Q. Is this a raffle, and is it legal?

A. A raffle is generally a contest in which participants purchase a ticket or “chance” at winning a prize. Football Chance is a raffle.

In the United States raffle laws vary considerably by state. A good discussion on this topic can be found at: http://stepbystepfundraising.com/raffle-laws-us-by-state/

Determine the legality of your potential fund raiser and that no local or state ordinances, that deal with raffles, are being violated. Do a little Internet research to find out if there are any restrictions in your area. Check with other organizations in your area. Some institutions may have their own rules concerning fund raisers. So check with your college, university, school, etc.

Q. Am I guaranteed unlimited free updates for life?

A. Every purchaser is entitled to free updates and upgrades for the life of this product. Updates may consist of any combination of bug fixes (program errors) and enhancements. A CHECK FOR UPDATE button is available on the registered software full version. While online (checking email or surfing the web), clicking on this button will check for updates and transfer to the download page if an update is found. In addition, registered users will receive notification of updates and upgrades by email.

Here is how the free update feature works. Before an update is available, the number of free updates available to the purchaser is zero. When an update becomes available, the number of free updates available to the purchaser is increased to one. Then when the update is downloaded, the number is decreased to zero. Essentially, that means free updates for life.

If you give (which is illegal) the program and registration information to a friend, and the friend downloads the update, then the free update will be gone. To get the next updated program version, you will have to purchase the program again. If you feel the author of this program is infallible, or if you don't care about enhancements, then don't worry about getting updates.

If you give the program and registration information to several friends, then only one will be eligible for a one-time update. The remainder are out of luck.

Of course, you could give (which is illegal) the updated version without the registration information to a friend. But the friend will be at the mercy of the registered user to receive the latest updated version. Running this fundraiser without the ability to get updates is like playing "Russian Roulette." Good luck!

Q. When installing an Update, will I lose the current data file?

A. The update installation is a single .exe file that contains everything necessary to update the software. DO NOT uninstall any previous version, if you want to keep the current data file. This is important if you are currently running a Football Chance fundraiser.

Q. When calculating winners, can I accidentally use experimental changes?

A. When calculating winners, the Football Chance program will not use any changes made elsewhere, during the session, unless the changes were SAVED. Winners are calculated using the data prior to the last SAVE. This prevents accidental use of experimental data in calculating winners. Do not SAVE experimental data while a fundraiser is in progress!

Q. Are other currencies such as £ and € supported?

A. A future update will contain support for the £ (pound) and the € (euro). The software will still be an English version.
A future update will also allow a choice for having two colors on the ticket front. Multiple colors are not presently used because the print speed is too slow, and colors other than black can add to ticket printing costs.

Q. It is installed on my computer - is it possible to also install the program on another computer to serve as a back up?

A. Yes, it is certainly possible to install the software on other computers. The manual says to make a backup of the downloaded full version software (SETUP.EXE). The backup can be used to load the software on any other computer. The only restriction is that a new update can only be downloaded once, and the update download can be done from any computer by using the registered email address and password. Once a new update is downloaded and backed up, the backup can be used to update the software on the other computer(s).

Q. I read your blog of 8/1/06 regarding printing the tickets, My original thought was to printed three fronts to a sheet, and then three backs; then cut sheet into three tickets. Is that possible or do we need to print the fronts, and then cut and then print each back one at a time?

A. Others wanted to print 3 fronts and then print 3 backs on that sheet. We never thought about doing it that way, and that cannot be done at present. Ticket backs are printed one at a time. Maybe a future update will allow that method, but it would be VERY difficult for us to implement. The only acceptable method is to print the fronts, cut to size, and then feed a stack of individual tickets into the printer to print the backs. As you saw in our blog, we have the tickets cut and perforated at a print shop. That makes the process much simpler, and the cost is negligible relative to the profit.

Q. Can a specific ticket or range of ticket numbers be reprinted? (This is important if the ticket does not print properly or is lost).

A. Yes, a single ticket or a range of tickets can be printed. To print one ticket, the first ticket # and the last ticket # are set to the desired ticket number.

Q. Can we get a status report during the season as to the grand prize total points to date by ticket?

A. Giving a Grand Prize Preview of the total point standings has been incorporated into the software. That feature will be available in the next software update, which will be released prior to the 2007-2008 season.

During the 2006-2007 season, Grand Prize results to date were available on the Football Chance website, in the left side navigation bar. That feature will continue to be available, so that individuals can easily see where they stand.