The QLD Category 3 application — method of draw

Applying for a Queensland Category 3 gaming licence means filling out OLGR's application form (Form 2A), and the section that trips most organisers up is "method of draw" — eight bullet points asking you to describe your draw device, how it's tested, supervised, verified and stored. It sounds daunting, but the answers are straightforward once you know which draw method you're using.

This page gives you template answers for the three ways a RaffleLink raffle can draw. Copy the set that matches your raffle, fill in the square-bracketed details, and adapt anything that doesn't match how you'll actually run your draw — OLGR is assessing that your process is fair and considered, so your answers must describe what you'll really do.

If RaffleLink draws your winners (electronic draw)

RaffleLink's draw program is an OLGR-approved electronic draw system, so most of these answers describe the system itself — you just need to name who presses the button and who'll be in the room.

1. Details of the draw device — The draw will be conducted using the RaffleLink Draw Program v2 (OLGR approval number 309508, approved 25 August 2026), an approved electronic draw system for Category 1, 2 and 3 games that complies with OLGR's Random Number Generator Minimum Technical Requirements v1.5. No physical drawing device is used.

   Attach the approval letter with your application: OLGR approval 309508 (PDF).

2. Pre-draw testing/preparation of the drawing device — Ticket sales close at the advertised closing date, after which no further entries can be created. The draw function is made available to the association only on the advertised draw date. Witnesses are arranged in advance, and RaffleLink automatically verifies, immediately before every Category 3 draw, that the deployed draw software is identical to the OLGR-approved version.

3. How the full range of tickets are included in the draw — All tickets are sold online through RaffleLink and numbered consecutively. Every validly sold ticket is automatically included in the draw; unsold, unpaid and cancelled tickets are excluded and cannot be selected.

4. Selection of the winning ticket/s — Winning tickets are selected by the approved random number generator in a single draw event. The first ticket selected wins the most valuable prize (or the first prize in the alternative order printed on tickets), and each ticket may win only one prize — winning tickets are excluded from subsequent selections. The draw is initiated by an authorised officer of the association ([name/position]) using their authenticated account. No person can influence or predetermine the outcome.

5. Draw conduct and supervision levels — The draw is initiated by [name/position] in the presence of at least [two] members of the management committee. [Optional: the draw results will be presented/streamed live to supporters.]

6. Verification and recording of winning ticket/s — The system permanently records the winning ticket numbers, ticket-holder details and draw timestamp, and produces a draw results certificate. Results are cross-checked against the ticket register by the officers present.

7. Recording draw closure — The system records the completion time of the draw. The results certificate and full ticket register are retained in the association's gaming records for at least five years. Winners are notified by email, and additionally by phone where the association elects to do so; results are published as advertised.

8. Securing and storing the draw device — The draw system is hosted software; access is restricted to authenticated, authorised association accounts, and all draw activity is logged. There is no physical device to secure.

For what the draw looks like on the day, see Run the draw. Large QLD raffles also get a sealed, tamper-evident draw record automatically — see the QLD state rules.

If you draw by hand (barrel draw)

Queensland doesn't certify barrels — there's no such thing as an "approved" drawing drum. What OLGR cares about is that your draw is conducted fairly: every ticket gets an equal chance, and your answers show you've thought about mixing, supervision and record-keeping. An enclosed barrel with a lockable lid makes the last question ("securing and storing the draw device") much easier to answer convincingly, which is why we recommend one over an open bucket or hat for a Category 3 draw.

1. Details of the draw device — The draw will use an enclosed rotating raffle barrel ([perspex/steel, approximate dimensions]) with a lockable lid, of sufficient capacity to hold and freely mix all ticket stubs [or: a closed container in which all stubs can be thoroughly mixed]. [Purchased/hired from — supplier.] Ticket stubs are printed via RaffleLink's stub-printing facility and are uniform in size, paper stock and weight, so every stub has an equal chance of selection.
2. Pre-draw testing/preparation of the drawing device — Before loading, the barrel is inspected for damage, cleaned, confirmed empty, and its rotation mechanism tested. Printed stubs are counted and reconciled against RaffleLink's final sales report to confirm every paid ticket has exactly one stub.
3. How the full range of tickets are included in the draw — All tickets are sold online through RaffleLink and numbered consecutively; stubs are printed only for validly sold tickets, so unsold, unpaid and cancelled tickets are excluded from the draw. All printed stubs are placed in the barrel before the draw. If any drawn stub cannot be matched to a valid ticket, it is set aside and another drawn.
4. Selection of the winning ticket/s — Before each prize is drawn, the barrel is rotated at least [five] full turns [or: the stubs are thoroughly hand-mixed in the closed container]. Stubs are drawn without looking by [name/position], who holds no ticket in the art union. Prizes are drawn in descending order of value (or the alternative order printed on tickets), and each drawn stub is set aside so no ticket wins more than one prize. No person directly engaged in conducting the draw, and no member of the management committee or their immediate family, holds a ticket.
5. Draw conduct and supervision levels — The draw is supervised by at least [two] members of the management committee and witnessed by an independent scrutineer ([e.g. the association's auditor / a Justice of the Peace]) with no interest in the outcome. The draw will be [filmed / live-streamed] and conducted [at venue / event].
6. Verification and recording of winning ticket/s — Each drawn stub is read aloud, shown to the scrutineer, and cross-checked against the RaffleLink ticket register to confirm the holder's details. Each winning ticket number and holder is recorded on a draw results sheet as it is drawn.
7. Recording draw closure — Once all prizes are drawn, the results sheet is signed and dated by the supervising officers and the scrutineer, and the closing time recorded. Winners are notified by email, and additionally by phone where the association elects to do so; results are published as advertised, and the sheet retained with the association's gaming records for at least five years.
8. Securing and storing the draw device — Once loaded, the barrel is locked and sealed and stored in a secure, access-controlled location until the draw. After the draw, all stubs are bagged, sealed and retained with the gaming records; the barrel is [returned to hirer / stored securely].

Once the draw is done, enter your winners in RaffleLink so results are recorded and published like any other raffle — the walkthrough is at Draw by hand (hat draws).

If you sell paper tickets too (hybrid raffle)

A raffle that sells both online and paper tickets can draw two ways in RaffleLink, and your application should describe whichever you'll actually use. Either way, one rule holds throughout: only sold paper tickets ever enter a draw — unsold paper tickets are excluded.

Hybrid draw (RaffleLink draws, you pull paper stubs)

RaffleLink's draw program selects across your whole ticket pool — online and paper together, fairly weighted by how many of each you sold. When it selects an online ticket, the winner resolves automatically; when it selects a paper ticket, the draw pauses and you pull the winning stub by hand from a container of sold paper butts, then record it before the draw continues. (The walkthrough is at Run a hybrid draw.)

Use the electronic draw answers above, with these adjustments:

• Details of the draw device — add: In addition to the approved draw program, a [barrel/closed container] holds the butts of sold paper tickets. It is used only when the draw program selects a paper ticket, to identify the specific winning stub.
• How the full range of tickets are included — add: Paper ticket sales are logged in RaffleLink before the draw, and the draw selects across the combined pool of online tickets and sold paper tickets, weighted by the number sold of each. Unsold paper tickets are excluded, as are unsold, unpaid and cancelled online tickets.
• Selection of the winning ticket/s — add: Where the draw program selects a paper ticket, the winning stub is drawn without looking from the thoroughly mixed container of sold paper butts by [name/position], who holds no ticket in the art union, and is recorded in RaffleLink before the draw proceeds to the next prize.
• Securing and storing the draw device — add: The container of sold paper butts is sealed and stored securely until the draw, and the butts retained with the gaming records afterwards.

Combined hat draw (everything drawn by hand)

If you'd rather pull every winner from the barrel, use the barrel draw answers above, and adjust bullets 1, 2 and 3:

• Details of the draw device — add: Digital ticket stubs are printed at a density matched to the size of the paper ticket butts, so all entries in the barrel are of comparable size and every entry has an equal chance of selection.
• Pre-draw preparation — add: Ticket books issued to sellers are recorded, and sold butts are returned and counted before the draw. The combined count of sold paper butts and printed online stubs is reconciled against RaffleLink's sales records.
• How the full range of tickets are included — add: Paper ticket butts for sold tickets are placed in the barrel together with the printed stubs for online sales; unsold paper tickets are excluded from the draw.

The business plan section

The application also asks for a business plan covering your tickets, prizes and finances. Two things catch people out:

• Prize values must clear the 20% floor. Your prize list needs each prize's estimated cost and retail value — and the total retail value must be at least 20% of your estimated gross proceeds (your total ticket value can't exceed 5× your prize pool). RaffleLink checks this as you build, but OLGR will check it on the form too, so make sure the numbers you submit match.
• Incentive prizes are an expense, not a prize. The form says this in fine print and it's easy to miss: early-bird and incentive prizes go under estimated expenses, not the prize list. Your expenses line should also include the RaffleLink platform fee, card processing costs, and any printing.

Before you send it

Your answers must describe what you'll actually do on draw day — OLGR can and does follow up. If your plans change after the licence is granted (say, you switch from an electronic draw to a barrel), let OLGR know before the draw, since your licence references the draw method you applied with.

Not sure which draw method fits your raffle, or want us to sanity-check your answers before you lodge? Contact support — we read these forms every week.