FAQs

The Unity Lottery is a lottery platform which charities of all shapes and sizes can use to run their own fundraising lotteries. The Unity Lottery platform is administered by Sterling Management Centre Limited, a licensed External Lottery Manager (ELM) by the Gambling Commission.

The Unity platform enables charities and good causes to run their own weekly lottery costing £1 per entry, per week, to support their fundraising. The draw is run every Friday and each entry has the chance to win one of four amazing prizes, including the top prize of £25,000!

Everyone who works or studies at the ICR can participate in the ICR lottery, except for the following:

• Trustees of The Institute of Cancer Research;
• Members of the Executive Board;
• Members of the Academic Board;
• Employees within the Development and Communications Directorate;
• Any individual directly involved in the management, administration, promotion, marketing, operation or oversight of the lottery;
• Employees of any External Lottery Manager appointed by The Institute of Cancer Research; and
• Individuals working on the lottery on behalf of suppliers or service providers.

For any queries about our policy on who can participate in our charity lottery, please contact supportercare@icr.ac.uk

Each £1 entry has a 1 in 63 chance of winning one of four fantastic prizes. Every entry in Unity has an equal chance of winning, no matter which charity is being supported or how many players that good cause has in their lottery.

We urgently need to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. With your support, we can drive forward bold new research, to save more lives. You can donate to one of our appeals, leave a gift in your Will or take part in one of our sports or challenge events to support our vital cancer research.

Our appeals: Our appeals - The Institute of Cancer Research, LondonGift in Your Will: Leave a legacySports and Challenges: Sport events and challengesIf you have any questions about supporting the ICR, please contact supportercare@icr.ac.uk

Yes, every entry has an equal chance of winning, and the winning numbers are drawn at random.

For every £1 played, at least 50p goes directly to the respective cause as profit. The other 50p is split between the prize pot and administration costs.

For every £1 entry, players receive a unique 6-digit lottery number.

Every Friday, a winning number is drawn at random. Players must match the digits to win up to £25,000!

The lottery is a number match game. We generate a random 6-digit winning number sequence. If the player’s digits are in same positions as the digits in the winning number sequence, they win a prize!

For example, if the winning number sequence was 123456, the lottery number 163057 would be a 3-digit winning match; because 3 digits are positioned in the same place in the sequence.

3 digit match = 5 entries into the next draw*

4 digit match = £25

5 digit match = £1,000

6 digit match = £25,000

*If players would prefer to receive a £5 cash prize instead of 5 prize entries, they can opt for this by contacting the Unity helpline (0370 050 9240) or email address (info@unitylottery.co.uk).

As all lottery administration is handled by Sterling Management Centre Limited, who provide the Unity Lottery platform, all lottery communications come from Unity.

You can view our lottery rules here. The purpose of these rules is to ensure that you are informed about the terms of playing your causes' lottery and to promote responsible gambling.

Yes. Charities and good causes operate their lotteries compliantly under licence from their local authority or the Gambling Commission, and all administration is handled by Sterling Management Centre Limited, a certified External Lottery Manager (ELM) with the Gambling Commission.

You can contact one of our friendly members of staff at the Unity Lottery helpline on 0370 050 9240 to discuss the lottery or your membership. (Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) calls are charged at your local rate.

Alternatively, you can contact Unity through our contact page.

You can cancel your lottery membership at anytime by contacting our lottery team by phone on 0370 050 9240 (Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm) or email at info@unitylottery.co.uk

No. Unfortunately, Gift Aid cannot be claimed on funds raised through the lottery.