How to Create and Run a Fair Raffle (Online and at Events)
To create a raffle, check that it’s allowed where you are, make a numbered ticket for every entry, publish the rules before you sell, then draw in public from every sold ticket and announce winners by ticket number. This guide covers each step for raffles online and at events, including how to make your own tickets, the odds maths, how to handle several prizes, and the tax rules for big prizes in the US.
This is general information, not legal advice. Raffle laws vary a lot by country and state.
How to Create a Raffle: The Quick Version
- Check the rules for your country, state or council before selling a single ticket.
- Number every ticket uniquely and keep a record of who holds which numbers.
- Publish the rules: draw date and place, prizes and the order they’re drawn, who can enter, and how unclaimed prizes are handled.
- Draw from every sold ticket, in public or on a recording, with a witness.
- Announce winners by ticket number, contact them privately, and keep your records.
1. Check Whether Your Raffle Is Allowed
A raffle normally has three parts: people pay to enter, a prize is given, and the winner is picked by chance. Together, those usually make it a lottery in the eyes of the law, which is why raffles are regulated almost everywhere. A free prize draw with no purchase needed is often treated differently, but check that too.
United States
Raffles are governed by state law, not federal law. Most states allow qualifying nonprofits to run raffles, often with a permit or registration, and many limit online ticket sales, prize values or how often you can hold one. A few states don’t allow them at all. Ask your state’s charitable gaming regulator or attorney general’s office before you start, and allow time for a permit.
Great Britain
The Gambling Commission lets a small raffle run alongside a one-off event, such as a fete or fundraising dinner, without a licence. This is called an incidental lottery. It must raise money for good causes, not private gain, and:
- tickets can only be sold at the event, while it’s running, and not online or in advance;
- up to £100 of the proceeds can cover costs like printing tickets;
- up to £500 of the proceeds can be spent on prizes, while donated prizes have no limit;
- prizes can’t roll over to another lottery.
Other kinds of lottery, such as ones for a club, workplace or registered small society, have their own rules. Check the Gambling Commission’s guidance for the type you plan.
Everywhere else
Look for your country’s gambling or lottery regulator, and your local council or municipality, before you advertise.
2. Set Up Tickets That Can Be Checked
- Every ticket gets a unique number. If you sell paper and online tickets, give each its own range, such as paper 1 to 500 and online from 501, so no number is used twice.
- Keep a stub or record for every ticket. With paper tickets, the buyer keeps one half and the other half goes in the draw. Online, keep the buyer’s name, contact details and ticket numbers.
- Write unsold tickets down. Leave them out of the draw, and note their numbers so you can show they weren’t in it.
- Close sales before the draw. Count what you sold and check it matches the money taken.
How to Make Your Own Raffle Tickets
You don’t need special software. Pick whichever of these fits the size of your raffle:
- Pre-numbered double tickets. A book or roll of cloakroom-style double tickets is the simplest option for an event. Each pair shares a number: the buyer keeps one half and the other goes in the draw.
- Print your own. Design one ticket with a tear-off stub, then use a numbering feature such as Canva’s Bulk Create or Word’s mail merge to give each copy the next number. A common size is about 5.5 by 2 inches, printed on cardstock.
- Digital tickets. For online sales, a spreadsheet row per buyer with their ticket count is enough. Our raffle generator turns “Anna 5” into tickets #1 to #5 automatically and draws from them.
What to put on a raffle ticket
- On the buyer’s half: the ticket number, your organisation’s name, what the raffle is for, the prize, the ticket price, and the date, time and place of the draw. Add any licence or permit number your regulator requires.
- On the stub that goes in the draw: the same ticket number plus the buyer’s name and a phone number or email, so you can reach a winner who isn’t there.
- On the back, if needed: short rules or a link to the full rules.
Keep the numbers of any books or tickets you don’t sell, so you can show they weren’t in the draw.
3. Publish the Rules Before You Sell
Disputes almost always come from rules that were decided after tickets were sold. Write these down and publish them where buyers will see them:
- Who can enter, and who can’t, such as the organisers running the draw.
- Ticket price, any bundle offers, and when sales close.
- Every prize, described exactly, and the order they’ll be drawn.
- Whether one person can win more than one prize.
- The date, time and place of the draw, and whether winners must be present.
- How winners are contacted, how long they have to claim, and what happens to unclaimed prizes.
Giving some buyers bonus tickets? Read how to give someone more entries fairly first.
4. Work Out the Prices and the Odds
With one prize, each ticket’s chance of winning is 1 ÷ tickets sold. Someone holding several tickets has their tickets ÷ tickets sold.
With several prizes and no ticket allowed to win twice, the chance of winning at least one prize is a little less than (your tickets × number of prizes) ÷ tickets sold. These are exact figures:
| Your tickets | Tickets sold | Prizes | Chance of winning at least one |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 200 | 1 | 0.5% |
| 10 | 500 | 1 | 2% |
| 10 | 500 | 3 | 5.89% |
| 5 | 500 | 5 | 4.92% |
For a 50/50 raffle, the prize is half of ticket sales: tickets sold × ticket price ÷ 2. For example, 400 tickets at $5 raise $2,000, so the winner gets $1,000 and the cause keeps $1,000.
For pricing, the fundraising platform Zeffy suggests a rule of thumb of 5 to 15% of the prize’s retail value per ticket. Treat that as a starting point and test what your supporters will pay.
5. Run the Draw So Nobody Can Question It
At an event
- Put every sold stub in one container, folded the same way, and leave the unsold ones out.
- Mix the stubs well, and mix again between prizes.
- Have someone who isn’t selling tickets draw, holding the container above eye level and not looking in.
- Read the number aloud, show it to a second person, and write it down before reading the name.
- Draw prizes in the order your rules say. If a ticket can’t win twice, set each winning stub aside.
Online or for a large raffle
Enter the buyers and their ticket counts, or the range of ticket numbers, into the raffle generator, list the prizes in order, and draw on a live stream or screen recording. The tool gives each prize’s winning ticket number and holder, a fingerprint of the full ticket list, and a draw record link that buyers can open on our draw checker.
For a visual moment, “Spin the tickets on the wheel” opens our spinning wheel with each buyer weighted by their tickets. Every spin uses the same secure randomness explained on our fairness page.
6. Announce Winners and Handle Unclaimed Prizes
- Announce winning ticket numbers first, then names once each winner is confirmed.
- Contact winners privately using the details they gave when buying. Never ask a winner for bank or card details to “release” a prize.
- If a winner doesn’t claim by your deadline, follow your published rule, usually drawing again for that prize.
- Keep sales records, the ticket list and the draw recording. Many regulators require records after a raffle.
Tax on Big Raffle Prizes in the US
If you pay out a large prize, the IRS may need a Form W-2G. The IRS’s January 2026 instructions set the reporting threshold for payments made in 2026 at $2,000, adjusted for inflation each year, and it applies when the winnings are also at least 300 times the ticket price. Older guides still quote $600, which was the threshold before 2026.
Federal income tax must also be withheld, at 24%, when the winnings minus the ticket price are more than $5,000 and are at least 300 times the ticket price. Non-cash prizes, such as a car, count at their fair market value, and a higher withholding rate can apply when the organiser pays the tax on a non-cash prize. Ask your accountant how this applies to your raffle.
Common Raffle Mistakes
- Selling tickets before checking the law or getting a permit.
- Reusing ticket numbers across paper and online sales.
- Changing the prize order or rules after sales open.
- Leaving unsold tickets in the draw, or losing track of them.
- Letting the person who sold the most tickets draw the winners.
- Announcing a winner by name before checking their ticket.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the formula for raffle odds?
For one prize, your chance is your tickets ÷ total tickets sold. For several prizes where each ticket can win once, it’s slightly less than your tickets × prizes ÷ tickets sold. The table above has worked examples.
In what order do you draw a raffle?
Whatever order your rules say. Many events draw the smallest prize first and the grand prize last, so people stay until the end. Others let each winner pick a prize from the table in draw order. Decide before you sell.
Can one person win more than one prize?
Only if your rules allow it. If they don’t, set aside the winner’s other tickets after their first win. The raffle generator does this with “One prize per person”.
Do winners need to be present?
Only if your rules say so. Requiring it keeps the draw moving, but it can feel unfair to online buyers. If you require it, say so on the ticket.
Can the organisers buy tickets?
Check your local rules, as some ban it. At minimum, nobody who sells tickets or runs the draw should draw the winners, and say in your rules who can’t enter.
What is a reverse raffle?
Tickets are drawn one at a time and knocked out, and the last ticket left wins. It builds suspense at a live event. The fairness rules are the same: every sold ticket goes in and is drawn at random.
Is an online raffle generator fair?
A good one gives every ticket the same chance using a secure random number generator, and lets you prove the list didn’t change. Ours shows a fingerprint of the ticket list and a draw record anyone can check.
How do I make my own raffle?
Check your local rules, choose your prizes, make numbered tickets with stubs, publish the rules, sell, then draw from every sold ticket in public. The steps above walk through each one.
How do you do a simple raffle?
For a small, informal raffle among friends or a club, use a book of double tickets, put every sold stub in one container, mix well and have someone draw without looking. Read each number aloud and check it against the buyer’s half. Small raffles can still need permission, so check first.
How can I create my own raffle tickets?
Buy pre-numbered double tickets, or design one ticket and print numbered copies with Canva’s Bulk Create or Word’s mail merge. Put the number on both halves, and the buyer’s name and contact details on the stub.