Fun casinos can offer an excellent opportunity to raise funds at charity fundraising events, and none is simpler than running a roulette raffle.
Fun casino tables are predominantly there to provide entertainment to your guests during your fundraising party or ball. They offer a touch of glamour and a great way to keep your valued guests engaged.
There are many ways in which you can raise funds through a fun casino hire. We’ve talked about sponsorship and general fundraising ideas in other blog posts, but this time around we are focussing on the concept of using the casino equipment for a raffle.
There are regulations around the gaming act and it is not possible to simply provide a casino-for-cash gaming at a fundraiser. Even if it was possible, it would be a foolhardy and brave attraction, because even though the odds are in favour of the ‘house’, variance means that the house can lose, and lose big, on any given night.
So while it’s possible to charge a small fee to allow players to take part in the casino entertainment, and to have prizes to be won, participants can’t gamble for cash.
The Gambling Commission has clear guidelines on raffles, tombolas and sweepstakes. The key thing is that raffles can only be run either to raise money for good causes or for fun. They cannot be run for private or commercial gain, and there are three factors in running a ‘simple’ lottery:
- you have to pay to enter
- there is at least one prize
- prizes are awarded solely on chance.
Raffles and 50-50 clubs are a popular way to raise funds. The tickets are purchased, with half of the revenue going to the good cause, and half to the winner.
A roulette raffle is a variation on this, with the roulette wheel providing the element.
A standard roulette wheel has 37 pockets, offering 37 outcomes on any single spin.
With a roulette raffle, the organisers can sell the 37 numbers at a set price (say £10 each). When the wheel is spun the person whose number comes up is the winner and gets the prize pot, with the profit going to charity.
The prize can be set at whatever the organiser feels is appropriate. Selling at £10 per number will raise £370 per spin. At 50-50, the prize would be £185 with £185 to the good cause, however offering a prize of £300 (with £70 for the fund raiser) may be more appealing and get more participants. The beauty of the roulette raffle is that organisers can run regular raffles throughout the night, for example hourly or as and when the numbers fill up, while players get a chance to win a significant prize for their donation.
As always, it is important to understand that the fun casino cannot be the main or sole reason for your event. It can be an attraction, for example, alongside a meal and some music, but never the sole attraction. There are a few more legalities to consider, but the Gambling Commission website provides clear guidelines, while your fun casino company should also be able to advise.
