South African online lottery company Wildlifewins.com has launched in the UK.
Describing itself as "a cause-oriented for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of, and funds for, serious conservation projects around the globe", Wildlifewins.com says that it will offer a £14 million weekly online lottery.
Raffles and auctions are undoubtedly the most popular online events used by charities to raise funds. Some of the prizes and lots now on offer are impressive.
ThirdSector magazine reports this week on the jailing of a man who had made £500,000 from a bogus charity scratchcard scheme. Tommy Stuart, 59, was jailed by Manchester Crown Court for three months. Stuart's company was called Fund-raising UK Ltd. This should not, of course, be confused with Fundraising UK Ltd, which is the company that publishes this Web site.
It's Halloween this month and some online fundraisers are taking advantage of this seasonal event. PlusLotto, some of the proceeds of which benefit the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is rerunning its instant game, Witches to Riches.
The NCVO has given a cautious welcome to the government's decision to work to ban the new Pronto online lottery.
In a statement, NCVO Chief Executive Stuart Etherington said that the organisation does "recognise that there have been concerns over the social and gambling aspects associated with such new games and that the Government is concerned to ensure that such risks are minimised".
Web-Fishing, a "first-ever charity online game", offers Internet surfers the opportunity to make a $5 to $750 credit card donation and enter themselves in a competition.
A new online lottery is to be launched in the Autumn to benefit UK charities.
Run by InterLotto, the organisation that established PlusLotto in aid of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the lottery will be played in pubs and other retail outlets.
