Raffle and competition websites are becoming more popular each year. There’s all kinds available with various pricing, from winning millions to luxury houses to custom camper vans. Many of these raffle websites have a fairly high ticket price compared to the lottery. One of the biggest new players in the online raffle/competition industry is Omaze, they offer players a chance to win a luxury house somewhere in the UK or Europe. Ticket prices start from £10, but you can even subscribe on a monthly basis.
Here at Developer Rocket we make websites for Raffle and competition businesses all around the UK. We can get your business up and running or improve what you currently have. Get in touch here.
Why a raffle or competition website a good business model?
Hosting an online raffle offers numerous benefits and serves various purposes, making it an attractive option for organizations, businesses, and individuals alike. Here are some of the key reasons why conducting an online raffle can be advantageous:
1. Accessibility: Online raffles break down geographical barriers, allowing people from all over the world to participate. This accessibility expands your potential participant pool, increasing the chances of reaching a larger audience and generating more revenue or engagement.
2. Convenience: Participants can enter online raffles from the comfort of their own homes, at any time that suits them. This convenience encourages more people to participate, as they don’t have to go to a physical location or adhere to specific entry hours.
3. Cost-Effectiveness: Hosting an online raffle can be more cost-effective than traditional offline methods. There’s no need to print physical tickets, rent a venue, or hire staff to manage the event. This cost savings allows you to allocate more resources towards prizes, marketing, or charitable causes.
4. Increased Reach: With the power of digital marketing and social media, online raffles have the potential to reach a wider audience than traditional methods. You can leverage various online channels to promote your raffle and attract participants, including social media platforms, email newsletters, websites, and online communities.
5. Data Collection: Online raffles provide an opportunity to collect valuable data about your participants, including their contact information, demographics, and preferences. This data can help you better understand your audience and tailor your future marketing efforts to reach them more effectively.
6. Fundraising: For charitable organizations, online raffles can be an effective way to raise funds for a cause. By selling raffle tickets online, organizations can reach a larger donor base and generate more donations than traditional fundraising methods.
7. Brand Awareness: Hosting an online raffle can help increase brand awareness and visibility for businesses. By offering attractive prizes and promoting the event across various online channels, businesses can attract new customers, engage with existing ones, and strengthen their brand reputation.
8. Engagement and Community Building: Online raffles can foster a sense of community and engagement among participants. By creating excitement around the event, encouraging social sharing, and providing opportunities for interaction, organizers can build a loyal and engaged audience.
9. Greater chance of winning: The chances of winning competitions are higher than a lottery. Depending on the company doing it, you can almost guarantee your chance of winning is higher simply down to the lower number of people playing. This might make spending £10 on a ticket more appealing to customers. You can find more info about the odds of winning the lottery from the blog post from Health Lottery.
But isn’t online raffle gambling? Are competition websites legal?
According to UK law Online raffles and competitions are not gambling. These types of websites and apps are still fairly new so there isn’t the same level of laws compared to gambling.‘ Prize Competitions’ is the official terminology used by The Gambling Commission.
If you are looking for some more information about illegal lotteries, PWC has a great article about this, Illegal raffles and lotteries in the United Kingdom
What is the difference between the lottery and an online competition?
Most people have played the lottery at some point in their lives, you buy a ticket at your super market or online, numbers are then randomly chosen and a winner is chosen based on the numbers they picked. Lottery is a form of gambling, there are three aspects to this which make it so:
- Payment
- One or more prizes are won
- Prizes are awarded by random chance
If you had an online raffle or competition which had those three areas then it would be gambling and thus, illegal.
How do you make a competition or raffle website legal and not gambling?
There is a pretty sneaky work around for this, which all online raffle or competitions must use.
Skill based questions
For an online raffle to be legal, the Gambling Commission states that..
“competitions that genuinely rely on skill, judgment or knowledge are to be permitted to operate free of any regulatory control under the Gambling Act 2005”,
Many websites got around this by asking very similar questions that everyone knows the answer to, however the Gambling Commission states…
“there are some competitions that ask just one simple question, the answer to which is widely and commonly known or is blatantly obvious from the material accompanying the competition. The Commission considers that these do not meet the test in the Act.”
In fact, it is stated in the Gambling Act 2005 that the skill based question should be difficult enough to..
“Deter a significant proportion of those who wish to enter from doing so, or. Prevent a significant proportion of those who do enter from winning a prize”
So in order for your competition website to be legal, the questions need to be somewhat difficult. But level of difficult is always up for debate.
Free entries
If your question on your competition website is too easy then the other way to make sure it’s legal is to make the entrees free.
The Gambling Commission states:-
“if a competition organiser establishes two equally prominent and convenient methods of paying for entry and one costs less than the other, that is sufficient for the competition to meet the requirement.”
You can add a free way to enter as well as paid options, but the free route must be treated in the same way as the paid route. Meaning someone with a free ticket must have an equal chance of winning compared to the paid participant. The same maximum entries for both free and paid too.
How to make a competition or raffle website
Before we go through the list, make sure that your website is legally viable, make sure you look into the laws regarding your raffle website before launching it.
Step 1: Define Your Goals
Before you start building your website, it’s essential to clearly define your goals. Are you looking to raise funds for a charity or organization? Do you want to increase brand awareness or drive traffic to your site? Understanding your objectives will help you tailor your website design and marketing strategy accordingly.
Step 2: Choose a Platform
There are several platforms available for creating raffle or competition websites, ranging from DIY website builders to custom development. Popular options include WordPress with plugins like RafflePress or WooCommerce, dedicated raffle platforms like Rafflecopter or Raffall, or custom development using web development frameworks like Django or Ruby on Rails. Choose a platform that aligns with your technical skills and budget.
We recommend RafflePress because we often use WordPress to make websites. This is a great platform to start a competition or raffle website because the plugin is quick and easy to set up. It also has a great features which allows the users to get more entries by sharing the competition on their social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and you can also get more entries if they visit, subscribe and take other actions on Youtube. It’s the perfect way to share and make your competition go viral.
Step 3: Design Your Website
The design of your website plays a crucial role in attracting participants and encouraging them to enter your raffle or competition. Ensure that your website is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly. Use high-quality images and clear, concise copy to communicate the details of your event and the prizes on offer.
In order to get a great looking websites it’s important to put the research in. Try and find some websites you like the look of, and if you are struggling try looking on Behance or Dribble. This is where web designers like us submit their designs.
Step 4: Set Up Registration and Payment Processing
Make it easy for participants to register for your raffle or competition and purchase tickets or entries. Implement a user-friendly registration process with clear instructions and minimal friction. Integrate secure payment processing to accept payments online, ensuring the safety of your participants’ financial information.
Many of the Raffle plugins and software options have their own registration and payment integration. We would recommend using something like Stripe or Paypal as they are the most accessible.
Step 5: Promote Your Website
Once your website is live, it’s time to promote your raffle or competition to attract participants. Utilize a mix of digital marketing channels, including social media, email marketing, influencer partnerships, and paid advertising, to reach your target audience. Highlight the unique features of your event and the exciting prizes on offer to entice people to participate.
Step 6: Manage Your Event
Throughout the duration of your raffle or competition, it’s essential to actively manage and promote your event to maintain momentum and engagement. Regularly update your website and social media channels with countdowns, winner announcements, and behind-the-scenes content to keep participants excited and informed.
Step 7: Follow Up
After your raffle or competition has ended, take the time to follow up with participants and winners. Thank everyone who participated, whether they won or not, and collect feedback to improve future events. Make sure to deliver prizes promptly and professionally to maintain a positive relationship with your audience.
Create a raffle website or competition website
Creating a raffle or competition website can be a rewarding way to engage your audience, raise funds, or increase brand awareness. By following these steps and leveraging the right tools and strategies, you can create a successful event that captures the attention of your target audience and drives results for your organisation or business.
If you are looking for help in developing your competition or raffle website get in touch with us at Developer Rocket today!