Every question we get. Answered straight.

A raffle generator randomly selects one or more winners from a pool of entries — replacing the physical act of drawing names from a hat or drum. A proper raffle generator creates a verifiable public record of the draw so participants can confirm the result was fair without trusting a screenshot or taking the organizer's word for it.

The concept was pioneered by The Web Design Ninja team in 2005 — the first software built specifically to automate this for nonprofits. The term "raffle ticket generator" didn't have a search result when they coined it. This tool handles the drawing only. If you need to sell tickets online and collect payment, you need a full raffle platform.

Yes, completely. No signup, no account, no email required. No tips at checkout — which is the model some competitor tools use to make "free" mean something other than free. No upsell disguised as a free tier.

The draw tool at rafflegenerator.com is free to use for as many draws as you want, for as long as you want. If you eventually need to sell tickets online and run a complete raffle fundraiser, Chance2Win's platform and the WPRaffle WordPress plugin are the options — but using this tool never obligates you to either.

Four modes on the homepage tool:

Name Draw — Paste any list, one entry per line. Draw one or more winners. Configurable for duplicates or unique picks.

Ticket # Draw — Enter your lowest and highest sold ticket numbers. The tool draws a winning number from that range. Up to 10 winners.

Multi-Prize — Draw separate winners for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and beyond. Prize labels are editable. Unlimited prizes.

Card Draw — A 54-card deck for Queen of Hearts raffles. Click any card to reveal it; the Queen of Hearts triggers the win state. Note: the correct language is always "selecting" a card, not "betting on" one — that distinction matters legally.

Every mode produces a verifiable draw ID and shareable result link.

Yes. Every draw uses crypto.getRandomValues() — a cryptographic randomness API built into modern browsers that draws from hardware-level entropy sources. This is meaningfully different from Math.random(), which uses a mathematical algorithm that can in theory be predicted or reproduced from its seed.

Cryptographic randomness cannot be predicted or gamed. It is the same standard used in security applications for generating encryption keys and secure tokens. The draw is statistically uniform across the entry pool — every entry has an equal shot, and no outside force can influence the result.

Every draw produces a unique identifier formatted as C2W-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and a shareable public URL at rafflegenerator.com/verify/[id]. Anyone with that link can view the draw record — including the entry count, timestamp, random seed, and winner(s).

This means you don't have to ask participants to trust a screenshot. You share the verify link, and they can check it themselves. It is the same transparency principle that auditable financial systems use — applied to raffle draws. For nonprofits that need to demonstrate fairness to members or regulators, this link is the documentation.

No. Entry names are never stored on our servers. The draw runs in your browser using client-side JavaScript — your list never leaves your device in its raw form.

What gets logged to create the verifiable record is a hash of the sorted entry list (a one-way cryptographic fingerprint), the entry count, timestamp, and winning result. The verify page shows the hash and count, which lets anyone confirm the pool size and draw integrity without exposing participant names. Your supporters' data stays private.

This tool draws a winner from a list you already have. That's it. It does not sell tickets, collect payment, or manage the raffle operation.

A full raffle platform handles the entire chain: ticket sales to the public, payment processing, digital ticket delivery by email, unique ticket number assignment, entry tracking, compliance review, and the final draw. If your raffle exists on paper or in a spreadsheet and you just need to pick a winner fairly — this tool is exactly right. If you need to raise money by selling tickets online, you need a platform.

The draw tool doesn't collect money or sell tickets — it only draws from an existing list. So yes, you can use it to draw from entries you've already collected through other means. Many organizations sell tickets on paper or at events, compile a list, and use this tool to pick the winner.

If your goal is to sell tickets to the public online — collecting payments, delivering digital tickets, tracking entries automatically — you need a platform built for that. Chance2Win builds complete raffle websites for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. WPRaffle is a self-hosted WordPress plugin for organizations with a developer.

The Card Draw mode handles single-session Queen of Hearts draws — a full 54-card deck, click any card to reveal, with a special win state when the Queen of Hearts is selected. That covers a one-time draw or a demonstration.

For a real multi-week Queen of Hearts raffle — where you need to sell tickets each week, track which card each supporter selected, display the growing jackpot on a public board, and manage the deck across many weeks — you need Chance2Win's managed platform. It is the only online platform with a fully automated Queen of Hearts workflow.

Important: the correct language is always "selecting a card" — never "betting on" a card. That distinction is legally required in charitable gaming contexts.

Both plans are free to the organization — the competitive argument is transparency and donor experience, not price.

Zero Fee: $0 to the org. Donors pay a fixed 12% service charge disclosed upfront at checkout. Stripe only. Cart abandonment runs about 1–2% incremental above nonprofit baseline.

Premium: Flat fee to the org starting at $329 for raffles up to $5,000. Supporters may optionally add a supporter charge — that flows 100% to the organization, not to Chance2Win. Stripe, Square, and Authorize.net all supported. ~0% incremental abandonment.

Premium's multi-gateway support matters when your prizes include wine, bourbon, cigars, or other regulated items — Stripe suspends accounts for these even when the raffle is entirely legal. Multi-gateway is your protection against a mid-campaign account suspension.

No. The ~8% supporter charge is an optional amount that organizations themselves choose to add at checkout — it flows 100% to the organization, not to Chance2Win. Some organizations add it; some don't. Some regulated states (Colorado, for example) require payment processing fees to be covered separately, so those organizations typically use a smaller percentage instead.

Chance2Win's revenue comes from the flat platform fee on Premium plans — a separate, transparent charge that the organization pays directly. .

The Chance2Win Team, based in Apollo Beach, Florida. The team at The Web Design Ninja built the first online raffle ticket generator as standalone PHP software in 2005 — before online raffles were common, and before "raffle ticket generator" existed as a search term. The concept was invented here.

The software has evolved across every major web platform of the past 20 years: PHP, Joomla, osCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce. Chance2Win is the fully managed platform for nonprofits. WPRaffle is the WordPress plugin for organizations with their own developer. We answer the phone at (813) 699-9325 — US-based, raffle-specific support, no chatbot.

In most US states, yes — a charitable gaming permit or license is required before selling raffle tickets. Five states currently prohibit raffles for nonprofits entirely: Alabama, Utah, Kansas, Washington, and Hawaii. Requirements vary significantly by state — some have simplified single-event permits, others require annual registration.

Always verify with your state's gaming commission or Secretary of State before selling a single ticket. Raffle and charitable gaming laws vary by state — this is not legal advice.

In approximately 45 states, yes — with the appropriate permit or registration. Running a raffle online also requires a free mail-in entry option to comply with federal consumer protection law when entries cross state lines.

Chance2Win operates in approximately 45 states and does not operate in Utah (prohibits fundraising raffles) or Hawaii (prohibits paid raffles). Raffle and charitable gaming laws vary by state — this is not legal advice. Always verify before selling tickets.