Page 2 | To think this is not how raffles work?

PopcornAndPizza · 2025-07-16T04:37:10+00:00

Hotly contested discussion at work and although light-hearted I now think I'm either losing the plot or almost all my work colleagues are all weird. A colleague was pleased yesterday that she had won a coffee voucher at her grandsons school raffle. She mentioned her prize was the 8th top prize and that unfortunately her ticket didn't win any more prizes after that including the top prize which was a tablet. I was only half paying attention until the other colleague (that I think is right) then said well surely they announced that one first? To which she replied well no they did that one last to build suspense. To help the other colleague I tried to point out that's not how it works because then your ticket isn't actually in with the chance of winning the top prize but only me and this one other lady had this viewpoint, everyone else couldn't see the issue. It's not us is it, that's not how raffles work? Surely the top prize should be drawn first so everyone has an equal chance at winning?

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 07:38

OP you are right. To be fair to everyone, they need to be called with highest value prize first. (Or let people choose a prize).

However, there does not seem to be any specific rule about this so I guess it just adds to the "chance" element when done the other way... ie you're not just paying for the chance that your ticket is drawn, you're paying for that and the chance that it won't be removed before the big prize.

Original poster

PopcornAndPizza · 16/07/2025 07:40

GeorgeMichaelsCat · 16/07/2025 07:34

All the raffles I've seen, you pick your own prize.

See even that would have been fairer. I just think the fact they so obviously did it going from the less good prizes to the best is what made me and the colleague think it wasn't fair as even though you would have won a prize you didn't have the chance to win all the prizes.

OP posts:

DappledThings · 16/07/2025 07:43

PopcornAndPizza · 16/07/2025 07:40

See even that would have been fairer. I just think the fact they so obviously did it going from the less good prizes to the best is what made me and the colleague think it wasn't fair as even though you would have won a prize you didn't have the chance to win all the prizes.

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From what you're describing it sounds like she bought a strip of 5 tickets but once one from that 5 had won the other 4 were discounted. If that is what happened then that's the unfair thing. The order of prizes is a red herring.

rainbowunicorn22 · 16/07/2025 07:43

if people are not given free reign to pick what they like, though as another poster said the last few get crap that will no doubt be donated to another raffle. watch the prizes carefully some you see pop up again and again, mainly dodgy alcohol or bath sets.
otherwise it should be in ascending order. if the first prize was a tablet which i think is a good prize for first. my grandsons school has had first prize of tvs bikes etc but to be honest the voucher seemed a good prize. wonder what the prizes were in between?

Alongthetowpath · 16/07/2025 07:45

Presumably if your ticket is drawn for a “lesser” prize you can decline it and ask for the ticket to be put back into the bucket (or whatever they use to put the tickets in)?

So you can keep your chance for the big prize. I imagine most people wouldn’t do that, but if you cared that much about the top prize then there wouldn’t be anything stopping you.

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 07:51

Alongthetowpath · 16/07/2025 07:45

Presumably if your ticket is drawn for a “lesser” prize you can decline it and ask for the ticket to be put back into the bucket (or whatever they use to put the tickets in)?

So you can keep your chance for the big prize. I imagine most people wouldn’t do that, but if you cared that much about the top prize then there wouldn’t be anything stopping you.

People aren't always present at the draw. It's often relatives etc.

Ellie1015 · 16/07/2025 07:51

I think as long as they are consitant either option is fine.

For me it would only be wrong if the next person got to choose prize when first person was allocated.

tigger1001 · 16/07/2025 07:52

I've been to many a coffee morning, and locally that's how it's done - biggest prize last. But yoy buy a strip of tickets so unless all of your tickets have been called out (incredibly unlikely) you still have a chance of the top prize.

Simplegazette · 16/07/2025 07:59

You are right - In the States a few years ago someone took a raffle organiser to court and won - they had bought a ticket solely to have the chance of winning the big main prize, but it was agreed when they won a lesser prize before the main draw, they had zero chance of winning the main prize and therefore the raffle was unfair to them even more so as they were denied or not offered the chance to buy another ticket!

TwoToots · 16/07/2025 08:02

CyberStrider · 16/07/2025 07:24

Our argument was that all tickets should have a chance to win the main prize which is why you draw that prize first.

Everyone who bought a ticket had a chance at winning the main prize, the fact that to win the main prize your ticket had to not be drawn for a smaller prize doesn't negate that

But they didn’t. That’s the point. She couldn’t have won the big prize as her ticket wasn’t in the draw anymore.

You could raffle a car and sell 500 tickets then draw 499 out and give them a packet of Haribo and then the last ticket is the only one that can get the car.

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 08:02

tigger1001 · 16/07/2025 07:52

I've been to many a coffee morning, and locally that's how it's done - biggest prize last. But yoy buy a strip of tickets so unless all of your tickets have been called out (incredibly unlikely) you still have a chance of the top prize.

With every lower prize you win, your chance at the top prize is reduced. Not a problem if they're all of a similar value, but if you have a Top Prize and lots of smaller ones then it's unfair to assume people won't mind which prize they are buying a chance for with each ticket.

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 08:03

You could raffle a car and sell 500 tickets then draw 499 out and give them a packet of Haribo and then the last ticket is the only one that can get the car.

Exactly!

Moonnstars · 16/07/2025 08:04

Looking back I am sure this is how the raffle worked when I was at primary school. The headteacher would pick the prize (tickets, box of chocs, the lower value items) and call the number. This would then build up ending with the cash prize as the big win at the end.

SprayWhiteDung · 16/07/2025 08:09

DappledThings · 16/07/2025 07:43

From what you're describing it sounds like she bought a strip of 5 tickets but once one from that 5 had won the other 4 were discounted. If that is what happened then that's the unfair thing. The order of prizes is a red herring.

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This happens an awful lot. A big play is made of the fact that your money buys a whole strip - but then the whole intact strip is entered into the draw; meaning that it is effectively only one ticket. There's no actual option to just buy one single ticket, so it's silly.

The organisers will then pull out a strip and announce "The winner is Buff 326-330" - and so many people just don't understand that their chances of winning were no better than if the organisers hadn't wasted five times as much paper as they needed to, and had just sold single tickets.

I agree that it should be drawn in the order of the biggest/best prizes first, down to the smallest ones last - or otherwise give winners the free choice of all the prizes that are left.

A little prize is meant to be a nice consolation afterwards that at least you got something once the decent prizes were gone; not a spoiler that excludes you from any chance of the top prize whilst it still hasn't yet been won.

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 08:11

A big play is made of the fact that your money buys a whole strip - but then the whole intact strip is entered into the draw; meaning that it is effectively only one ticket

Wow, does this really happen? That's nuts.

3luckystars · 16/07/2025 08:13

I never thought about this but you are correct. This thread is great!

SprayWhiteDung · 16/07/2025 08:13

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 08:11

A big play is made of the fact that your money buys a whole strip - but then the whole intact strip is entered into the draw; meaning that it is effectively only one ticket

Wow, does this really happen? That's nuts.

Yes, I'd say more often than not in all the raffles I've entered over the last couple of years.

LindorDoubleChoc · 16/07/2025 08:15

Can I just say this is the most interesting and thought provoking thread that I've read on Mumsnet for ages!

Shenmen · 16/07/2025 08:18

TwoToots · 16/07/2025 06:33

That’s not the point though. There are rules for raffles in the uk.

https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/public-and-players/guide/fundraising-prize-draws-raffles-and-lotteries

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And the rules are clear that either way is acceptable.

zaxxon · 16/07/2025 08:19

A little prize is meant to be a nice consolation afterwards that at least you got something once the decent prizes were gone; not a spoiler that excludes you from any chance of the top prize whilst it still hasn't yet been won

It's still a consolation whether you win it before or after the big prize draw, though. People are talking as if the smaller prizes are valueless, but they do have value that offsets your changed odds.

Look at this way. I enter a raffle and buy enough tickets that I have a 100-to-1 chance of winning the big prize.

Outcome A: I walk away with a bottle of wine (small prize), having had (say) a 105-to-1 chance of winning the big prize, since my wine-winning ticket dropped out of the running.

Outcome B: I maintain my more favourable 100-to-1 odds throughout, but walk away with nothing.

NescafeAndIce · 16/07/2025 08:21

When you run raffles you have to apply for a licence (depending on what sort it is) and have to report back on each one afterwards. In a way it's surprising (but not really, considering our country's love of meaningless bureaucracy!) that the actual fairness of it isn't governed in this way at all!

Needmorelego · 16/07/2025 08:21

I have only ever known raffles where the big prize is picked LAST.
Surely it's to encourage people to buy more than one ticket.
Most people are encouraged to buy a strip - which is 5 tickets.
You could then win 5 prizes or no prizes.
If all your tickets have been picked you are "out of the game" and can't win any more.
If you want a completely equal chance you need to buy as many tickets as there are prizes.

CyberStrider · 16/07/2025 08:21

TwoToots · 16/07/2025 08:02

But they didn’t. That’s the point. She couldn’t have won the big prize as her ticket wasn’t in the draw anymore.

You could raffle a car and sell 500 tickets then draw 499 out and give them a packet of Haribo and then the last ticket is the only one that can get the car.

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At the point she bought the ticket and before anything was drawn, she had the same chance of winning the big prize as anyone else.

The fact that in his scenario you had to not win a smaller prize and then be drawn for the big prize doesn't change that.

3luckystars · 16/07/2025 08:22

AgileLilacHelper · 16/07/2025 06:18

Does anyone really go into a raffle expecting or hoping to win the big prize (or any prize)?

The odds are extremely low, so any prize is a win - I’m surely not the only one who’s just buying a ticket because it’s fundraising for x school or y charity… it’s essentially a donation.

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yes every time. I always think I’m going to win everything and have it all planned the minute I buy the ticket.

I sometimes don’t enter competitions thinking ‘I don’t really want that prize’ I’m
so convinced I’m going to win everything that I don’t want the hassle of trying to reallocate the prize , 😂

BoredZelda · 16/07/2025 08:24

PopcornAndPizza · 16/07/2025 06:47

Once your colleague had won with ticket 326, she still had 327, 328, 329 and 330 that could win a bigger prize.

But it's not about having 4 tickets that could still win the tablet it's that all the tickets should have the same chance of winning the top prize which is presumably known to be superior and therefore used as a top prize to gain more sales.

Our argument was that all tickets should have a chance to win the main prize which is why you draw that prize first.

All tickets do have the same chance, when you buy the ticket. There are 8 prizes and let’s say 200 tickets. The odds of winning the top prize don’t change no matter which order you draw it in.