Bonus Ball Rules, Terms and Conditions

How you enter and how you play
A game is played by a group of players who each choose six numbers per entry over several weekly rounds until the game ends.
1. Players may enter the game by selecting six numbers from the set of 1 to 59 and completing and signing an entry form, which is then scanned or photographed and emailed to bonusball@billesleyscouts.org.uk or submitted in person to the team on a Tuesday evening.
2. Players must provide their date of birth and be 18 years of age or older to enter.
3. Games have a defined start date, advertised on the entry form.
4. A maximum of 3 entries will be permitted from any one person.
5. If the entry form is not completed correctly or is otherwise invalid, the coordinator will reject it, and the submitting player will be asked to complete a new form.
6. The coordinator will confirm all valid entries to the submitting players by providing them with a game ticket for each entry, advising them of the bank details to be used for payment and where players can view the full entry list and game state online.
7. Once the game has started, additional entries may be submitted until one or more players have matched three or more numbers, after which point no further entries will be permitted or accepted.
8. Once the game has started, numbers cannot be changed, but as long as rules 1.4 and 1.7 are both satisfied, a player may submit an additional entry with new numbers if they so desire.
9. To comply with the Gambling Act 2005 and the Gambling Commission’s rules on running small society lotteries, there are limits on the number of games and entries:
  1. Each game may only have a maximum of 370 entries, so the total value of tickets put on sale per game per year does not exceed £20,000.
  2. If there is enough demand and total ticket sales from all games in the year would not exceed £250,000, the coordinator may set up a separate game to accommodate further entries.
10. Each round of the game will take place on a Saturday, in line with The National Lottery’s regular Saturday night Lotto draws.
11. All Lotto draws run by The National Lottery on a Saturday will count, in sequential order, as separate draws for each round.
12. If The National Lottery cancels a Saturday Evening draw, all entries for that round will automatically be moved to the next Saturday Evening draw.
13. Each week, as soon as possible after the Saturday evening draws take place, the results from the Lotto draws will be added to the game database by the coordinator and checked against all entries automatically by the game database.
14. The state of the game will be updated and published on the Group’s website and on the Group’s noticeboard at headquarters every Tuesday. This process will continue until the game ends in line with rule 5.
Payments and where your money goes
Fees are paid to the game bank account. The Game Coordinator is responsible for maintaining three funds within the account – the entry, prize, and donation funds.
1. The weekly fee to play is £1.00 per entry. Entries must be paid for quarterly in advance. The game quarters will run from the first day in March, June, September, and December.
2. The coordinator will ask all players to make payments into the entry fund for their entries prior to the game starting and prior to the beginning of each game quarter.
  1. At the start of each game, the coordinator will ask all players to make an initial payment for each entry for the current quarter, equal to the number of Saturdays remaining in that game quarter multiplied by the weekly fee. This will be shown on the entry form.
  2. For subsequent quarters in the game, the coordinator will ask players to make a payment equal to the number of Saturdays in that game quarter multiplied by the weekly fee.
3. Each week, 50% of the weekly fees will be moved from the entry fund and allocated to the prize fund, and the remaining 50% of the weekly fees will be allocated to the donation fund.
4. At the end of each quarter, the donation fund shall be paid into the bank account of 325th Birmingham (Billesley) Scout Group.
5. Entry fees are non-refundable, with the specific exception of cases covered in paragraph 6.
Non-payment of entry fees
If you don’t pay your entry fees on time, your entry will be null and void, and you can’t win the game.
1. Entry fees may not be paid in arrears. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
2. If a player’s first entry fee is received after the date of the draw date shown on the entry form and new entries are still being accepted, the player’s join date will be adjusted and communicated to the player by the coordinator. In any other case, the entry will be null and void.
3. Where a game continues beyond the quarter, the next quarter’s entry fees must be received before the next quarter’s first draw, otherwise player will be deemed to have left the game.
Leaving the game
Players can leave the game at any time, but their entry will continue to be valid, and they will still be eligible to win the game until their entry fees run out. In line with rule 2.6, no refunds will be given to players who choose to leave the game.
Ways in which the game ends, and what happens when it ends that way
The game ends when it is won, when all entries are forfeited, if the number of balls in the draw changes, or in other legally required circumstances. What happens next will depend on the way the game ended.
1. When the game is won
  1. The game ends and is won when one or more players have matched all six numbers on their entry with balls that have been drawn on or after the date of their first entry and during the game, in the order in which they were drawn.
  2. The prize fund will be divided into first and second prizes, which the coordinator will confirm. The first prize shall be equal to 70% of the prize fund. The second prize shall be equal to 30% of the prize fund.
  3. When a game is won, the coordinator will perform the following tasks:
    1. The coordinator will check the database and notify players who have won. The players who have matched the largest amount of numbers in the game will be sent a form to claim a share of the first prize. The players who have matched the second largest amount of numbers in the game will be sent a form to claim a share of the second prize.
    2. On receipt of a completed claim form, the coordinator will make a payment to each winner for their share of the prize fund, via direct bank transfer.
2. When all entries are forfeit
  1. game ends if there are no longer any players. This may happen if all players leave the game, do not pay their entry fees in time or do not wish to extend past the initial period. Where a game ends because all entries are forfeit, the prize fund shall be allocated to the donation fund
3. When the number of balls in the Lotto game changes
  1. The game ends if the number of balls in the Lotto draw changes from the current set of 59. If The National Lottery announces such a change, the coordinator will communicate with all players, and the game shall continue to be played until the last draw with 59 numbers
  2. If the game is not ordinarily won after the last draw with 59 numbers, the game will be deemed to have been won by the player or players who have matched the most numbers, or by all players if no player has matched at least one number. The coordinator will then perform the tasks as set out in paragraph 5.1.
4. If the next round of the game would result in the prize fund breaching the legal limit
  1. The game will end if it is not ordinarily won and if moving the next round’s entry funds would result in the prize fund exceeding £25,000. In this scenario, the game will be deemed to have been won by the player or players who have matched the most numbers, or by all players if no player has matched at least one number, and the coordinator will perform the tasks as set out in paragraph 5.2 and 5.2.
5. When the coordinator is legally or otherwise reasonably required to end the game
  1. If the coordinator is required to end the game for legal reasons, required to end the game by The Scout Association, if the coordinator is unable to run the game and another coordinator cannot be found, or if the game cannot be run for any other reason, all monies in the prize fund will be returned to the entry fund and the game will end with no winners.
Giving players a choice with regards to remaining entry fees after a game has ended
In the event that monies remain in the entry fund when a game ends, the coordinator will communicate with all players, advising them on their options.
1. In cases where the game has ended and there are monies in the entry fund, either because they have not been allocated to a round, or because monies have been moved back to the entry fund for reasons set out in paragraph 5, the coordinator will communicate with all players and advise them of the amount of unused entry fees they have in the entry fund.
2. Playerswill be asked to notify the coordinator which of the following options they would like to exercise, with each player having the option to:
  1. Start a new game and carrying the unused entry funds into that game.
  2. Receive a refund of the unused entry funds into their bank account.
  3. Donate the unused entry funds to 325th Birmingham (Billesley) Scout Group.
What happens to unclaimed prize money
While we will make every reasonable effort to ensure that all winning players are notified and able to claim their prizes, any prize money that goes unclaimed for a period of 12 months will be donated to 325th Birmingham (Billesley) Scout Group.
The people in charge of the game
The game coordinator runs the Billesley Scouts Bonus Ball Club, and the promoter promotes it.
1. The game coordinator and the promoter shall not participate in the game.
2. The game coordinator and the promoter shall not receive any personal gain from the game.
3. Communication with the game coordinator and promoter for the purposes of the game shall be solely via email sent to bonusball@billesleyscouts.org.uk.
4. The game coordinator and promoter will be advertised on the official entry form.
Who the game is registered with
325th Birmingham (Billesley) Scout Group is registered with Birmingham City Council to run the Billesley Scouts Bonus Ball Club as a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005.

Bonus Ball Rules, Terms and Conditions

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