Frequently asked questions
Poppy Lottery
How does it work?
- Each weekly entry costs £1 and up to 2 may be purchased over the phone
- Payment is by Direct Debit
- £4.34 per month for 1 entry per week (£1 x 52 weeks = £52. £52 divided by 12 = £4.34)
- £8.67 per month for 2 entries per week (£2 x 52 weeks = £104. £104 divided by 12 = £8.67)
- Entrants receive confirmation of their entry in the post within 14 days which details the draw number(s) and the date of the first draw
- The number will then be automatically entered into each weekly draw until the entry is cancelled
- The lottery number is usually 6 or 7 digits and is allocated rather than being chosen by the entrant. The whole 6/7 digits’ number is drawn rather than its components
- Draws take place every Friday for 400 cash prizes: 1st Prize £2000, 2nd prize £200, then 2 x £100, 6 x £50,10 x £20, 200 x £10 and 160 x £5
- Draws are made using a computer operated random number generator
- There are also 4 quarterly Superdraws each year where the first prize increases to £20,000. Players are offered the opportunity to buy extra entries to these 4 draws
- Cheques for winners are automatically dispatched in the post weekly
- The results of each weekly draw are published on the Poppy Lottery pages of our website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/poppylottery
How much does it cost to play?
- Each weekly entry costs £1 and up to 2 may be purchased over the phone
- Payment is by Direct Debit
- £4.34 per month for 1 entry per week (£1 x 52 weeks = £52. £52 divided by 12 = £4.34)
- £8.67 per month for 2 entries per week (£2 x 52 weeks = £104. £104 divided by 12 = £8.67)
Will I receive confirmation in the post?
Yes, entrants receive confirmation of their entry in the post within 14 days which contains their payment details, their draw number(s) and the date of the first draw they will be entered into.
How are lottery numbers allocated?
Unique lottery numbers are allocated to new entrants.
What prizes are available?
- Draws take place every Friday for 400 cash prizes: 1st Prize £2000, 2nd prize £200, then 2 x £100, 6 x £50, 10 x £20, 200 x £10 and 180 x £5
- There are also 4 quarterly Superdraws each year where the first prize increases to £20,000. Players are offered the opportunity to buy extra entries to these 4 draws
How will I know if I have won?
- Cheques for winners are automatically dispatched in the post weekly
- The results of each weekly draw are published on the Poppy Lottery pages of our website: www.weeklylottery.org.uk/poppylottery/winners/
Why does the Legion have a lottery?
It is popular way to support serving and ex-Service people, whilst also having the chance to win prizes. The Poppy Lottery raises up to £7 million every year.
How long has it been running?
Since 2004
How much money does it make for the Legion?
The Poppy Lottery raises circa £7 million every year
How much do you spend on prizes?
We spend £301,600 on prizes over the course of a year, 4.3% of the money raised.
Where else have I seen/heard of the Poppy Lottery?
TV advertising (nationwide)
Door drops
Face-to-face fundraising from small stands at venues
Direct mail to supporters on the Legion’s database
Inserts including in national and military press
Outdoor advertising in some cities (Birmingham and Leeds)
How is the money raised used?
The proceeds from the Lottery help to fund the Legion's many welfare services which include:
- Operating Personnel Recovery Centres for the recent war wounded
- Running the Battle Back Centre (Lilleshall) which will provide rehabilitation services for injured Service personnel
- Running 6 Poppy Care Homes to provide short and long term care for serving and ex-Service people and their dependants
- Running 4 Poppy Break Centres offering much-needed breaks to ex-Service and serving personnel and their families
- Providing additional mobility aids for housebound veterans
- Expertise to assist with pension claims and disability entitlements
- Essential home repairs for the elderly
- Advice and support with resettlement, learning and work
- Support and grants for homeless ex-Service people
Is the lottery licenced?
Poppy Lottery is licenced by the Gambling Commission, licence number 005274. We comply with strict regulations to ensure that the lottery is managed in a socially responsible way. Entrants need to be over the age of 18 and residents of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales, including associated islands (the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, the Isles of Scilly, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland). We have procedures for identifying individuals who may be in vulnerable circumstances or have a problem with gambling and we cap the number of entries and individual can purchase to 10 per week.
The Lottery is a popular way to support the charity and our prize values aren’t excessive.
Poppy Lottery – TV ads
Why is the Legion advertising on TV?
TV advertising is a great way for the Legion to make people aware of the Poppy Lottery, attract new players and, ultimately, to raise more money to help members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families all year round.
How much money do you expect to make from your Poppy Lottery TV?
From October 2017 alone we project our income over 5 years will be approximately £90k.
Why this style of advert?
The advert is upbeat and positive as we want to encourage people to participate in the Poppy Lottery, which is a fun way to support the charity. This style of advert has been successfully used for other charity lotteries.
Are the people in the advert real lottery players?
We did ask some of our supporters, but they weren’t necessarily keen to be on television, so we used actors.
Are the people in the advert real veterans?
Yes, James and Ian both served in the Royal Navy but met for the first time on the set of the advert.
Could the advert have explained more about the charity’s services?
The advert states that the money raised from the Poppy Lottery goes to The Royal British Legion and will help veterans, members of the Services and their families all year round. We were unable to go into lots of detail about the Legion’s services as the TV advert is only a minute long and the radio advert 30 seconds.
For the outdoor advertising, we wanted to advert to be simple, striking and consistent with the TV advert.
Where can I get the poppy jewellery/merchandise featured in the ad?
The Legion has an online shop where you can buy these items - www.poppyshop.org.uk
I live in Northern Ireland; can I play the Poppy Lottery?
Poppy Lottery is licenced by the Gambling Commission, licence number 005274. Entrants must be residents of Great Britain so I’m afraid, as a resident of Northern Ireland, you are unable to play.
Our DRTV advert carries the wording “Residents of Great Britain only. Ts&Cs apply” and we are checking whether people are residents of Great Britain on the phones and online before permitting anyone to set up lottery entries.
The fact that entrants must be residents of Great Britain is also stated in our terms and conditions which are available on the Poppy Lottery website - www.poppylottery.org.uk
Or you can obtain a copy by emailing enquiries@thepoppylottery.org or by writing to:
Freepost Plus RTZT-ATBH-RGBZ
Poppy Lottery Ltd
Bumpers Way
Bumpers Farm
Chippenham
SN14 6NG
Several other charity lotteries advertising on TV have the same rules regarding entrants living in Northern Ireland.
Unfortunately, very few television channels allow for regional targeting so our DRTV advert is airing on a very small number of channels in Northern Ireland.
