Race night or quiz night: which earns a pub more?

We run a live quiz every Tuesday at Teal Farm. So when someone asks "should I do a race night or a quiz night?", I've got a soft spot for the quiz.

But that's the wrong question, really. They're different nights that bring in different people, and they suit different jobs. One is a weekly habit. The other is a big night out.

Here's how they compare on the things a landlord or an organiser actually cares about: who comes, the work, the bar, the money, and the rules. Then my honest answer on which to run when.

The short answer

• For a regular weekly night that builds a crowd: quiz night. It's easier to repeat, the same teams come back, and it fits a quiet midweek slot.
• For a one-off big night or a fundraiser: race night. It pulls in people who'd never enter a quiz, it's louder, and it's easier to sell sponsorship around.
• For the most money for a cause in one night: whichever one your crowd will actually come to. A full room beats a clever format every time.

Who each one brings in

This is the biggest difference, and it's the one most guides skip.

Quiz night

A quiz rewards people who know stuff and like a bit of competition. You get teams of mates, couples, workmates, the lot who've been coming for years. They take it seriously. Some take it very seriously.

It also puts some people off. Plenty think "I'm rubbish at quizzes" and stay at home.

Race night

Nobody needs to know anything at a race night. The horse you get is down to pure luck, so the person who's never watched racing has the same chance as the bloke with the Racing Post. That's why it brings in a different crowd: families, big groups, people who'd never sit through eight rounds of questions.

It's also loud. People cheer a horse they paid a fiver for like it's their own. If you want atmosphere, race night wins.

The work involved

Quiz night

You need questions, a host, answer sheets and a mic. Save the Children's quiz guide suggests 6 to 8 rounds of 10 questions plus a tie-breaker, with each round taking around 10 minutes.

The real work is writing good questions every single week, or paying for them. Our post on what a quiz night really costs a pub breaks down the options.

Race night

You need the races (a download pack or a screen-based app), race cards, someone selling horses, someone running the money, and a compere. PTA UK's example race night ran with four volunteers: a compere, two on the tote and one on the tech. Their step-by-step guide suggests starting two months before.

A race night is more work up front but it's mostly the same work each time. Once you've run one, the second is easy.

Verdict: quiz night is less work on the night but more work every week. Race night is more work once, less to repeat.

The bar

For the pub, this is where the money is. Here's how I see it, as someone behind the bar.

Quiz night

During a round, people are heads down and quiet. The bar gets busy between rounds and at the halfway break, then goes quiet again. Teams tend to arrive early to get their table and stay to the end to hear the scores.

Race night

A race lasts about two minutes. racenight.me.uk describes a night as six to eight pre-recorded races of about two minutes each. That leaves long gaps for drinks, horse sales and chat. In our race night guide I suggest 15 minutes between races and a 30-minute interval, and the interval is the busiest half hour of the night.

Verdict: race night gives the bar more chances to serve, because more of the night is gaps. A quiz gives you a steadier, smaller crowd every week. Over a year, the weekly quiz will usually take more in total because it happens 52 times.

The money for a good cause

If you're raising money, here's how each one brings it in, with prices from the guides I checked.

Quiz night

• Entry. Save the Children suggests £5 to £10 a person or £20 to £40 a team. The BHF gives £5 or £10 a person as an example.
• Extras. Save the Children lists a raffle, sponsored rounds, buy a lifeline (£1 for a clue), phone fines and a guess-the-baby-photo game.
• What one raised. Save the Children mentions a supporter whose pub quiz raised £900.

Race night

• Entry. PTA UK suggests £3 to £5 a ticket, or up to £10 with food.
• Horses and sponsors. PTA UK's example used £5 a horse, £3 a jockey and £25 to sponsor a race.
• What they raised. PTA UK quotes one horse racing evening with a raffle that made £1,264.50, and a family pizza and ponies night that made over £650. racenight.me.uk says £1,000 to £1,500 is typical for 100 people.

Worked example for the same room

Say 60 people come. These are example sums to plan with, not promises.

Quiz night: 12 teams of 5 at £20 a team = £240, plus a raffle.

Race night: 6 races sponsored at £25 = £150, plus 6 races of 8 horses at £5 with two thirds selling = £160. That's £310 before tickets and a raffle.

The race night edges it here, mostly because of sponsorship that's sold before anyone walks in. But it's closer than people think, and the quiz is far easier to put on.

The rules

This is where they differ the most.

Quiz night

A quiz is a test of knowledge, so it's normally treated as a prize competition, not gambling. The Gambling Commission describes a prize competition as one where "the outcome is determined by the participants skill, judgement or knowledge". It also says the skill needed has to be enough to put some people off entering. A proper quiz passes that easily. Our post on pub quiz rules covers fair rules for teams, phones and ties.

Race night

A race night is pure chance, so if people pay and win prizes, it's gambling under the Gambling Act 2005. Fundraising race nights don't need a licence, but they must fit one of the Commission's routes, each with its own limits. For example, on an equal chance night the most anyone can be charged is £8 a day and total prizes must stay below £600.

A pub can't run a paid race night for its own profit the way it can run a quiz with an entry fee. On a fundraising night, the race money goes to the cause and the pub's return is the bar and the food. Our guide to whether pub race nights are legal goes through every route.

A free race night, with no money in and no prize, avoids all of that.

Verdict: the quiz is far simpler legally. Race nights are fine, but you need to plan the money side properly.

So which should you run?

Here's my honest take.

Run a weekly quiz if you want a regular night that fills a quiet slot. It builds a habit, and habits pay the bills. Our guide to running a pub quiz that fills a quiet Tuesday is where I'd start.

Run a race night if you want a big one-off, a fundraiser, or something to pull in people who don't do quizzes. Tie it to the Grand National, Cheltenham or a club's end of season, and it sells itself. See how to run a race night in a pub.

Run both if you've got the room. They don't compete. A race night every couple of months brings new faces in, and the good ones come back for the quiz.

Or mix them. A couple of races at the quiz halfway break is a laugh, gives the non-quizzers something to cheer, and keeps people at the bar. If they're free with no money involved, there are no gambling rules to worry about.

That's the bit StockTap TV does for us: a phone quiz on the screens all week, and a free race night where everyone picks a horse on their phone and the race plays on every telly.

Frequently asked questions

Does a race night or a quiz night raise more money?

It depends on the crowd. In a worked example for 60 people, a race night with sponsored races brought in a bit more than a quiz at £20 a team. Race nights can raise more because businesses will sponsor races, but a quiz is easier to put on and repeat.

Is a pub quiz with an entry fee gambling?

A quiz is a test of knowledge, so it's normally a prize competition rather than gambling. The Gambling Commission says the outcome of a prize competition is decided by skill, judgement or knowledge, and the skill needed must be enough to put some people off.

Can a pub keep money from a race night?

Not from a fundraising race night. The Gambling Commission says the proceeds, apart from reasonable costs, must go to the good cause. The pub keeps its bar and food takings.

How long does a race night take compared to a quiz?

A quiz of 6 to 8 rounds of around 10 minutes each, plus breaks, fills about two hours. A race night of six races with 15 minutes between them and an interval runs about two and a quarter hours.

Which is better for a quiet midweek night?

A quiz. It's easier to run every week, and the same teams come back. Save the race night for a Friday or Saturday, or a big racing week.

Sources

• Save the Children: How to host a quiz night
• British Heart Foundation: How to organise a quiz night
• PTA UK: Step by step: race night
• racenight.me.uk: How to run a race night
• Gambling Commission: Free draws and prize competitions
• Gambling Commission: Part 28: Non-commercial race night (guidance to licensing authorities)
• Gambling Commission: Fundraising with bingo, casino, poker or race nights

We checked every source on 10 November 2026. Rules change, so check the latest version before you act. Nothing here is legal advice.