Frequently Asked Questions

How Unity works

What is the Unity Lottery platform?

The Unity Lottery is a lottery platform which charities of all shapes and sizes can use to run their own fundraising lotteries. The Unity Lottery platform is administered by Sterling Management Centre Limited, a licensed External Lottery Manager (ELM) by the Gambling Commission.

How do the lotteries work?

The Unity platform enables charities and good causes to run their own weekly lottery costing £1 per entry, per week, to support their fundraising. The draw is run every Friday and each entry has the chance to win one of four amazing prizes, including the top prize of £25,000!

Where does the money go?

For every £1 played, at least 50p goes directly to the respective cause as profit. The other 50p is split between the prize pot and administration costs.

How are all the lotteries able to offer £25,000 as a top prize?

When players win a prize, this is covered by the Unity prize pot. This means that charities using Unity for their fundraising lotteries can offer a £25,000 jackpot and smaller prizes to their players.

What are the odds of winning a prize?

Each £1 entry has a 1 in 63 chance of winning one of four fantastic prizes. Every entry in Unity has an equal chance of winning, no matter which charity is being supported or how many players that good cause has in their lottery.

Can you guarantee the lottery is fair?

Yes, every entry has an equal chance of winning, and the winning numbers are drawn at random.

What can I win?

For every £1 entry, players receive a unique 6-digit lottery number.

Every Friday, a winning number is drawn at random. Players must match the digits to win up to £25,000!

The lottery is a number match game. We generate a random 6-digit winning number sequence. If the player’s digits are in same positions as the digits in the winning number sequence, they win a prize!

For example, if the winning number sequence was 123456, the lottery number 163057 would be a 3-digit winning match; because 3 digits are positioned in the same place in the sequence.

3 digit match = 5 entries into the next draw*

4 digit match = £25

5 digit match = £1,000

6 digit match = £25,000

*If players would prefer to receive a £5 cash prize instead of 5 prize entries, they can opt for this by contacting the Unity helpline (0370 050 9240) or email address ([email protected]).

Why am I receiving letters from Unity Lottery and not the cause I am supporting?

As all lottery administration is handled by Sterling Management Centre Limited, who provide the Unity Lottery platform, all lottery communications come from Unity.

What are the lottery rules?

You can view our lottery rules here. The purpose of these rules is to ensure that you are informed about the terms of playing your causes' lottery and to promote responsible gambling.

Are the lotteries legal?

Yes. Charities and good causes operate their lotteries compliantly under licence from their local authority or the Gambling Commission, and all administration is handled by Sterling Management Centre Limited, a certified External Lottery Manager (ELM) with the Gambling Commission.

Who do I contact about the lottery or my membership?

You can contact one of our friendly members of staff at the Unity Lottery helpline on 0370 050 9240 to discuss the lottery or your membership. (Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) calls are charged at your local rate.

Alternatively, you can contact Unity through our contact form.

Joining a Unity lottery

How do I enter a Unity lottery?

The first thing to do is to choose the cause you would like to support! If you don’t know already, start here and find a cause to support.

Once you have selected your chosen cause, there are normally two ways to enter. From your cause's Unity lottery page, choose one of the following options:

  • Enter online using Direct Debit or debit card payment
  • Download a PDF sign up to print out and post to us using the freepost address if you wish to enter by Cheque. You can also use the PDF form to join by Direct Debit.

Can I choose my own lottery numbers?

No. Your lottery number is randomly allocated when you sign up and stays with you for the duration of your membership in your chosen lottery. Once you have entered, you will be sent confirmation of your unique lottery number by post.

Can I have more than one entry?

Yes. Each £1 lottery entry grants you 1 ‘chance’ to win a prize. In accordance to our commitment to responsible gambling however, we allow a maximum of 20 chances for each Friday draw. Please note that some lotteries stipulate a lower number of maximum chances.

How old do I have to be to enter?

The minimum age to enter a Unity lottery is 18.

What happens if I lose connection to the internet while joining online?

If you are trying to submit your Direct Debit or Credit/Debit card details and you lose your internet connection, we advise you to contact our helpline on 0370 050 9240 to confirm if we have received your entry.

Are my entries eligible for Gift Aid?

No. Unfortunately, Gift Aid cannot be claimed on funds raised through the lottery.

You’ve joined a Unity lottery – what now?

I’ve signed up to a lottery in Unity. What happens now?

If you have signed up online, you will receive a welcome email which will detail confirmation of your entry into the lottery. From this point, or if you have signed up using a PDF sign up form, you will receive a confirmation letter within the next 21 days containing details of your lottery number(s) and our intent to claim funds if you have signed up by Direct Debit.

Once we have received your payment, you will be entered into each available weekly lottery draw as long as you have credit available against your lottery number.

Why is there a delay between registration and entry into the draw?

Following registration, it is necessary to complete several administrative processes which include verifying your payment details with your bank, claiming the funds from your bank account and the funds being received.

Why is the Direct Debit £4.34 per month and not £4.00?

The monthly cost breakdown of £4.34 for playing the lottery is based on paying £1 per week over a 52-week year. Direct Debits for this amount are collected once a month and sometimes there will be five weeks in a month, so the additional 34p is to build up credit to cover the fifth week in these instances.

Where do I find the winning numbers?

The winning numbers are available every Friday afternoon here at www.UnityLottery.co.uk

How do I claim my winnings?

There’s no need to claim any prizes if you win. We will send any winning cheques directly to your registered address! If you match 3 digits in the correct sequence, your winning prize of 5 additional entries will be automatically entered into the next lottery draw..

Your lottery membership

I have lost my lottery number(s)! What should I do?

If you want to check your lottery numbers, you can contact our friendly helpline team on 0370 050 9240 (Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) calls are charged at your local rate.

How do I cancel my membership?

If you want to cancel your lottery membership, please contact our friendly helpline team on 0370 050 9240 (Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) calls are charged at your local rate.

I have moved address or my name has changed, do I need to tell anyone?

Yes. If you have changed your address, it is important that you notify us, otherwise, we won’t be able to send you your winning cheque. To inform us of an address change, please contact our friendly hotline team on 0370 050 9240 (Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) calls are charged at your local rate.

What is responsible gambling?

Responsible gambling means staying in control of how much time and money we spend on gambling. Responsible gambling means not spending more money or time than we can reasonably afford on gambling activities, keeping in mind all our other responsibilities in life.

I would like to speak to someone about a gambling problem, can you help?

To speak to someone about a gambling problem, contact the BeGambleAware confidential helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit their website at www.gambleaware.co.uk for further information.

How do I make a complaint?

If you have any concerns, please get in touch with us on 0370 050 9240 or use our contact form, and we will endeavour to answer any queries you may have. (Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) calls are charged at your local rate.

How do I self-exclude myself from entering the lottery?

If you feel you may be susceptible to gambling problems and would like to ask that you are excluded from the lottery, please download our self-exclusion policy.

Charities and Causes in Unity

What if I would like to support a charity or cause who aren’t listed on your website?

Any good causes can set up a lottery using the Unity Lottery platform – if you would like to recommend Unity to a charity, please direct them to visit our website.

Can I set up a lottery using the Unity platform?

If you are fundraising for good causes, then we’d love to hear from you! Please visit our website.

  Self-exclusion form (73 KB)

Winning Numbers: Friday 1st November 2024

  • 6
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2
  • 8
  • 8

Next Draw: 08/11/2024

Feeling lucky?

Enter your lucky lottery numbers to see if you have been a recent winner!

Your Numbers

How it Works

Support your chosen charity from as little as £1 per week.

Prizes & Odds

Everyone has an equal chance to win up to £25,000 every week.

Questions?

Please check our frequently asked questions or get in touch.

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The Unity Lottery interface complies with the Gambling Commission's remote technical standards.
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