Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about creating, participating in, and managing raffles on Raffle on Ape. Our platform uses cutting-edge blockchain technology to ensure fair, transparent, and secure raffles.

Creating Raffles
Learn how to set up and manage your own raffles

How do I create a raffle?

Creating a raffle is simple and secure:

  1. Connect your wallet - Click the profile icon and connect your Web3 wallet
  2. Click the "+" button - Found in the header when your wallet is connected
  3. Choose your prize type:
    • ERC-20 - Fungible tokens (like USDC, WAPE)
    • ERC-721 - NFTs (unique digital collectibles)
    • ERC-1155 - Semi-fungible tokens
  4. Set raffle parameters:
    • Ticket price (APECOIN)
    • Maximum tickets per user
    • Total maximum tickets (optional, 0 = unlimited)
    • Minimum tickets needed to draw
    • Raffle duration
  5. Deposit your prize - The smart contract will securely hold your prize
  6. Confirm transaction - Pay gas fees to deploy your raffle

💡 Pro Tip: Your prize is immediately transferred to the smart contract for security. You cannot access it until the raffle ends (either through completion or cancellation).

What happens to my prize when I create a raffle?

When you create a raffle, your prize is immediately and securely transferred to the smart contract:

  • ERC-20 tokens: The specified amount is transferred from your wallet
  • NFTs (ERC-721): The NFT is transferred to the contract using safe transfer
  • ERC-1155 tokens: The specified amount of the token ID is transferred

⚠️ Important: Once transferred, you cannot retrieve your prize unless you cancel the raffle before any tickets are sold, or the raffle fails to meet minimum ticket requirements.

Can I cancel my raffle?

You can only cancel a raffle under specific conditions:

  • No tickets sold: You must cancel before anyone purchases tickets
  • Before end time: The raffle must still be active
  • Only creator: Only the raffle creator can cancel

When you cancel:

  • Your prize is immediately returned to your wallet
  • The raffle status changes to "CANCELLED"
  • No refunds are needed since no tickets were sold

✅ Best Practice: Double-check all parameters before publishing, as cancellation becomes impossible once tickets are purchased.

What fees do I pay as a raffle creator?

As a raffle creator, you earn most of the ticket sales revenue:

  • Platform fee: 6.9% of total ticket sales (adjustable by admin)
  • Creator earnings: 93.1% of total ticket sales
  • Gas fees: Standard blockchain transaction costs for raffle creation

💰 Example: If your raffle sells 100 tickets at 0.01 APE each (1 APE total), you receive 0.931 APE and the platform keeps 0.069 APE.

Ticket IconBuying Tickets & Participating
Understand the ticket purchasing and participation process

How do I buy raffle tickets?

Purchasing tickets is straightforward:

  1. Browse active raffles - View all available raffles on the homepage
  2. Connect your wallet - Required to purchase tickets
  3. Select a raffle - Click on any active raffle to view details
  4. Choose ticket quantity - Select how many tickets you want (within limits)
  5. Approve payment - Confirm the transaction in your wallet
  6. Receive confirmation - Your tickets are immediately recorded on-chain

✅ Instant Confirmation: Your ticket purchase is immediately recorded on the blockchain - no waiting required!

What payment Methods are accepted?

Payment depends on what the raffle creator has configured:

  • APE (Native): Direct payment in ApeChain's native currency

Payment Process:

  • For APE: Direct payment from your wallet balance
  • All payments are held securely in the smart contract

How many tickets can I buy?

Ticket limits are set by the raffle creator:

  • Per-user limit: Maximum tickets one address can purchase
  • Total limit: Maximum total tickets for the entire raffle (optional)
  • Minimum requirement: Minimum tickets needed for the draw to happen

⚠️ Fair Play: Limits ensure fair participation and prevent single users from dominating raffles.

Can I get a refund for my tickets?

Refunds are only available in specific situations:

  • Minimum not met: If the raffle doesn't reach minimum ticket sales
  • Automatic refund eligibility: The system automatically enables refunds
  • Full refund: You get back exactly what you paid for tickets
  • Prize returns to creator: The original prize goes back to the raffle creator

How to claim refunds:

  1. Wait for the raffle to be marked as "REFUND_AVAILABLE"
  2. Visit the raffle page
  3. Click "Claim Refund" button
  4. Confirm the transaction to receive your money back
Drawing & Finalization
Discover how winners are selected and prizes distributed

How does the raffle drawing work?

Our raffle system uses provably fair random number generation:

Step 1: Drawing Trigger

Anyone can trigger the drawing when:

  • The raffle end time has passed, OR
  • Maximum tickets have been sold

Step 2: VRF Request

The contract requests a random number from NativeVRF - a verifiable random function that ensures fairness.

Step 3: Waiting Period

The raffle status changes to "DRAWN" while waiting for the VRF to provide the random number.

Step 4: Finalization

Anyone can finalize the raffle once the random number is available, determining the winner and distributing prizes.

Who can draw and finalize a raffle?

Anyone can trigger these actions - it's completely permissionless!

Drawing a Raffle:

  • Any wallet address can call the draw function
  • Must pay VRF gas fees (usually small amount)
  • Can only be done when conditions are met

Finalizing a Raffle:

  • Any wallet address can finalize
  • Only works after VRF provides the random number
  • Automatically distributes prizes and fees

🤝 Community Driven: This design ensures raffles can always be completed, even if creators become inactive. The community can step in to finalize any raffle!

What happens behind the scenes during drawing?

Here's the technical process that ensures fairness:

1. Eligibility Check

  • Contract verifies the raffle can be drawn
  • Checks if minimum ticket threshold is met
  • If not met, enables refunds instead

2. VRF Integration

  • Contract verifies it's whitelisted with NativeVRF
  • Requests one random number from VRF oracle
  • Pays VRF fees and stores request ID

3. Winner Selection Algorithm

  • Random number is used to select winning ticket
  • Algorithm: winningTicket = (randomNumber % totalTickets) + 1
  • Iterates through participants to find ticket owner

4. Prize & Fund Distribution

  • Prize automatically transferred to winner
  • 93.1% of ticket sales sent to raffle creator
  • 6.9% platform fee retained in contract

How long does the drawing and finalization process take?

The process involves two separate transactions with a waiting period:

Step 1

Drawing (VRF Request)

Immediate - transaction confirms in ~12 seconds on ApeChain

Wait

VRF Fulfillment

30 - 60 seconds - NativeVRF processes and provides random number

Step 2

Finalization

Immediate - anyone can trigger once VRF is ready

⏱️ Total Time: Typically 1-2 minutes from drawing to final winner announcement.

Security & Trust
Explore the security measures that protect your assets

How do I know the raffle is fair?

Our platform ensures complete transparency and fairness:

Smart Contract Security

  • Open source code available for audit
  • Built with OpenZeppelin security standards
  • Reentrancy protection on all functions
  • No admin backdoors or emergency withdrawals

Verifiable Randomness

  • Uses NativeVRF for cryptographically secure randomness
  • Random numbers are verifiable on-chain
  • Impossible for anyone to predict or manipulate outcomes

Transparent Process

  • All transactions are public on ApeChain
  • Ticket purchases and winners are verifiable
  • Smart contract state is always visible

What happens if something goes wrong?

The smart contract has several built-in protections:

Minimum Tickets Not Met

  • Automatic refund mode activated
  • All participants can claim full refunds
  • Prize returned to creator

VRF Delays or Issues

  • Raffle remains in "DRAWN" state until VRF responds
  • No time limit - will eventually complete
  • Community can always finalize when ready

Creator Becomes Inactive

  • Anyone can draw and finalize raffles
  • No dependency on creator participation
  • Community ensures raffles complete

🛡️ No Funds Lost: The smart contract design ensures that funds and prizes are never locked permanently.

Can raffles be manipulated by creators or admins?

No - the system is designed to be trustless:

Raffle Creators Cannot:

  • Withdraw prizes once the raffle starts
  • Cancel raffles after tickets are sold
  • Influence the random number generation
  • Change raffle parameters after creation
  • Prevent finalization of their raffles

Platform Admins Cannot:

  • Access or steal user funds or prizes
  • Manipulate raffle outcomes
  • Stop or interfere with active raffles
  • Change fees retroactively (only for new raffles)

Only Admin Powers:

  • Update platform fee percentage (max 20%)
  • Update VRF oracle address if needed
  • Withdraw accumulated platform fees
  • Temporarily disable new raffle creation
Technical Details
Technical details about the underlying blockchain technology

What is NativeVRF and why is it important?

NativeVRF (Verifiable Random Function) is crucial for fair raffle outcomes:

What it provides:

  • Cryptographic proof: Random numbers are mathematically verifiable
  • Unpredictable: Cannot be influenced by miners, validators, or users
  • Deterministic verification: Anyone can verify the randomness was legitimate

Why not use block hashes?

  • Block hashes can be influenced by miners
  • Predictable with enough computing power
  • Not suitable for high-value raffles

VRF Process:

  1. Contract requests random number with unique seed
  2. VRF oracle generates provably random response
  3. Response includes cryptographic proof of randomness
  4. Contract verifies proof and uses random number

What tokens and NFTs are supported?

The platform supports all standard token types:

Prize Types:

  • ERC-20 Any fungible token (USDC, WAPE, project tokens)
  • ERC-721 Unique NFTs (art, collectibles, gaming items)
  • ERC-1155 Semi-fungible tokens (gaming items, certificates)

Payment Methods:

  • Native APE: Direct payment in ApeChain's currency

Requirements:

  • Tokens must be deployed on ApeChain
  • Standard compliance (ERC-20/721/1155)
  • Sufficient balance and approvals required
Important Disclaimers

⚠️ Blockchain Risks

  • Smart contracts are immutable - transactions cannot be reversed
  • Always verify contract addresses before interacting
  • Gas fees are non-refundable even if transactions fail
  • Keep your private keys secure - we cannot recover lost wallets

🔍 Due Diligence

  • Research raffle creators and prize authenticity
  • Understand local gambling and lottery regulations
  • Only participate with funds you can afford to lose
  • Verify all raffle parameters before participating

🛡️ Platform Commitment

  • Open source smart contracts for transparency
  • No backdoors or admin override functions
  • Decentralized operation - no single point of failure
  • Community-driven finalization ensures completion