🎲 Royal Air Forces Association

This organisation is a United Kingdom charity that also acts as a licensed gambling operator for fundraising purposes. It is primarily known as a welfare charity supporting serving and former Royal Air Force personnel and their dependants, and holds an active operating licence from the Gambling Commission to conduct regulated gambling activities in Great Britain. Its gambling activities are ancillary to its charitable work and are typically used to raise funds rather than to operate as a commercial gambling business.

The association was formed in 1943 as a membership organisation for current and former members of the air forces of the British Commonwealth. It is constituted as a registered charity in the UK. Its core activities relate to welfare support, membership services and commemorative or community events connected with the Royal Air Force. The gambling licence is held in the charity’s own name rather than through a separate commercial subsidiary, according to the Gambling Commission public register.

Licensing and Operations

The organisation holds a Gambling Commission operating licence in Great Britain. According to the public register, the licence is active and is categorised as an operating licence rather than a personal or ancillary licence. The licence permits it to offer specified forms of gambling that fall within the scope of the Gambling Act 2005.

Charities and not‑for‑profit bodies commonly require an operating licence where they run larger‑scale lotteries or other regulated games beyond the scope of “small society lotteries” registered only with local authorities. Holding an operating licence enables such bodies to promote lotteries and similar products to a wider public, subject to the conditions of the licence and the Gambling Commission’s regulatory requirements. In practice, this typically includes society lotteries and related fundraising schemes, rather than products such as remote casino or general commercial betting, unless explicitly authorised.

Details of the exact activities authorised under this operating licence, such as whether it covers remote or non‑remote lottery operations, are set out in the individual licence schedule on the Commission’s register. The current status recorded by the Commission is active, indicating that the licence has not been surrendered, revoked or lapsed.

Regulatory History

The Gambling Commission’s public register lists the association as an active licensee with an operating licence. As of the latest available information, there is no public record on the register of regulatory sanctions such as licence revocation, suspension, or financial penalties imposed by the Commission in relation to this licence.

Any changes to the licence, such as variations of authorised activities or updates to trading names, are recorded administratively on the Commission’s system, but no major enforcement actions are noted in the publicly accessible summary.