If you've spent time in Belize — especially on Ambergris Caye, where school fundraisers, church bazaars and beach-bar prize draws are part of the social calendar — you'll have noticed raffles everywhere. Now the country has formalised how they're run. The Gaming and Lotteries Commission, in a notice issued from Belmopan on 12 November 2026, reminded the public that no one may promote or run a lottery or raffle without a licence or written authorisation under the new Gaming and Lotteries Control Act No. 3 of 2026, which sits alongside the long-standing Lotteries Control Regulations, Chapter 151.
The rules are straightforward. Anyone planning a raffle where the combined prize value comes to at least BZ$500 has to apply in writing to the Chairperson of the Gaming and Lotteries Commission. Once approved, the raffle gets an official reference number, and that number must appear on every printed ticket and in any advertising. No number, no legitimacy.
There's a transparency angle too: the Commission now publishes the names of all approved applicants on its website, so anyone can check whether a draw they're being asked to pay for has official backing. Running an unlicensed raffle isn't just a slap on the wrist — it's an offence under the 2026 Act, and violators can be prosecuted summarily in court.
Why should a traveller care? Charity raffles are a common way visitors end up contributing to local causes in Belize — you might buy a ticket for a fishing lodge giveaway in San Pedro or a school fundraiser in Placencia without a second thought. This notice gives you a quick way to separate legitimate draws from informal ones: check for the licence reference number on the ticket, and if in doubt, look the organiser up on the Commission's site. It also signals that Belize is professionalising its gaming and lottery sector, which may mean more officially sanctioned prize draws and events showing up at hotels, bars and community events in future.
For anyone actually organising a raffle — an expat running a fundraiser, a business planning a promotional draw — the message is clear: get the paperwork done before you sell a single ticket. Applications go directly to the Commission's Chairperson, and the BZ$500 prize-value threshold is low enough to catch most small community draws, not just big commercial ones. Belize dollars are pegged at roughly two to the US dollar, so the threshold sits around US$250 — well within the range of a typical local fundraiser.
Bottom line: the raffles themselves aren't going anywhere, and they remain a fun, low-stakes way to engage with local events. But both buyers and organisers now have a clear framework, a public register and a legal backstop — which should make the whole thing a bit more trustworthy for everyone involved.
