> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rafflex.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rafflex.io/create-your-first-raffle/add-instant-wins/instant-wins-and-sold-tickets.md).

# Instant Wins and Already Sold Tickets

Why Instant Wins added after sales have started skip tickets that are already sold, and how to set them up so every ticket has a fair chance to win.

**The short answer:** set up all your Instant Wins before you open a competition for sales. When you add Instant Wins, the system only picks winning numbers from tickets that have not yet been sold, so any prize you add after sales begin can never land on a ticket someone has already bought.

This page explains why that happens and how to avoid catching your early buyers out.

***

### How winning numbers are chosen

When you click **Create Instant Wins**, the system picks the winning ticket numbers for each prize at random. It only picks from tickets that are still **available**, which means tickets that:

* have **not** already been sold to a customer, and
* are **not** already a winning number for another Instant Win on the same competition.

It will never use the same number twice, and it will never turn a ticket someone has already paid for into a winner after the event.

That is exactly what keeps the draw fair. The catch is that the size of this available pool depends entirely on **when** you set the Instant Wins up.

{% hint style="info" %}
Winning numbers are always chosen by the system. You cannot pick your own winning numbers, and you cannot add numbers to an existing prize by hand.
{% endhint %}

***

### Why timing matters so much

{% hint style="success" %}
**Set up before launch (recommended)**

If you add your Instant Wins **before any tickets have sold**, the winning numbers can be spread across your **entire** ticket range. Every ticket in the competition has a genuine chance of being a winner. This is the fair approach, and the one we recommend for every competition.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Adding them after sales start excludes early buyers**

If you add a new Instant Win (including more of a prize you already offer) **after sales have already started**, every ticket that has already been bought is skipped. None of those tickets can win the prize you have just added.

In plain terms, the people who supported you first are silently left out of any prize you add late. They cannot win it no matter what, and if that ever comes to light it can feel unfair and lead to complaints. Avoid it by setting everything up before you go live.
{% endhint %}

The same idea applies if you **increase Max Tickets** after adding Instant Wins. Your existing winning numbers were picked from the original ticket range, so the extra tickets you add cannot win those prizes. If you plan to grow a competition, decide on the final size before you create your Instant Wins.

***

### Why you might see "Not enough tickets left"

Because winning numbers can only come from available tickets, there is a natural limit on how many Instant Win tickets you can create. If you ask for more than there are available numbers, the builder refuses to save and shows a **Not enough tickets left** message.

The builder checks the combined total of all the prizes you are adding against the tickets you have to work with. If the total is too high, the message reads **There are more instant wins than there are tickets. Reduce instant wins.**

Nothing is saved when this happens. Lower the **Tickets** on one or more prizes and click **Create Instant Wins** again.

{% hint style="info" %}
**The same prizes can become impossible to add later**

As a competition sells more tickets, fewer numbers stay available. A set of Instant Wins that would have fitted comfortably at launch can become impossible to add once a chunk of the tickets have sold. This is another reason to get them in place before you open for sales.
{% endhint %}

***

### Reading the "Available Tickets" figure

Just below the budget bar on the **Create Instant Wins** page, you will see **Available Tickets** next to **Max Tickets**. Available Tickets is the genuine number of tickets you have left to work with, **not** the full size of the competition. It is your Max Tickets, minus tickets already sold, minus numbers already used as winning numbers.

So if that number looks smaller than you expected, it is simply telling you the truth: sales (and any Instant Wins you have already created) have used up part of the range. The remainder is all that new winning numbers can be picked from.

As you add prizes, the **Total** row in the summary table turns red if your new prizes need more tickets than Available Tickets, so you can spot the problem before you click save.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Freeing up numbers.** If you delete an Instant Win that has not been won, or delete some of its winning numbers on the prize's edit page, those numbers become available again for new prizes. Only do this for numbers that have not been won.
{% endhint %}

For more on the budget bar and the rest of the builder, see the main guide:

{% content-ref url="/pages/fMCsqKAfEnoO0vTY5gIC" %}
[Add Instant Wins](/create-your-first-raffle/add-instant-wins.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

***

### The takeaway

Plan your prizes first, then launch. If you decide everything before the competition goes live, the system can spread your Instant Wins fairly across every ticket, every buyer has the same chance, and you will not run into the "Not enough tickets left" wall. Adding prizes part way through is possible, but only the tickets still unsold can win them, so use it sparingly and be mindful of your earlier buyers.