Arabic version: أمرت لجنة تنظيم القمار والكازينوهات في فيكتوريا (VGCCC) وودونغا ريدرز بإعادة سحب يانصيب خيري بقيمة 70,000 دولار

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission has ordered the Wodonga Raiders to redraw a fundraising raffle after a committee member won the major prize. According to ABC News, the first prize was a $70,000 ute and the original draw was livestreamed on social media on June 6.

The club sold 2,500 tickets at $100 each for the raffle. The Wodonga Raiders said the handover of the major prize was put on hold after it discovered the winner was a committee member and therefore ineligible. The matter was referred to the VGCCC, which ordered a redraw on July 16.

The terms and conditions of the raffle excluded committee members, those directly involved in the raffle, and their relatives from entering. The original live-stream of the draw has been removed from the club’s Facebook page, although promotional videos remain online. A statement on the raffle website said every ticket sold that had not been refunded would be included in the redraw, and the club confirmed some tickets were refunded after the initial draw. The raffle website also stated no additional tickets have been sold or added to the raffle.

“A redraw is necessary to ensure compliance with Victorian raffle requirements,” a VGCCC spokesperson said. “Organisations (community or charity) that hold raffles may need to apply for a permit, depending on the total value of the prizes. If the VGCCC grants a permit, the raffle must be run in accordance with the conditions of the permit.”

What happens next: the club will redraw the raffle in its clubrooms on July 16 and will not sell any additional tickets; all tickets not refunded will be entered. Wodonga Raiders president Zennon McCarty confirmed refunds had been issued for some tickets and said the ineligible entry “just slipped by us.”

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