# Reopening a closed raffle

### When to use this

Your raffle closed earlier than planned — for example:

* You sold out faster than expected
* The close date passed while you still wanted to sell more tickets

You now want to bring the raffle back online.

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### Who can do this

**Admins only**

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### Where to find it

Navigate to:

Raffle Dashboard → Edit (sidebar) →

* **Operating Details** (for dates)
* **Tickets** (for capacity)

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### How a raffle closes

Once a raffle is live, it automatically moves into ***Awaiting Draw*** status when any of the following occurs:

* **Sold out** — tickets sold reached capacity
* **Close date elapsed** — ticket sales end date passed
* **Draw time elapsed** — scheduled draw time occurred

In the dashboard, this appears as ***Awaiting Draw*** (not "Closed") — meaning the raffle is off-sale and waiting for the draw.

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### Reopening the raffle

There is no separate "Reopen" button.

Instead, fix the condition that caused the closure. Once updated and published, the raffle will automatically reactivate.

#### Common fixes

* **Sold out?**\
  Increase ticket capacity to a number higher than tickets already sold.
* **Close date passed?**\
  Extend the end date into the future.
* **Draw time passed?**\
  Move the draw date into the future\
  → Ensure the end date is also in the future\
  → *(End date must be before draw date)*

#### Important

Both conditions must be true:

* End date is in the future
* Tickets are still available

Only then will the raffle return to **Live**.

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### The flow

1. Go to **Edit** in the sidebar
2. Open the relevant section:
   * **Tickets** → for capacity changes
   * **Operating Details** → for date changes
3. Unlock the field (click the lock and confirm)
4. Make your changes
5. Click **Save & Preview**
6. Review the notification preview
7. Click **Send notification**

#### What happens next

* Changes are saved
* All ticket holders receive an email notification
* If conditions are met, the raffle automatically switches back to **Live**
* The notification informs users the raffle has reopened

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### When you can't reopen

Reopening is only possible when the raffle is in ***Awaiting Draw***.

You **cannot** reopen if:

* The draw has already been completed and winners recorded
* The raffle is marked **Complete** or **Cancelled**
* There are **compliance issues** blocking activation

> ⚠️ Reopening runs the same compliance checks as activation.\
> Fix any violations before trying again.

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### Need help?

If your raffle is stuck in a non-reopenable state, please contact support.


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