Facebook RMG Application for Prize Competitions: The Complete UK Guide

If you run a prize competition and your Facebook or Instagram ads keep getting rejected, you have hit Meta's Real Money Gaming (RMG) wall. Meta will not let you advertise a paid competition until you hold RMG approval.

Approval is a one-off process. It covers both Facebook and Instagram, and it hinges on two things: a compliant website and a solicitor's legal letter of opinion. Get it right and paid social opens up. Get it wrong and your ad account is at risk.

This guide walks the whole process: what RMG is, how to apply inside Meta Business Manager, the documentation you need, and what to do if you are held or rejected. If you would rather not handle it yourself, you can use a done-for-you RMG application service that manages the submission and drafts the legal opinion letter, or speak to an adviser about your setup.

What Meta's Real Money Gaming (RMG) rules mean for prize competitions

RMG stands for Real Money Gaming. It is Meta's internal classification for prize draws, competitions, raffles, lotteries and similar prize-based activity.

The classification matters because it triggers an extra review layer on top of Meta's standard advertising policies. Your ads are not judged like a normal ecommerce campaign. They are routed through a gambling-style approval process first.

Here is the part that catches most operators out. Meta treats your paid competition as real money gaming even though UK law does not treat a genuine prize competition as gambling. In practice, the two systems are separate, and you have to satisfy Meta's rule regardless of your UK legal position.

RMG approval is a Meta advertising permission, not a UK gambling licence. You are not applying to the Gambling Commission. You are asking Meta for permission to run ads.

One approval covers Facebook and Instagram. You do not submit two applications. Clearing the RMG review unlocks both platforms together.

You will see this called several things across the web: an RMG licence, RMG approval, or the Online Gambling and Games application. They all describe the same Meta permission.

Meta's RMG net is wider than people expect. It is not limited to obvious gambling. The classification typically catches:

• Paid prize competitions. Skill-based competitions where entrants pay to take part for a prize.
• Raffles and prize draws. Any draw where a paid entry can win cash or a cash-redeemable prize.
• Lotteries and sweepstakes. Chance-based draws, which carry their own licensing rules on top of Meta's.
• Fantasy sports and similar formats. Prize-based activity that Meta lumps into the same advertising policy.

If money goes in and a cash or cash-equivalent prize comes out, assume Meta will treat it as real money gaming until you prove otherwise through the application.

Why UK law treats your competition as lawful, not a lottery

Before Meta will approve you, your competition has to be lawful in the first place. A common issue is that operators blur the line between a genuine competition and a lottery, which is illegal to run for commercial gain without a licence.

The Gambling Act 2005 regulates lotteries and gambling, where a prize is won by chance and entrants pay to play. A genuine prize competition stays outside that definition in one of two ways:

• A free entry route. Offer a genuine no-cost way to enter that sits alongside the paid route. It must be no less convenient and given equal prominence, with no charge above the standard rate.
• A genuine skill question. Require a real skill-based question that a meaningful number of entrants could get wrong, so the result is not purely down to chance.
• Equal treatment of entrants. Prize allocation must not distinguish between paid and free entrants. Both routes go into the same draw on the same terms.
• Clear, honest mechanics. Publicise the free route as visibly as the paid one. Hiding it is the fastest way to slip back into running an unlawful lottery.

This is the exact position the legal letter of opinion later certifies. The solicitor confirms your model is a lawful competition, not a lottery, so Meta can rely on it.

Free entry routes and the skill question

The free route is where most compliance problems start. It cannot be a token gesture buried in your terms.

It needs to be as easy to use as paying, advertised with the same prominence, and cost no more than a standard postage or message rate. The skill question has to be a real filter, not a question anyone can answer in a second.

In practice, a token question like "what colour is the sky" fails the test, because nobody gets it wrong. A genuine skill question is one a meaningful share of entrants could answer incorrectly, so it actually removes the element of pure chance. If your question would not eliminate anyone, it is not doing its job legally.

Keeping terms, conditions and data protection in place

Meta also looks at the wider trust signals on your site. Thin or missing policies read as a red flag during review.

• Competition terms and conditions. Clear rules covering entry, the draw, prizes and closing dates.
• A privacy policy and data protection. Proper handling of entrant data under UK GDPR.
• Advertising standards. Claims that line up with the CAP Code and consumer law.

What happens if you advertise without RMG approval

Running competition ads before approval is the single most expensive mistake operators make. Meta does not just decline the odd ad. It can take the whole account.

At first, individual ads get rejected as restricted or prohibited content. That feels like a nuisance rather than a threat, so people keep resubmitting.

What usually happens next is worse. Repeated submissions without pre-approval push Meta to suspend or permanently disable the ad account, often with no route to restore it.

For a competition business, the ad account is usually the main growth engine. Losing it does not slow you down, it cuts off your primary source of new entrants overnight. Ad-account stability and long-term continuity are not a side issue here, they are the business.

The reality check is simple. Getting approved first protects the channel. Treating approval as optional risks the one asset you cannot easily rebuild.

How to complete the Meta RMG application, step by step

The application runs inside Meta Business Manager. Most businesses find the flow itself straightforward; the work is in getting the website and documents right before you start.

First, get your site ready. Then move through the submission in order:

• Submit the interest form. In Business Suite, go to Settings, then Authorisations and Verifications, then Gambling and Gaming, and follow the prompts. The form captures your company name, registration number, registered address, primary website and intended jurisdictions.
• Complete the operator questionnaire. Next, Meta serves a questionnaire about how your competitions run and how entrants take part. Answer it consistently with what is actually on your site.
• Upload the supporting documentation. Provide the documents Meta requests about your business and its compliance.
• Confirm your jurisdictions. Select where you intend to advertise. For UK operators advertising to UK residents, that is the United Kingdom. Adding more countries means Meta reviews against those laws too, which widens the review.
• Submit the legal letter of opinion. When Meta asks, provide the solicitor's letter confirming your competition is lawful without a gambling licence.
• Respond and receive a decision. After that, answer any clarification requests promptly, then wait for approval within the review window.

The operator questionnaire is where consistency counts most. Meta cross-checks your answers against your live site, so describe how entry, the free route and the draw actually work, not how you intend them to work later.

On documentation, prepare the standard pack before you start so you are not scrambling mid-application:

• Company details. Registered company name, number and address that match Companies House.
• The legal letter of opinion. The solicitor's letter confirming your competition is lawful without a gambling licence.
• Website evidence. A live URL showing the free entry route, skill question, terms and privacy policy.
• Any gambling licences you hold. Only relevant if your model genuinely needs one; most skill competitions do not.

We regularly see applications stall not because the form is hard, but because the website was not ready when Meta looked at it. If you would rather not navigate this yourself, a done-for-you service can run the full submission and supply the legal opinion letter.

Before you apply: getting your website ready

Meta reviews your live site during the application. Every item below needs to be in place and obvious, not buried.

A specialist competition website handles these as standard. Building on a general-purpose site builder is where many first-time operators lose weeks to avoidable rejections.

Expected review time and when to start

Meta usually reviews within about two to four weeks. Build in a buffer for back-and-forth.

Start roughly four weeks ahead of any planned launch or big campaign date. Adding extra advertising jurisdictions can extend the review further, so only select the countries you genuinely need.

The legal letter of opinion, and why Meta insists on it

The legal letter of opinion is the requirement that trips up the most applications. Almost every ranking source agrees on it, and Meta does not waive it for prize competitions.

It is a letter from a UK-qualified solicitor confirming that your competition is being run lawfully and does not need a gambling licence. Meta relies on it as independent legal assurance, because Meta is not in a position to assess UK competition law itself.

• What it certifies. That your model is a genuine prize competition, lawful without a Gambling Commission licence, based on your free entry route and skill element.
• Who can write it. A UK-qualified solicitor or legal counsel, ideally one experienced with prize competitions and Meta applications.
• What goes with it. Your business details and the supporting documents that back up the application pack.
• Where operators get stuck. Sourcing a credible letter quickly, or getting one that actually matches how their site operates.

A strong letter is specific to your site as it stands today. It names your business, references your actual entry mechanics, and confirms the free route and skill element are genuine. A weak or generic template letter that does not match your live site is a common reason applications fail at the final hurdle.

This is the single biggest reason operators delegate the application. A solicitor's opinion has to be accurate and specific to your model, which is hard to arrange cold.

Why RMG applications get rejected, and how to improve your approval odds

Approval is not guaranteed, and Meta rarely explains a rejection in detail. Knowing the common failure points is what improves your odds before you submit.

Most rejections trace back to a handful of issues:

It also helps to understand the difference between a HOLD and a rejection, because they need different responses:

• A HOLD is not a no. Meta wants more information or a document corrected. Respond quickly and precisely with exactly what is asked, and the application usually continues.
• A rejection means start again. Fix the underlying cause first, normally the website or the legal letter, then resubmit a clean application rather than appealing the same pack.
• Compliance underpins everything. Meta scrutinises the live site hardest, so a clean, lawful, well-documented competition is what improves approval odds most.
• Do not spray resubmissions. Repeated weak attempts read badly and can endanger the account. Fix, then resubmit once.

This is where many businesses go wrong: they treat a rejection as a paperwork hiccup and resubmit the same flawed setup. The fix is almost always on the website or in the legal opinion, not in the form itself.

What RMG approval costs

The headline cost can mislead, because the application itself is the cheap part. Meta does not charge a fee for RMG approval.

The real cost sits in two places: the legal letter of opinion, and any done-for-you fee if you delegate the work. Done-for-you RMG services typically run in the low hundreds of pounds plus VAT, and some are refundable if you are not approved.

Why the spread varies. Sourcing a solicitor's letter on your own can cost more and take longer than a packaged service that includes it. The cheapest option on paper is not always cheaper once your time and the risk of rejection are counted.

Applying yourself versus a done-for-you option

Both routes get you to the same place. The right choice depends on your confidence with compliance and how much a delay would cost you.

When weighing it up, the factors that matter most are:

• Do you have a credible legal letter? If not, a packaged service that drafts it usually saves the most friction.
• How costly is a delay? If a launch or seasonal campaign is fixed, paying to de-risk the timeline is often worth it.
• Have you been rejected before? A fresh, expert-prepared submission beats repeating the attempt that already failed.
• Who owns the account risk? Getting it right first time protects the ad account, which matters more than saving a few hundred pounds.

Merchant Advice sits on the adviser side of this. We do not run the application ourselves, but we can help you find the right route and the right partners for your competition.

After approval: taking entries on a high-risk payment account

RMG approval solves advertising. It does not solve getting paid. Those are two separate problems, and the second one catches operators who assumed any card processor would do.

Competition and raffle businesses are treated as high-risk for payment processing. Many mainstream processors decline them, and the ones that onboard quickly sometimes freeze funds or close accounts later once the model is understood.

What this means in practice is that underwriting matters as much as approval. Expect closer scrutiny on the application, and be ready for the realities of a high-risk merchant account: potential rolling reserves, tighter chargeback expectations, and a focus on account stability over the long term.

Underwriters for this sector look closely at a few things. Your trading history and volumes, the clarity of your competition terms, your refund and prize-fulfilment record, and your chargeback ratio all feed the decision. A clean, transparent operation is easier to place and less likely to face a reserve.

The trade-off worth understanding early: an instant-onboarding mainstream processor looks simple on day one, but a specialist high-risk account that genuinely supports competitions is far more stable over the long term. Easy onboarding is not the same as a durable fit.

This is a separate decision from your Meta application, and it is worth getting right early. We cover the payment side in detail on our raffle and competition payments page, where we match operators with processors that genuinely support the model.

Conclusion

RMG approval is the gate to advertising your prize competition on Facebook and Instagram. Without it, your ads get rejected and your account is exposed. With it, paid social opens up properly.

The two things that decide your application are a compliant website, with a visible free entry route and a genuine skill question, and a solicitor's legal letter of opinion. Get those right and most applications go through inside a few weeks.

If you want the application and legal opinion letter handled end to end, a done-for-you RMG service is the fastest route. Once you are approved to advertise, speak to an adviser at Merchant Advice and we can help you find compliant high-risk payment processing so you can actually take entries. Tell us about your business and we will point you to the right setup.