> 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/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws.md).

# TrueNorth Autodraws

Let RaffleX draw your winner automatically at the draw date, through TrueNorth's verifiable RNG when it is connected. This is the hands off way to run a fair main prize draw.

***

With **Auto draw** turned on for a competition, RaffleX picks the winner (or winners) for you automatically at the competition's **Draw date**, or straight after it sells out if you prefer. If TrueNorth is connected, that automatic draw runs through TrueNorth's verifiable random number generator, so the result is provably fair and there is nothing for you to do on the day.

{% hint style="info" %}
This page assumes you have already connected your TrueNorth account. If you have not done that yet, start with TrueNorth Setup. Auto draw also works without TrueNorth, as explained below, but the result will not be independently verifiable.
{% endhint %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/wjkhNn5bSInlvlyhGq4A" %}
[TrueNorth Setup](/drawing-winners/truenorth-setup.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

***

### How It Fits Together

There are two separate settings involved:

* **Provably Fair Autodraws** is a site wide setting on the **Standards** page in Settings. It is switched on automatically when you connect TrueNorth, and it tells RaffleX to run your automatic draws through TrueNorth.
* **Auto draw** is a setting on each competition. It tells RaffleX to draw that particular competition for you.

Here is how they work together:

| Your setup                                                                                  | What happens at draw time                                                                                                                                                                      |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Auto draw** on, TrueNorth connected and **Provably Fair Autodraws** on                    | RaffleX draws the winner automatically through TrueNorth. The competition page shows a **Provably Fair Draw** panel and customers can verify the result.                                       |
| **Auto draw** on, but TrueNorth not connected (or **Provably Fair Autodraws** switched off) | RaffleX still draws the winner automatically, using its standard random draw. The winner is saved and emailed in the same way, but there is no TrueNorth verification.                         |
| **Auto draw** off                                                                           | Nothing is drawn automatically. You draw the winner yourself, either [live through TrueNorth](/drawing-winners/truenorth-live-stream-draws.md) or [manually](/drawing-winners/manual-draw.md). |

So once TrueNorth is connected and **Provably Fair Autodraws** is on, every competition you set to **Auto draw** is drawn automatically and verifiably.

{% hint style="info" %}
A competition is either drawn automatically or drawn live, not both. While **Auto draw** is on, the live draw is not available for that competition. If you want to host the draw yourself, leave **Auto draw** off and use [Live Stream Draws](/drawing-winners/truenorth-live-stream-draws.md) instead.
{% endhint %}

***

### Turn On Auto Draw for a Competition

Auto draw is set on each competition, either when you create it or at any point before it is drawn.

1. In your **admin panel**, find the **Competitions** group in the left-hand menu and click **Competitions**.
2. Click the competition you want to edit, or click **New competition** to create one.
3. Check the dates near the top of the form:
   * **End** is when the competition closes to new entries.
   * **Draw date** is when the automatic draw takes place. It must be the same as, or later than, the **End** date. Once **Auto draw** is on, a reminder appears under this field: "Auto draw will trigger at this date and time."
4. Set **Draw Winner Quantity** to the number of main prize winners you want. With **Auto draw** on, this must be at least **1** (you can draw up to 40). These are main draw winners only. Instant wins are handled separately.
5. Scroll down to the row of toggles and switch on **Auto draw**. Its helper text reads "Enabling this will result in the system picking winner(s) for you at the draw date."
6. A second toggle, **Draw on Sold Out**, appears just underneath. It starts switched on. Leave it on to draw as soon as the competition sells out, or switch it off to always wait for the **Draw date**. See [Draw on Sold Out](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws/draw-on-sold-out.md) for help choosing.
7. Make sure the **Active** toggle is on, so the competition is live on your site.
8. Click **Create** (for a new competition) or **Save changes** (for an existing one).

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Check your Draw Winner Quantity carefully.** If fewer tickets sell than the number of winners you set, the automatic draw cannot run and **Auto draw** is switched off for that competition. You will need to step in yourself. See [Auto Draw When Not Sold Out](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws/auto-draw-when-not-sold-out.md) for what to do.
{% endhint %}

***

### When the Draw Runs

The timing depends on whether the competition sells out, and on the **Draw on Sold Out** toggle.

| What happens                                          | Draw on Sold Out **on** (default)                                | Draw on Sold Out **off**                                                  |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The competition **sells out** before its **End** date | The draw runs automatically shortly after the last ticket sells. | The competition closes, but the draw waits for the **Draw date** you set. |
| The competition **does not sell out**                 | The draw runs a few minutes after the **Draw date**.             | The draw runs a few minutes after the **Draw date**.                      |

You do not need to be online for any of this to happen.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Why the short wait when a competition does not sell out?** Some customers start checking out in the final moments before the deadline. RaffleX gives those orders a few minutes to finish so their tickets can be included in the draw. If you are watching at the exact draw time and no winner has appeared yet, nothing is wrong. Give it a few minutes.
{% endhint %}

While customers wait, the competition page shows a **Standby!** message telling them when the draw is scheduled, with a note that remaining orders are being given time to complete before the automatic draw.

***

### When an Auto Draw Will Not Run

**Auto draw** only runs when the competition is ready to be drawn. RaffleX skips a competition in these situations:

* **The competition is not Active.** If you switch **Active** off, it will not be drawn automatically until you switch it back on.
* **The competition has not opened yet.** A competition with a future **Start Date (Scheduler)** is never drawn automatically before it goes live. See [Schedule a Competition](/create-your-first-raffle/create-a-competition/schedule-a-competition.md).
* **A winner has already been recorded.** If a competition already has a main draw winner, for example because you added one with **Add Winners**, RaffleX will not draw it again. This protects you from accidental double draws.
* **Too few tickets were sold.** If fewer tickets sold than your **Draw Winner Quantity**, RaffleX does not draw. Instead, it switches **Auto draw** off for that competition, and no winner or winner email is created.

{% hint style="warning" %}
You are not sent an alert when **Auto draw** is switched off because too few tickets sold. Always check back on your competitions shortly after their draw date and confirm a winner actually appears.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Want to know exactly what to do when a competition does not sell out, or when too few tickets sold? See [Auto Draw When Not Sold Out](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws/auto-draw-when-not-sold-out.md).
{% endhint %}

If TrueNorth cannot be reached at the moment of the draw, RaffleX does not draw a winner by any other method. It simply tries again automatically shortly afterwards, so the result still goes through TrueNorth. If a winner still has not appeared a while after the draw date, contact Rafflex support.

***

### What Happens When the Draw Runs

Once the draw runs, RaffleX does all of this for you:

1. **Picks the winners.** It draws the number of winners you set in **Draw Winner Quantity**, each from a different sold ticket.
2. **Saves the winners** against the competition. You can see them in the admin panel by opening the competition and clicking the **Winners** tab below the form.
3. **Emails each winner.** Every winner is sent the draw winner email, with a subject like **You have won a prize! Ticket #123, Competition: "Your Competition"**. A hidden copy goes to your **Site Email** and to your **Admin Instant Win BCC Email**. Anything you write in **Draw Win Email Instructions** appears in this email, so it is the place to explain how winners claim their prize. See [Customer Emails](/essential-settings/email-setup/customer-emails.md).
4. **Records the draw in the System Logs.** Open the competition and click the **System Logs** tab to see an entry such as "Auto draw completed for 'Your Competition' with 1 winner(s)". The **Actor** column shows "system", because RaffleX ran the draw rather than an admin.
5. **Updates the competition page** so customers can see who won.

{% hint style="info" %}
Before relying on Auto draw, it is worth checking your email settings so the winner email goes out from the right address with the right instructions. See [Email Setup](/essential-settings/email-setup.md).
{% endhint %}

***

### What Customers See After the Draw

**When the draw ran through TrueNorth**, the ended competition page shows a **Provably Fair Draw** panel marked **Verified**. It includes:

* **Verified by TrueNorth RNG** branding.
* **Draw Details**, such as the **Draw ID**, **Draw Date**, **Max Tickets** and **Tickets Sold**.
* The **Winners**, with each winner's name, prize and ticket number.
* A **Verify Result on TrueNorth** link, so customers can check the result for themselves.

**When the draw ran without TrueNorth**, the page shows each winner's name, ticket number and prize in the normal winners list, along with a **Fair Draw Code** reference, but there is no TrueNorth verification panel.

{% hint style="success" %}
Because the draw is automatic, you do not need to add the winner yourself. RaffleX records the result and notifies the winner for you.
{% endhint %}

***

### Changing Your Mind

You can switch **Auto draw** off at any time before the competition has been drawn. Open the competition, turn off **Auto draw**, and click **Save changes**. You can then draw it yourself:

{% content-ref url="/pages/mUzOfLUBIFqALHcP5u1Y" %}
[TrueNorth Live Stream Draws](/drawing-winners/truenorth-live-stream-draws.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/O8AeRxcaRlpBsqPTNj4d" %}
[Manual Draw](/drawing-winners/manual-draw.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

***

### Quick Checklist

Before a competition with **Auto draw** reaches its draw date, check that:

* TrueNorth is connected and **Provably Fair Autodraws** is on (if you want a verifiable result).
* **Auto draw** is on, and **Draw on Sold Out** is set the way you want.
* **Draw Winner Quantity** is a number you are confident the competition will reach.
* The **Draw date** is correct, and the competition is **Active**.
* Your winner email instructions are set up.

After the draw date, check back on the competition to confirm the winner appears.

{% hint style="info" %}
Not sure whether an early sell out should bring the draw forward? See [Draw on Sold Out](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws/draw-on-sold-out.md).
{% endhint %}