How to run an online raffle, step by step
An online raffle is an ordinary raffle (numbers, a prize and a public draw that picks the winner) whose numbers are sold and tracked online. This guide works for any country in Latin America and for Spain.
1. Choose the prize and work out the price per number
Start with the prize and what it costs. Add up what you will spend (the prize, delivery, promotion) and decide how much you want to raise. The price per number is that goal divided by the numbers you expect to sell, not by every number in the raffle: they almost never all sell.
A prize that makes sense in one photo sells better than one that needs explaining. If the prize is money, state the exact amount.
2. Decide how many numbers the raffle has
The most common raffle has 100 numbers, 00 to 99, drawn with the last two digits of a lottery. If you have many buyers you can run 1,000 numbers (000 to 999) with the last three digits. Fewer numbers sell faster; more numbers allow a lower price per number.
3. Pick the draw that decides the winner
So nobody doubts the result, the winner is decided by a public draw you do not control: your country's lottery on a set date. In Colombia a lottery such as Bogotá's or Medellín's is typical; in Mexico, the Lotería Nacional; in Argentina, the Quiniela. Announce from the start which draw, which date and which digits count.
Also decide what happens if the winning number was not sold: play again with the next draw, or the organizer keeps the prize. Write it down before selling, not after.
4. Decide how buyers will pay
In an online raffle the buyer pays the organizer directly. Choose what your buyers already use: bank transfer, digital wallets (Nequi or Daviplata in Colombia, Mercado Pago in Argentina and Mexico, Yape or Plin in Peru, SPEI in Mexico) or cash. Always ask for the receipt, and mark the number paid only once you have seen it.
A number held and never paid for is the most common raffle problem. Set a deadline to pay and release the number if the payment does not arrive.
5. Share it on WhatsApp and social media
Most raffles sell on WhatsApp. Share a short message with the prize, the price, the date and the link or the sheet. Send the updated sheet now and then: seeing numbers run out nudges the undecided.
6. Hold the draw and hand over the prize
On draw day, share the lottery's official result and the winning number. Contact the winner, hand over the prize and, if they agree, post a photo of it: the best advertising for your next raffle.
7. Follow your country's rules
Raffles are regulated differently in each country, and some need a permit depending on the prize or the amount. In Colombia, for example, they are governed by Law 643 of 2001. Check the rules where you run the raffle before you start selling.
If you'd rather have a paper sheet
You can print a 00 to 99 sheet with your raffle's details, free and without signing up: printable raffle sheet.
Or set it up online in a minute
On La Rifa you create the raffle, set the price per number in your currency and share a single link. Buyers hold their number from their phone, upload the receipt, and you see live who has paid. The free plan includes one raffle of up to 100 numbers.