See how the draw works
This is a made-up raffle for Riverbend School PTA: 300 tickets in books of 20, raising money for new library books. Each run makes up new sales and draws the winners the way a real raffle does.
Demo draw: a made-up raffle
3 prizes, drawn 1st prize first. No ticket can win twice.
- 1st- - -Christmas meat box ($300)
- 2nd- - -Family pizza night voucher ($80)
- 3rd- - -Garden centre voucher ($50)
What makes it fair
- Sold tickets only. Unsold tickets are left out, as the law requires.
- Every sold ticket has the same chance, and no ticket can win twice.
- The organiser can't steer it: the secret was locked in before any ticket was sold, the organiser never sees it, and the final sold list is mixed in.
- Anyone can check it afterwards on the raffle's public results page.
Drawing by hand instead
Some groups like pulling stubs from a box on the night. That's fine too. To keep it fair:
- Put in the stubs of sold tickets only. Unsold tickets stay out.
- Take the staples out and fold every stub the same way, so none can be picked by feel.
- Use a box or bag nobody can see into, and mix well.
- Draw in public, at the advertised time and place, ideally with a witness.
- Draw 1st prize first. A stub that's been drawn stays out: no ticket wins twice.
- Write down each winning number as it's drawn, then publish the results as you said you would.