Falcon Lottery – Rules & Procedures

To ensure fairness, transparency and good governance, these are the official rules and procedures for the Falcon Rowing Club Lottery.

1. Eligibility

  • The lottery is open to all Falcon Boat Club members aged 16 and over.
  • All sections of the club are welcome to participate.
  • Non members are strictly prohibited from purchasing tickets.

2. How to Enter

  • Each lottery entry (“ticket”) costs £5 per month, payable via direct debit to the rowing account.
  • Entries must be received by the last day of each month to be eligible for the following month’s draw.
  • Members sign up via an online form (Google Form), providing:
    • Name
    • Email address
    • Phone number
    • Confirmation of payment

3. Ticketing Process

  • The Google Form sign-up process generates a unique reference number for each ticket.
  • Each ticket is registered solely to the original purchaser and is only valid in months when payment is received by the required date.
  • Using Automation Tools, once confirmed, tickets are issued via email as a PDF, which includes:
    • Falcon Rowing Club branding and the phrase “Falcon Lottery”
    • The club’s lottery license number
    • The ticket’s unique reference number
    • The name of the ticket holder
    • Information on how and when the draw will be conducted
    • Basic Terms & Conditions (e.g. age requirement, payment deadlines, ticket non-transferability)

4. The Draw

  • The draw takes place on the first Saturday of each month.
  • Only those who have paid for that month will be included.
  • Each valid ticket corresponds to a numbered entry in the draw.
  • A physical draw (e.g. numbered balls, tickets or tokens) will be conducted in-person by two lottery administrators, using a transparent method that ensures randomness and fairness.
  • A simple numbered ledger will match names to ticket numbers and be reviewed before each draw.

5. Prizes

Each month, five cash prizes will be awarded, based on a share of the total funds collected (the “Monthly Lottery Money”):

  • First Prize: 30%
  • Second Prize: 15%
  • Three Runner-Up Prizes: 5% each

Winners’ names will be published on the club noticeboard and contacted directly by email.

6. Fund Use

  • The remaining 50% of the funds raised will be transferred to the club’s Fairness Fund, which helps support members with costs like kit, race fees, or hardship.

7. Oversight & Governance

  • The lottery will be administered by nominated club members
  • An annual audit of participation, payments, and draw procedures will be conducted by an independent member of the Falcon Trust.

Administrators will:

  • Verify payment lists and participant eligibility at the end of each month
  • Ensure PDF tickets have been issued and logged
  • Run and record the monthly draw
  • Notify winners and organise prize payments
  • Transfer remaining funds to the Fairness Fund (NB: Matters related to dispersing Falcon Fairness Funds will be handled by the Bursary Committee)

These procedures ensure that the Falcon Lottery is run fairly, transparently, and in line with club values and regulatory expectations.