Supporters FAQ
Q: Has this type of Lottery been created prior to now?
A: This is a unique Lottery. So - not quite the same type has been created - but similar! A number of bespoke Lotteries have been set up across the UK over recent years and the Western Isles Lifestyle Lottery was created to raise funds for the regeneration of its many Communities. This includes providing support to improve the aesthetics of the environment, enhance the local amenities and to provide events for the benefit of both residents and tourists.
Q: What are the basics?
A: A ticket for the lottery costs £1 each per week. Players can buy as many tickets as they wish and can choose their own numbers or select a lucky dip. There will be 3 guaranteed winners each week. The size of the guaranteed prizes will depend upon the tickets sold that week.
There will be a draw every Saturday night when the three winning tickets will be picked.
Q: What is the Western Isles Lifestyle Lottery?
A: The Western Isles Lifestyle Lottery (WILL) is a new weekly lottery brought to you by The Western Isles Community Society for which registered status has been applied for to the Scotland Charity Regulator (OSCR).
When you buy a ticket for £1 you will be entered into a draw to win cash prizes. By playing the WILL you’ll be helping:
- To improve the aesthetics throughout the Western Isles to provide a more pleasing environment for residents and attract tourism;
- To upgrade current facilities around the Islands for the benefit of all;
- To provide additional recreational activities and events throughout the Western Isles;
- To encourage and enable the participation of those residing in the Western Isles, and to foster their inclusive support, in an upgrading of their environment;
- To embrace the extensive multi-national cultures of those families who have relocated to reside in the Western Isles by seeking their views and helping them make decisions in the planning of all recreational aspects of Island life to support integration and social cohesion.
- To create employment through innovative projects where at all possible.
Q: How do I play?
A: You can either set up a monthly recurring payment plan via Direct Debit (or payment card), or pay for a block of 1, 3, 6 or 12 months of weekly tickets on a non-recurring basis.
Simply visit www.westernisleslottery.co.uk and click on 'Buy Tickets' then follow the instructions.
You can purchase and add on tickets at any time up to the maximum permitted.
A dedicated telephone number is available for support if you experience any difficulties with the purchasing of tickets.
We cannot accept payments for a single week draw as payment processing costs would impact the amounts we could provide to prizes and the area lottery funds. Therefore, to minimise operating costs, the minimum payment is £5.00, equalling one ticket for the following five Saturday night draws - £10 for two tickets etc.
There is no commitment to stay in the Lottery following your payment for the first 5 draws and you can choose to leave at any time thereafter.
You can also form a syndicate to allow groups to play. We provide more information on playing safely as a syndicate here: Syndicates
Q: What if I do not have an e-mail account?
A: All communication with you will be done via post.
Q: How much do tickets cost?
A: Each ticket costs £1 / week. You can buy more than one ticket for each draw. At least 55p from every £1 ticket you buy will be spent on supporting the good causes of the lottery – allocated to the Community area the ticket was purchased in. The remainder is spent on weekly cash prizes (25p in every pound), and the remaining 20p on the administration of the lottery.
Q: What information will I need to sign up?
A: Signing up is easy. We just need your name, email address, and postal address. We also need your date of birth to validate you are over 18. Your bank details will also be required for Direct Debit payments.
Q: What prizes can be won?
A: There will be three guaranteed cash winners chosen at random every week with the cash-prizes they win being calculated as a percentage of the total ticket sales bought for that week’s draw, up to a maximum of £25,000.
Q: How does the draw work?
A: The draw process is a raffle, whereby the selection of winning tickets is based upon the selection of a ticket at random from all the eligible tickets for that draw which takes place each Saturday. Each ticket is unique and has an equal chance of winning, including any additional tickets you may buy. The winning ticket will be selected at random using the online resource http://www.random.org/ who are independently verified for their random number generation using atmospheric noise.
Q: What’s the purpose of picking numbers?
A: Many people have favourite or memorable numbers and some feel particular numbers are luckier than others. We allow you to choose a cherished set of numbers, whether that be your telephone number, date of birth or other number important to you. If you don’t want to choose your own numbers you can click the 'choose for me' button (lucky dip). The numbers themselves do not win you the prize – the individual ticket with your name, address and postcode, regardless of the numbers chosen, is the winner.
You can buy additional tickets for inclusion in the same draw and choose different numbers or the same six digit “Game Number” for your additional tickets. Each ticket and additional ticket you buy will be unique when entered into the draw and has an equal chance of winning.
Q: What are the odds of winning a prize?
A: The chances of winning vary according to the number of tickets bought and entered in the lottery each week.
Q: Can a prize be won by more than one ticket?
A: No. Each £1 ticket offers a unique chance to win a prize. This guarantees only one winner can be drawn for each of the three guaranteed prizes. If any ticket wins one of the three prizes it is not eligible to win any of the others. However, if you have bought more than one ticket in a draw then it is possible for one of your tickets to win one of the prizes and one of your additional tickets to win another prize.
Q: When will the first draw be?
A: The first draw will be on Sat 19 August 2017 and a draw will take place every week thereafter, 52 weeks of the year, each Saturday night at 8PM BST.
Q: How do winners find out that they've won?
A: Every week, all winners will be advised by e-mail. The winners will also be published on our main website, Facebook and X each week following the draw.
The winners will also be announced via the local Community’s facebook pages, on local radio and in local newspapers. The area in which the ticket has been won, will also be advertised.
However, the winner’s name will be abbreviated (ie Mr M) together with the area it was purchased (ie Mr M – Harris) and full details of the winner will only be advertised with the winner’s permission.
Q: How will I receive my winnings?
A: Your winnings will be paid directly into your nominated bank account or you can choose to donate your winnings back to your Community fund.
Q: If at least 55p per entry goes to support the good causes, where does the other 45p go?
A: 25p goes to prizes and the remaining 20p is for administration of the lottery and VAT.
Q: What safeguards are there?
A: The Western Isles Community Society (WICS) is governed by a Small Society Lottery Licence which is overseen by the Gambling Commission to ensure the Lottery is run in a in a fair and open way - including measures to protect children and vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling. Furthermore, the sale of lottery tickets, the weekly draws and the paying-out of prizes will all be undertaken independently of the WICS by an External Lottery Management company, who are fully licenced by the Gambling Commission and have a proven success in Lottery Management. Should ticket sales reach a level of 5000 per week, the WICS must then apply directly to the Gambling Commission for an upgrade to the Licence. At that stage, the WICS hope to also apply for membership to the Lotteries Council and, through them, contribute to the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT), the leading charity in the UK committed to minimising gambling-related harm.
*For more details about self-exclusion and other safeguarding measures go to www.begambleaware.org
Q: Who deals with any questions I may have?
A: We do. We have a dedicated support number that deals directly with any queries you may have.
We also have a dedicated email address.
