The raffle system lets you run prize draws where users spend points to enter. UserPoints handles entry fee deduction, ticket tracking, and the random draw.
Go to Components → UserPoints → Raffle to see all raffles.
Click New and complete the form.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | The name of the raffle, displayed to users. |
| Category | An optional Joomla content category for grouping raffles. |
| Registration | Whether users must be registered (logged in) to enter. Set to Yes for standard member-only raffles. |
| Multiple Entries | Whether a single user may purchase more than one ticket. Enabling this creates a ticket-based system where more entries mean a higher chance of winning. |
| Points to Participate | The number of points a user must spend to enter. |
| Remove Points to Participate | Whether the entry cost is actually deducted from the user's balance. Set to No if entry is free despite requiring a minimum balance. |
| Number of Winners | How many winners are drawn: 1, 2, or 3. When more than one winner is drawn, separate prizes can be configured for each place. |
| Raffle Date | The intended draw date. Informational only — the draw must be triggered manually. |
| Published | Whether the raffle is visible to users. |
The Raffle System field determines what winners receive. Four modes are available:
Points — Award a set number of points to each place. Enter the point amount for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Unused places (if Number of Winners is less than 3) can be left at zero.
Coupon Codes — Award a specific coupon code to each place. Select up to three existing coupon codes from the dropdowns. Enable Send Coupon Code by Email to have the winning code emailed to the winner automatically after the draw.
Download Links — Send winners a URL (for example, a file download or a voucher page). Enter a URL for each place. The links are emailed to winners after the draw.
Email Notification — No tangible prize is configured here; the draw result is communicated via the standard UserPoints email notification system. Use this when the prize is managed outside UserPoints (for example, a physical item delivered by post).
Save to create the raffle.
Raffles are displayed on article or content pages using the Raffle editor button plugin (editors-xtd-raffle). When writing a Joomla article:
A shortcode is inserted into the article. When the article is displayed on the frontend, the shortcode is replaced by an entry button and the current entry count. Users who click the button spend the configured points and receive a ticket.
When you are ready to draw:
UserPoints randomly selects one ticket holder (or more, if Number of Winners > 1) as the winner and records the result. The draw is irreversible.
After the draw, the winner's details are shown according to the settings in Configuration → Raffle:
If both are disabled, the raffle result page confirms the draw has taken place but does not name the winner publicly.
Each raffle entry creates an activity record using the raffle rule, so the full entry history is visible in the Activities log. You can see how many tickets each user has purchased by filtering activities by the raffle rule and the user's name.