Raffle.it / Frequently asked questions

What is Raffle.it?

Raffle.it is a revolutionary online fundraising platform with a fun and engaging raffle game at its core. For partner charities and great causes it helps raise additional funds in a non-competitive and sustainable environment. For players it is our Nation's beloved raffle, webified and revolutionised. No longer left to chance you get to pit your skills against others to battle it out for great prizes.

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How do I join a raffle?

On the right of a raffle page you'll see box entitled 'Enter this raffle'. Type the number of tickets you want to buy in here and click 'Add to basket'. You will be prompted to continue shopping or visit your basket. Click continue shopping to see all raffles. You can access your basket either immediately after adding some tickets or by clicking the basket icon at the top right of the page (this also has a count of how many tickets you have in your basket).

Before paying for your tickets you will need to number them. This is where you need to use your skills and decide which numbers you believe are likely to be the lowest unique numbers.

In most cases we will know which charity you are playing for, where we don't you will be offered a list of our partner charities. If your preferred charity or good cause is not listed please take a few seconds to tell us about them.

If you have a Raffle.it Gift Voucher add it to your basket before clicking 'Purchase Tickets'.

Next step is to pay for your tickets. This part of the site is protected by a DigiCert SSL Certificate ensuring your card details are fully encrypted before being sent to Barclaycard.

Once payment is processed, the Raffle.it system checks your ticket numbers against all others purchased for each specific raffle and reports back to you whether your numbers are unique or not.

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How can I win a raffle?

Buy tickets and number them with the lowest number you believe no one else will choose. Winners are not selected at random, as with traditional raffles, but instead it is the lowest uniquely numbered ticket that wins.

For example

10 people play. Each player purchases only 1 ticket. The 10 tickets are numbered as follows:

1, 3, 5, 3, 2, 1, 2, 4, 5, 3

You will see that some numbers were picked by more than 1 person.

Now let's find the lowest unique number:

1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5

That's right, 4 is the lowest unique number. Whichever player numbered their ticket 4 would win.

Check the raffle's info bar on the right to see the maximum number of tickets available to buy, the suggested value, ticket price and how many other people are already playing. All this information can help you decide on how low that lowest unique number will be.

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How do I pay for my tickets?

We've worked hard to ensure paying for tickets is as easy as possible whilst remaining completely safe and secure. We accept all major credit and debit cards with merchant services provided by Barclaycard and Optimal Payments. We do not store your card information and prior to communication with Barclaycard is protected using 256 bit encryption. To remove the minimum payment threshold we have a small surcharge of 25p on all transactions, waived if you spend £5 or more. This means if you're unsure how to play you can buy just one ticket first and then with a little more confidence buy several in all the raffles you're interested in winning.

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How much of my money goes to help great causes?

Up to 80% of the ticket price goes to support your chosen cause. The exact amount varies depending on whether the prize has been donated. Where the ticket sales do have to pay for the prize the split is 40p in £1 to cover prize (prize fund), 48p to your chosen cause, 12p to Raffle.it to cover merchant services, hosting and administration.

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Is it free to join Raffle.it?

Joining Raffle.it is completely free. You are under NO OBLIGATION to take part in any raffles. Only if you decide to join a raffle will payment be required.

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Can anyone play?

Not quite. Raffle.it is currently open to UK residents only and players must be over 18.

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I live abroad, can I play?

Sorry not yet. Raffle.it is currently only open to UK residents.

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How can I join a raffle?

On the right of a raffle page you'll see box entitled 'Enter this raffle'. Type the number of tickets you want to buy in here and click 'Add to basket'. You will be prompted to continue shopping or visit your basket. Click continue shopping to see all raffles. You can access your basket either immediately after adding some tickets or by clicking the basket icon at the top right of the page (this also has a count of how many tickets you have in your basket).

Before paying for your tickets you will need to number them. This is where you need to use your skills and decide which numbers you believe are likely to be the lowest unique numbers.

In most cases we will know which charity you are playing for, where we don't you will be offered a list of our partner charities. If your preferred charity or good cause is not listed please take a few seconds to tell us about them.

If you have a Raffle.it Gift Voucher add it to your basket before clicking 'Purchase Tickets'.

Next step is to pay for your tickets. This part of the site is protected by a DigiCert SSL Certificate ensuring your card details are fully encrypted before being sent to Barclaycard.

Once payment is processed, the Raffle.it system checks your ticket numbers against all others purchased for each specific raffle and reports back to you whether your numbers are unique or not.

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How can I win a raffle?

Buy tickets and number them with the lowest number you believe no one else will choose. Winners are not selected at random, as with traditional raffles, but instead it is the lowest uniquely numbered ticket that wins.

For example

10 people play. Each player purchases only 1 ticket. The 10 tickets are numbered as follows:

1, 3, 5, 3, 2, 1, 2, 4, 5, 3

You will see that some numbers were picked by more than 1 person.

Now let's find the lowest unique number:

1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5

That's right, 4 is the lowest unique number. Whichever player numbered their ticket 4 would win.

Check the raffle's info bar on the right to see the maximum number of tickets available to buy, the suggested value, ticket price and how many other people are already playing. All this information can help you decide on how low that lowest unique number will be.

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How do I increase my playing skills?

Raffle.it is a “game of skill” as opposed to chance. We make lots of information available to you and you can increase your playing skills by using this information to assist you in the selection of your numbers.

Some thoughts:

• What number won when a similar item was raffled?
• What number won when an item of similar value was raffled?
• Who had the winning (lowest unique) number last time?
• Is that person playing this time?
• Do other players always choose the same numbers?
• How many tickets are there?
• Does the number of tickets affect what the lowest unique number will be?

Before you enter a raffle you will know:

• The value of the item
• The number of tickets sold
• The number of tickets remaining
• The expected time remaining to enter
• You can also access our raffle history by looking at previously won raffles. You will be able to see

• The number of tickets sold
• How many players chose particular numbers
• The name of the winner
• The lowest unique number selected by the winner

After purchasing your tickets you will know at once if your numbers are unique. Use this information to help you decide which numbers to choose when you try again.

Don’t let the same people win over and over again. Studying the results of previous raffles and using the information available will help you increase your playing skills.

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How do I pay for tickets?

We've worked hard to ensure paying for tickets is as easy as possible whilst remaining completely safe and secure. We accept all major credit and debit cards with merchant services provided by Barclaycard and Optimal Payments. We do not store your card information and prior to communication with Barclaycard is protected using 256 bit encryption. To remove the minimum payment threshold we have a small surcharge of 25p on all transactions, waived if you spend £5 or more. This means if you're unsure how to play you can buy just one ticket first and then with a little more confidence buy several in all the raffles you're interested in winning.

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How do I pay for tickets?

Possibly, as some credit card issuers now charge for payments classified as gaming, treating them as 'cash advances' - please check with your card issuer.

We strongly recommend you pay with a debit card.

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Can I buy all tickets for a raffle?

Would you really want to? Very generous but that road leads to madness! To ensure fairness for all players we've limited the number of tickets any one person can purchase in a raffle to 10% of the total number issued. For example you could buy a maximum of 10 tickets for a raffle that started out with 100 tickets.

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How do I know if I've bought tickets in a raffle previously?

If you are already logged in you will see a small banner across the raffle images stating how many tickets you have already purchased for that raffle. Details of the tickets and their numbers are stored in your account and you are sent email receipts. These do not disclose the numbers you've given your tickets for security reasons. When numbering your tickets look below the title to see the list of numbers you've already purchased. As a final safeguard the Raffle.it system will prevent you from numbering two tickets the same irrespective of when you purchase them.

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Can I see who else is playing in a raffle?

We display the images of the other players in a raffle on the raffle info page. Hovering over the images displays their player names. Recognise any? Are there previous winners in there?

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What do the thumbs mean?

Once you've checked out you will see an indication of the state of your numbers. Thumbs up means that number is unique and you are in with a chance of winning. Thumbs down means you have numbered your ticket the same as someone else in the raffle. This means that number is not unique and therefore not going to win. Don't be sad though, knowing this information now gives you the opportunity to act while you still can.

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When does a raffle finish?

Each raffle has a maximum number of tickets available to purchase. Additionally all raffles are set to close at a set time on a set date, irrespective of the number of tickets sold. This information is available on each raffle information page. Once all tickets have been purchased or the closing time reached, the raffle closes and the winner is identified.

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Who decides the winner?

In effect you do, together with every other player. The lowest unique number wins and this is not predetermined. Our system maintains a list of all tickets purchased and who numbered them. When a raffle closes the system simply identifies who has the lowest number only one person used. Our software has been independently verified to ensure appropriate levels of accuracy and security.

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Will I see who won?

Yes, you'll be sent an email shortly after the raffle closes, letting you know who won. It also tells you the number they chose and provides a link to the raffle results table. On this page you can see all ticket numbers used and how many times they were used. Very useful information to help improve your numbering technique.

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I won! What happens next?

Excellent, congratulations and well played! Right now, first make sure your address details are correct by visiting your account. The raffle description give information on how your prize will be delivered but we will be in contact with you to confirm everything. Any questions or concerns please email us at customerservices@raffle.it - we're here to help and love receiving messages.

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Will the winner always receive a prize?

Yes the winner always receives a prize. The prize is either the item itself or if all tickets are not sold before the raffle closes, the prize fund. The prize fund is the amount of money from each ticket sale put aside to cover the prize costs. This normally works out at 40p in the £1. Where a raffle is sponsored or donated the prize will be awarded irrespective of the number of tickets sold. Specific details for each raffle are included on the raffle's info page.

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What happens if a winner is disqualified?

In the unlikely event that a winner is disqualified, their ticket purchases will be removed. The winner identification process is repeated and the holder of the new lowest unique number will be the winner and notified by email.

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What information do you need from me?

To get started we need your name and email address. You'll also need to come up with a unique Player Name, this is how you will be known across the site. You'll also need a password and to participate you'll need a credit or debit card and provide your address. Card details are not stored and are required every time you buy tickets.

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How safe is my information?

We take your personal information very seriously and this is why we keep what information you need to share with us to an absolute minimum. We do not hold or store credit or debit card details and the complete payment process is protected with 256 bit encryption. We are regulated by the Information Commissioner's Office and registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. Our Registration Number is Z1071148.

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Can I close my account at any time?

Yes you can close your account at any time.

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Where can I see my purchases?

All your tickets are recorded in your account. From here you can see whether they are still unique and how long the raffle has left to run.

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Where can I see my reward vouchers?

Your reward vouchers are recorded in your account. Reward vouchers vary in type and value and you will know this from the raffle info page. You can link to the sponsor directly from your account page and once used mark off your voucher to avoid confusion.

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Is Raffle.it regulated by the Gambling Commission?

No, the Raffle.it raffles that take place are "games of skill" often referred to as reverse auctions, as opposed to chance and therefore fall outside the remit of the Gambling Commission. Find out more here: Gambling Commission. Why not have a look at "How do I increase my playing skills" to see how you can make the most of the information we make available?

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What is Raffle.it?

Raffle.it is a revolutionary online fundraising platform with a fun and engaging raffle game at its core. For partner charities and great causes it helps raise additional funds in a non-competitive and sustainable environment. For players it is our Nation's beloved raffle, webified and revolutionised. No longer left to chance you get to pit your skills against others to battle it out for great prizes.

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What is a raffle ticket?

A raffle ticket is your entrance into the raffle of your choice. It is one of a limited number of tickets available for that raffle and is numbered by you. If at the close of the raffle it is the lowest numbered ticket that only one person has chosen it is also the winning ticket!

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What is a reward voucher?

Some raffles are sponsored and offer a free Reward Voucher as a thank you for taking part. This could be a discount off your next purchase with the sponsor, cash back or free item. These vouchers when redeemed are often worth far more than the tickets themselves.

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What is a prize fund?

Where raffles are not sponsored the prize must be paid for from ticket sales. The prize fund is the amount of money from each ticket sale put aside to cover these prize costs. This normally works out at 40p in the £1. If a raffle does not sell all tickets the prize will be the prize fund.

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What is the lowest unique number?

It is the lowest number that only one person chooses.

For example

10 people play. Each player purchases only 1 ticket. The 10 tickets are numbered as follows:

1, 3, 5, 3, 2, 1, 2, 4, 5, 3

You will see that some numbers were picked by more than 1 person.

Now let's find the lowest unique number:

1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5

That's right, 4 is the lowest unique number. Whichever player numbered their ticket 4 would win.

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Am I really helping great causes?

Absolutely. Using Raffle.it is a very cost effective additional fund raising tool for the charities here. It removes lots of extra admin work allowing them more time to focus on their core roles. Up to 80p in the £1 spent on tickets is passed on to charity.

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How much of my money goes to help great causes?

Up to 80% of the ticket price goes to support your chosen cause. The exact amount varies depending on whether the prize has been donated. Where the ticket sales do have to pay for the prize the split is 40p in £1 to cover prize (prize fund), 48p to your chosen cause, 12p to Raffle.it to cover merchant services, hosting and administration.

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My preferred charity is not using Raffle.it?

Tell us everything and we'll do our best to rectify that. Email charitybegins@raffle.it with the charity or cause's name, contact, web address etc and we'll take it from there. You can also point them to www.raffle.it/charity to speed things up.

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Which charity am I helping?

In most cases you will know which charity you are supporting from the header of this page. Where this isn't the case you will be offered a list of our partner charities when viewing your basket. If your preferred charity or good cause is not listed please take a few seconds to tell us about them. Send a mail to charitybegins@raffle.it with the charity or cause's name, contact, web address etc and we'll take it from there or you can point them to www.raffle.it/charity to speed things up.

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