Most raffles run to plan: tickets sell, the draw closes, a winner is picked. The hard moments are the others. Sales stall halfway, a prize falls through, or a verified draw can't get its public randomness. What you do then decides whether players trust your next draw. This guide covers the options RaffKing and PrizeX give you when a draw needs to stop or change, what players see in each case, and the rules worth setting before you need them.
Who has it
- Lottery is included in RaffKing and PrizeX, and is an add-on for BidKing.
- Verified draws are on for a new store. Any open draw can be cancelled with refunds, but converting and voiding are only for verified draws, so it's worth knowing which kind each of your draws is.
Your options while a draw is open
Let it run
Often the fairest choice. A verified draw's end can't be moved and auto-extend doesn't touch it, which matches the UK's code of practice for prize draw operators: don't move a draw because of low sales. Plan prizes so a draw can run whatever sells.
Cancel it with full refunds
- For any draw that's still open, verified or ordinary, the draw's edit page offers Cancel draw with full refunds until the draw closes.
- Every ticket is refunded once, at what it cost, to the buyer's wallet on your site. Free entries cost nothing, so they refund nothing. Tickets paid with spend-only coins come back as spend-only coins.
- Ticket sales stop and nobody wins. The admin is asked to confirm, because it can't be undone, and the cancellation is logged with how many customers were refunded and the total.
Convert it to an ordinary draw
- A verified draw can be converted before it closes. Its Verified badge and commitment are removed, and its page and Verify page say "Not verified" with the reason.
- Its dates become editable, and the admin is warned that the UK code says not to move a draw's end. Use this rarely and say why on the draw page.
Neither cancelling nor converting is possible once a draw has closed. After the close, the public randomness may already decide the result, so the only honest paths are to draw it or, if it's stuck, to void it.
If a verified draw gets stuck
- A verified draw waits for the public randomness it was committed to. If that can't be fetched, it keeps trying and is never drawn another way.
- After the hours you set, the dashboard shows the draw as stuck.
- The only way out is to void it, which refunds every ticket at what it cost, once.
What players see
- On the draw page: "This draw was cancelled and every ticket refunded in full. Nobody wins it." A draw converted to an ordinary draw says it's not verified and why.
- In My Tickets: their tickets show "Refunded".
- In their wallet: a refund entry naming the draw.
- On printed receipts, if you use Print Ticket: "Cancelled · Refunded" or "Voided · Refunded", marked as not a valid entry.
- Cancelled draws leave your live listings.
No email is sent, so tell players yourself, for example with an announcement or a message to everyone who bought a ticket.
Refunds go to the wallet
Refunds are paid into the buyer's wallet on your site, not back to their card. Say this in your terms. Whether players can cash out wallet money depends on whether you offer withdrawals, and on your rules for them.
Rules to set before launch
- When you'll cancel a draw, for example if a prize becomes unavailable, and that refunds go to the wallet.
- That draws run whatever sells, if you use verified draws.
- How you'll tell players if a draw is cancelled or voided.
- Licensing. Paid raffles and lotteries are regulated in many countries. The operator is responsible for compliance, so check with a local lawyer before launch. Raffle sites require sign-ups to be 18 or over, checked against date of birth. You can raise that age, but not lower it.
Common questions
Can I cancel a raffle and refund everyone?
Yes, for any draw that's still open, verified or not. Every ticket is refunded once, at what it cost, to the buyer's wallet, and nobody wins.
Can I extend a raffle that isn't selling?
Not a verified draw: its end can't be moved, which follows the UK code for prize draws. You can convert it to an ordinary draw first, but it then shows as not verified, and moving its end goes against that code.
Where do refunds go?
To the buyer's wallet on your site, not back to their card.
What happens if a verified draw can't be drawn?
It keeps waiting for its public randomness and is never drawn another way. After the hours you set, you can void it, which refunds every ticket.