Lottery Raffles - What You Need to Know!
What are lottery raffles and how can you use them to your advantage? Raffles are often overlooked by players, which is a pity as they can bring some amazing wins! When playing a lottery with a raffle such as the EuroMillions for instance, your entry might not match any of the numbers in the draw of the lottery itself, but you could still win an attractive prizes in the lottery raffle.
Raffles don’t draw the attention that enormous jackpots attract, but they still boast substantial prizes that are guaranteed to be won! Raffles offer you a second chance at winning, so they are definitely worth a try!
If you want to learn about raffles and how you can benefit from them, our comprehensive guide is the resource you need.
What Is a Raffle?
The term raffle is defined as "a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets, one or some of which are subsequently drawn at random, the holder or holders of such tickets winning a prize." This dictionary definition is too generic, and it makes it seem as though lotteries and raffles are the same thing. Well, there are plenty of relevant differences between the two, as you can see below!
So, What Is the Difference Between a Raffle and a Lottery?
First, there are stand-alone raffles (like the monthly Loteria Nacional Extra from Spain) and raffles that are held in conjunction with a standard regular lottery draw. When you play a stand-alone raffle, you buy your tickets directly for the raffle.
When purchasing tickets to lotteries that offer a supplementary raffle each of your lines is assigned an additional number which will be used in the raffle. In case this alphanumeric code, printed at the bottom of your ticket, matches the code extracted in the raffle, you become the winner of the raffle prize.
It might sound confusing but bear with us! Take a look at the main differences between raffles and lotteries:
In Lotteries, You Choose Your Own Numbers
When you buy tickets to a standard lottery draw, you get to select your own numbers. When you play a raffle, you receive a pre-printed, automatically-generated raffle code.
In Raffles, There is Always a Jackpot Winner
As you already know, lottery draws don’t always have a jackpot winner, as there is no guarantee that the numbers selected by officials will actually be guessed by at least one of the players. In raffles, the jackpot is always won, as the draw only includes the codes that correspond to the raffle tickets that were sold.
Raffles Award their Prizes on a Fixed Date
Unlike lotteries which can rollover multiple times, raffles take place on a set date and the winners are determined then. For example, the French version of the EuroMillions holds an additional My Million raffle with a guaranteed €10 Lakh winner per draw, regardless of the outcome of the previous draw.
Raffles Offer a Limited Number of Tickets
Lotteries offer an unlimited number of tickets, while raffles only produce a fixed number of raffle codes per sale. To compensate for this, the Spanish Loteria de Navidad and Loteria del Nino print each alphanumeric code multiple times and then separate each copy into shares, so that more people can take part in the raffle. For these raffles, it is possible to be multiple jackpot winners per draw.
Lottery Jackpots Grow While Raffle Jackpots Don’t
Lotteries offer a guaranteed starting point for their jackpots, which can then grow based on the number of tickets sold. With no winner, the jackpot rolls over, unless there is a jackpot cap in place. Raffles, on the other hand, display the fixed values of their jackpots and other prizes in advance. Raffle jackpots are awarded in each draw and they never roll over.
How Do Lottery Raffles Work?
A raffle is basically a gambling competition where each participant receives a numbered ticket with a chance of winning a prize. During the draw, a random set of numbers is pulled out from a container containing a copy of every number combination that was printed. These numbers drawn out correspond to a pre-decided amount of prizes. The holder of the ticket with the right numbers wins the prize.
Which Lotteries Offer Raffles?
On LottoSmile you get access to a few international lotteries offering additional raffle draws: Austria EuroMillions, Spain EuroMillions, France Loto, and Canada Lotto 649. You can also read more about the most famous Spanish raflle in our EuroMillions raffles guide! You will certainly be inspired to start playing these special events!
🇦🇹 EuroMillions Austria, Österreich Bonus
If you play EuroMillions by purchasing Austria EuroMillions tickets you also have a chance of winning the Österreich Bonus, a special raffle created exclusively for players buying their tickets in Austria. It offers a guaranteed prize of €1,00,000, every draw! This extra raffle was first introduced in July 2018 and it takes place along with regular Austria EuroMillions draws (on Tuesday and Friday).
🇪🇸 EuroMillions Spain, El Millon Raffle
Play the EuroMillions lottery in Spain and you are directly entered into the El Millon, Spanish for ‘the million,’ raffle. Obviously, the winner of the El Millon raffle receives €10 Lakh!
EuroMillions draws are held bi-weekly, on Tuesday and Friday, and the El Millon raffle is held with each draw. This means that two lucky players win a €10 Lakh prize every week.
🇨🇦 Canada 649
This popular Canadian lottery Canada 649 gives players an extra chance to win CAD$10 Lakh with every draw. For every ticket submitted, an additional number for the Guaranteed Prize Draw raffle is issued. Lottery and raffle draws are held on Wednesday and Saturday, every week!
🥐 France Loto
A special raffle is paired with each draw of the France Loto awarding 10 prizes, worth €20,000 each. This comes as an addition to the regular lottery prizes awarded in the draw.
Take a Chance and Start Playing Lottery Raffles
Lotteries with raffles award amazing prizes, sometimes even enough to make you rich right away! Moreover, all raffle prizes are guaranteed to be won, so you have a strong chance of scooping them! However, to fight for a chance to win an incredible raffle prize you first have to start playing the lottery! Why not double your chances of winning by choosing a lottery raffle? We hope luck is on your side!