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Frequently Asked Questions

About Raffstar

Help & Support

What is Raffstar?

Raffstar is THE place to go for the chance to win prizes: absolutely, positively, 100% FREE; with no-strings-attached, no tricks or gimmicks, and no hidden catch whatsoever. All you have to do is register once, free-of-charge, and you're on your way to the land of unlimited prizes. Whether it's a cash prize, a new gaming console like the Xbox360, PS3, or Nintendo Wii; the chance to meet a celebrity one-on-one; a gift card to your favorite store; or the vacation of a lifetime- there's something for everyone at Raffstar. And with the ability for members to suggest future prizes, the options will remain truly limitless!

How can you afford to offer these items free?

It's actually quite simple- all the prizes are paid for by advertisers, so with no cost to us, we're able to pass those savings on to you.

Why should I tell my friends about Raffstar? More people means I have less chance to win, right?

Actually, the more people that join Raffstar, the faster new prizes and giveaways are added.

Will you sell my email address to spammers?

We will never sell your name, email or personal information to anyone. Period. You can read all about it in our Privacy Policy.

Do I have to be a member to get tickets?

Yes. Why wouldn't you join? It's free!

Why are there different types of giveaways, and what are they?

We currently have two different giveaway types; Standard and Speed. The reason we have a variety is so that everyone can participate. For instance, if you only have time to get one ticket a day then you can participate in the Standard giveaways and not have to worry that someone else is able to get more tickets then you.

Standard

With our Standard giveaways you can get one new ticket every 24 hours. Once the giveaway has ended, the winner has 24 hours to claim their prize, if not, 2^nd place gets the chance and so on until someone claims it in time.

Speed

Everything is amped up with Raffstar speed giveaways- allowing you to get a new ticket every hour. To speed things up even more: the first place winner will only have an hour to claim their prize or loose it to second place. 2nd place has an hour to claim it or loose it, and on down the line until someone claims it in time.

What constitutes cheating?

Cheating can kill this site’s financial support, which means killing the support going to individual charities. We define cheating as any attempt to manipulate the results of the system other than manually clicking the “Get Ticket” button within the allowable time for each giveaway. This includes, but is not limited to:

Creating multiple accounts for a single user(1) to get tickets for the same prizes
Using a script, application, or automated bot to automatically get tickets (even if it stays within the allowable time).
Hacking or injecting code into the system for any reason whatsoever.

What if my account is flagged for cheating?

We will take the following steps as necessary to address accounts suspected of cheating:

Account Handicap
Member will be forced to verify their authenticity each time they get a ticket.
Account Suspension
Member will not be able to get tickets for an extended period of time.
Account Ban
Member (and similar accounts, including families) will be permanently banned from Raffstar.

We realize there are some members who eagerly (and fairly) get tickets with startling regularity and we’ll seek to resolve any confusion as it arises.

Do I have to be a member to make a comment, or see other people’s comments?

You can view comments without being a member, but to reply or make a comment you must be signed in.

What is not allowed in comments?

First, keep in mind that we’re not responsible for the content of any user-submitted post on Raffstar. Notwithstanding that, we try to enforce some simple guidelines:

Don't post any spam.
Don’t post any advertising.
Don’t post anything that isn’t safe for work, or safe for kids.
Don’t post personal information such as addresses or phone numbers.
Don’t post anything about the mechanics of the Raffstar system, or any information that encourages people to cheat or game the system.

What is the Winners Affidavit all about?

Raffstar is required to report any winnings exceeding $600. Getting an affidavit notarized is a ONE TIME issue after you have won over $600 worth of prizes at Raffstar in one year, and is not required for prizes of lesser value.

A notarized affidavit is one that has been signed and stamped by a Notary Public. A Notary Public is defined as "A person legally empowered to witness and certify the validity of documents and to take affidavits and depositions."

In the US, you can find a Notary Public at most post offices, banks and college/university registrar offices.

Once you have a notarized affidavit on file with Raffstar, you can affirm all future affidavits online.

What are my shipping options? Where do you ship?

We generally ship via UPS ground. We will only ship to addresses in the continental US, Hawaii and Alaska, and won’t ship to FPO addresses, or hotels. Sorry.

When will I get my prize?

You should receive your prize within 4-6 weeks from the time you accept the prize. Once we ship your item, we will send you an email with your UPS tracking number.

I just signed up but did not receive a confirmation email

Make sure to check your Spam or Junk Mail folder to be certain that our confirmation email didn't end up there accidentally. You can resend the confirmation email from the Confirm page if necessary.

If you do not receive an email after resending it, check with your internet service provider to ensure that your spam settings are set appropriately. You can also email us and we will do our best to help get your account set up quickly! Yahoo email addresses are taking several minutes so be patient.

I received a confirmation email, but the link didn't work

This is a known bug that we're working hard to resolve! In the meantime, email us and we can walk you through steps to get your account up and running.

Why does it take time for the leaderboard to appear once the giveaway ends?

It takes a little time for us to process the leaderboard. Once a giveaway ends it takes up to 15 minutes for the leaderboard to be updated and the winners to be announced.

Why isn't my state/country supported?

Some states and countries have stricter regulations on online sweepstakes and non-profit fundraising than others. In order to comply with these laws, our giveaways are void in the following states: FL, NY, and RI.

Our legal dept. is currently looking into ways that we can offer certain giveaways or open the site entirely to our international fans.

In the meantime, our recommended solution is to encourage your friends and family members in approved states to play on your behalf. Though members may only have one account, there is no limit to the number of tickets they can receive or prizes they win -- of course, you may have to convince them when it comes time to share!

Frequently Asked Questions

About Raffstar

Help & Support

General Information

Gameplay & Rules

Claiming Your Prize

Technical Support Questions