, you can organize an electronic lottery online and hold prize draws on your website. The essence of the lottery module is that you can create lottery draws, set the draw date and ticket price.

The circulation of lottery tickets is published on the website and users can participate in the lottery by purchasing an electronic ticket.

On the specified day, the administrator conducts a drawing: a random number generator calculates the number of the winning ticket and, based on the results of checking the circulation, a lucky lottery winner is automatically selected.

Based on the results of the drawing, the lucky winner is automatically awarded the winnings. According to the lottery rules, in case of winning, the lucky winner receives a sum of money from the sale price of all purchased tickets minus a bonus to the lottery organizer - the site administration. The percentage of winnings is set by the administrator in the component settings.

According to this algorithm, different draws with different prices for lottery tickets can be played simultaneously on your website.

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Today, slot machines are strictly prohibited in Russia, which is why lottery games have become especially popular lately. There will always be gambling people who want to try their luck. They dream of a big win that will make them millionaires in an instant, which makes the lottery business a profitable activity.

But it should be noted that the organization and implementation of this idea requires a serious approach, careful financial analysis, taking into account all possible risks.

Modern Russian legislation does not establish significant restrictions on lottery games, such as slot machines, therefore, by observing certain conditions and simple rules, you can obtain the necessary permits and organize a successful business.

Stages of business registration

First you need to identify the main target audience, conduct detailed market monitoring and draw up a competent business plan. It is important to take into account that, in accordance with Russian legislation, the prize fund must be at least 50% of the total amount of tickets sold.

Organizing a lottery business requires mandatory registration with the tax authorities and registration of the enterprise. Any organizational and legal form that is permitted on the territory of the Russian Federation for carrying out income-generating business activities is suitable for this. You can register as an LLC, CJSC, individual entrepreneur or OJSC.

The next stage is obtaining a license. To do this, you must contact the Federal Tax Service of Russia and submit an application, to which the following documents are attached:

  • conditions of the lottery;
  • standards for the distribution of proceeds received during the drawings;
  • a layout of a lottery ticket with a description of all the necessary requirements for it;
  • basic methods of identifying a lottery ticket for payment of funds;
  • feasibility studies and sources of financing for the lottery;
  • technical characteristics and description of lottery equipment;
  • the procedure for accounting for all lottery tickets;
  • procedure for storing, returning, destroying lottery tickets;
  • the procedure for storing winnings that remain unclaimed and the rules for issuing them after the expiration of the term;
  • a notarized copy of the charter;
  • certificate of absence of debts on taxes and fees;
  • balance sheet of the lottery organizer.

The license is issued no later than 2 months from the date of submission of all necessary documents to obtain it. Its validity period is at least 3 years. Notification of the issuance of a license is sent to the lottery organizer in writing, which specifies bank account details and deadlines for payment of the license fee, the amount of which is 6,000 rubles.

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Basic ways to implement an idea

There are two ways to start a lottery business in Russia: replicating printed tickets or installing electronic terminals. Printed lottery tickets provide an opportunity to make good money from advertising, since the names and logos of sponsoring companies can be placed on the back of each form. This type of lottery involves applying special security marks, a certain amount of the prize fund and a draw number to each ticket. In modern legislation, lottery tickets are designated as printed products of level “B”, which presupposes that on each form, in addition to the watermark, there is also a background grid of continuous lines, as well as inscriptions made in microfont. Therefore, at the very beginning of work, it is necessary to use the services of only proven and licensed printing houses. This type of lottery is very popular in Russia, and accordingly, the success of this business is obvious.

To organize a lottery business in the second way, you need to purchase special terminals, which are also called lottomats. The main advantage of this method of organizing a business is the significant savings on printing lottery forms. Therefore, for the modern business environment in Russia, this method can be quite profitable and bring profit no less than slot machines.

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Costs for starting a business

Organizing a lottery business will entail costs for printing paper forms, incentive prizes, installing electronic terminals and publishing the results of the drawing in the media. To replicate lottery tickets you will need, which can be purchased or rented.

The average price for lottery terminals varies from 3 to 5 thousand dollars. Printing costs mainly depend on the complexity of the forms and the quality of printing. Typically the amount is 5-20% of revenue. It is also necessary to provide for payment for the services of the designer and implementers. These amounts may vary significantly in different regions. Typically, 25% of the profit is allocated to the salesperson's salary. A kiosk or renting space for lottery terminals is another important expense item.


It is better to install terminals where slot machines were previously popular. For example, in nightclubs or entertainment centers, train stations and metro stations. You can open a kiosk in a market or in a shopping center, park or recreation area for a large number of people.

According to statistics, lottery terminals pay for themselves within 3-12 months, which indicates the profitability of this type of business.

An increasing number of businessmen are interested in how to open their own lottery. This is due to the fact that slot machines were banned, as a result of which the demand for gambling entertainment increased. The demand is also observed due to the mentality of our country. The desire to become a millionaire one day without doing anything, passion and dreams make the lottery business more and more in demand. At the same time, it is attractive that today Russian legislation does not provide for serious restrictions. By observing certain conditions and simple rules, you can easily obtain permission to conduct a lottery.

How to get into business

First you need to buy electronic lottery machines or order a circulation of printed tickets. Printed tickets allow you to make good money from advertising, since sponsors' advertising offers can be placed on the forms. Registration of a lottery means covering the tickets with certain information: the size of the prize fund, special signs and the draw number. Such lotteries are familiar to many residents of our country, so the idea has every chance of success.

The process of registering electronic lottery tickets at the moment is not yet entirely simple, however, due to the absence of printing costs, their cost is reduced. And if you know how to properly open a business with electronic raffles, you can make good money in this area. Electronic lotteries have one feature - the ability to immediately after receiving winnings spend it on purchasing new electronic tickets.

What you should know

First of all, you need to register the company and register with the tax authorities. To obtain a license, you need a certificate of absence of debts on fees and taxes. Costs should be included for the production of paper tickets, for prizes and the purchase of electronic lottery machines. The results of the drawings must be published in the media.

The lottery is a profitable business, but you should know that the size of the prize fund must be at least half of the cost of tickets sold. The Law “On Lotteries” states that printed products must have a microfont, watermarks and a background grid consisting of continuous lines.

It follows from this that you need to print in those printing houses that have a license to produce counterfeit-proof printed products. Experts believe that in the Russian Federation the lottery market has been developed by no more than 10%, so novice businessmen have every chance of success.

Business organization

On average, the cost of a lottery machine will be up to 5 thousand dollars. Printing costs depend on the complexity of the forms and the quality of printing. They make up 15% of revenue. You should also consider the costs of the services of sellers and designers. On average, 25% of revenue is spent on salesperson salaries. The costs should also include renting space for a kiosk or lottery machine.

It is best to install terminals in markets and shopping centers, in entertainment centers and nightclubs, and in recreation areas. Lottery machines pay for themselves very quickly, up to one year.

Instant electronic lotteries allow you to save on publishing results in the media. In addition, the process of issuing licenses is also simplified, unlike traditional lottery tickets on paper forms.

Possible problems

Opening a large-scale lottery will require investments of several million dollars, so beginners should pay attention to less expensive projects, for example, lottery machines. To organize a business, you can enter into an agreement with an operator that has all the technical means. Such companies solve all current issues, and the entrepreneur is only involved in planning and promoting the lottery.