> 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-setup.md).

# TrueNorth Setup

Connect your TrueNorth account to RaffleX so your draws can be independently verified. This is the first step before using TrueNorth Autodraws or Live Stream Draws.

***

TrueNorth by RaffleX is a certified, verifiable random number generator (RNG for short, the tool that picks a random winning ticket). When your draws run through TrueNorth, every result is committed to in advance and can be checked independently, so your players never have to simply take your word that a draw was fair.

Connecting TrueNorth is a one time job for your whole site. Once it is connected, RaffleX can run your draws through TrueNorth in two ways:

* [**Autodraws**](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws.md), where RaffleX draws the winner for you automatically at the competition's draw date.
* [**Live Stream Draws**](/drawing-winners/truenorth-live-stream-draws.md), where an admin runs a live draw from the competition page and reveals each winner on screen.

{% hint style="info" %}
You only need to connect TrueNorth once. After that, you choose how each competition is drawn.
{% endhint %}

***

### Before You Start

* You need to be logged in to your **admin panel** as an admin.
* Have your company details to hand: your **company name**, your **company number** (for a UK limited company, this is the number Companies House gave you), and the **name** and **email address** of the person TrueNorth should contact.
* Set aside a couple of minutes. The connection is made as soon as you confirm, so you can finish everything in one sitting.

***

### Find the Standards Page

TrueNorth lives on the **Standards** page in Settings.

1. Log in to your **admin panel**.
2. In the left-hand menu, find the **Content** group and click **Settings**.
3. In the Settings side menu, click **Standards**.

At the top of the page you will see a panel called **What is TrueNorth?**. It gives a short summary of the service: TrueNorth is a GLI Certified Verifiable RNG that replaces ordinary behind the scenes randomness with a transparent system, where each draw is committed to in advance and can be verified by anyone. Underneath that you will find the **TrueNorth Account** section, which is where you enter your details.

{% hint style="info" %}
The Standards page also holds your player protection, age verification and account deletion options further down. Those are covered in the [Standards](/standards/standards.md) section of these docs. This page only covers the TrueNorth part.
{% endhint %}

***

### Connect Your TrueNorth Account

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Fill in your account details

In the **TrueNorth Account** section, complete all four fields:

| Field              | What to enter                                                                |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Company Name**   | The registered name of the business running your raffles.                    |
| **Company Number** | Your registered company number.                                              |
| **Contact Name**   | The person TrueNorth should get in touch with about your account.            |
| **Contact Email**  | The email address for that person. This must be a real, valid email address. |

All four fields are needed before you can connect.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Accept the terms

Tick the box labelled **I agree to the TrueNorth Terms & Conditions**. The words "TrueNorth Terms & Conditions" are a link, so you can click them to read the terms in a new browser tab before you tick.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Save your details (optional)

If you want to come back and finish later, click **Save Settings** at the bottom of the page. This keeps what you have typed so far without connecting anything.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Connect

Click the green **Connect to TrueNorth** button at the bottom of the page.

A confirmation box called **Connect TrueNorth Account** opens. It explains that a TrueNorth account will be created using the details you have entered. Click **Connect** to go ahead.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Check the result

After a moment, a green message confirms it worked:

* **TrueNorth account created successfully** means a brand new TrueNorth account has been set up for your site.
* **TrueNorth account linked successfully** ("Your existing TrueNorth account has been connected.") means a TrueNorth account already existed for your website address, so RaffleX has connected you to that account instead of making a second one. You do not need to do anything differently.

The page then reloads and shows the **Connected** panel.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

RaffleX sets up the connection securely in the background. There is nothing for you to copy, paste or store yourself.

***

### If Something Goes Wrong

If RaffleX cannot connect you, a message appears in the corner of the screen explaining why. Here is what each one means and what to do.

| Message                                | What it means                                                                                   | What to do                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Terms not accepted**                 | The terms box was not ticked.                                                                   | Tick **I agree to the TrueNorth Terms & Conditions**, then click **Connect to TrueNorth** again.                                                                                                 |
| **Missing account details**            | One or more of the four account fields is empty.                                                | Fill in **Company Name**, **Company Number**, **Contact Name** and **Contact Email**, then try again.                                                                                            |
| **Already connected**                  | Your site is already linked to TrueNorth.                                                       | Nothing. Refresh the page and you should see the **Connected** panel.                                                                                                                            |
| **Failed to create TrueNorth account** | RaffleX could not reach TrueNorth, or something unexpected happened while creating the account. | Wait a few minutes and try again. Your four account details are saved, so you do not need to type them again. Just make sure the terms box is still ticked, then click **Connect to TrueNorth**. |
| **Failed to link TrueNorth account**   | An account already exists for your website address, but RaffleX could not connect to it.        | Wait a few minutes and try again.                                                                                                                                                                |

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you keep seeing **Failed to create TrueNorth account** or **Failed to link TrueNorth account** after a few tries, contact Rafflex support and let them know the message you are seeing.
{% endhint %}

***

### After You Connect

Once you are connected, the top of the Standards page changes. Instead of the setup form you will see:

* A green **Connected** panel that reads "Your TrueNorth account is linked." It lists the **Company Name**, **Company Number**, **Contact Name** and **Contact Email** you registered with, so you can see at a glance that TrueNorth is set up.
* A **Provably Fair Autodraws** section with a single toggle of the same name. Its helper text reads "Use TrueNorth RNG for provably fair autodraw results."

{% hint style="info" %}
Your registered details are shown for reference only and cannot be edited on this page. If your company name, number or contact details change, contact Rafflex support.
{% endhint %}

***

### Provably Fair Autodraws

**Provably Fair Autodraws** is switched **on** for you automatically the moment you connect. While it is on:

* Any competition with **Auto draw** turned on is drawn through TrueNorth, so the result can be independently verified. See [TrueNorth Autodraws](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws.md).
* Admins can run a [live draw](/drawing-winners/truenorth-live-stream-draws.md) on ended competitions using the **Draw Winners** button.

You can switch it off at any time:

1. Open **Settings**, then **Standards**.
2. In the **Provably Fair Autodraws** section, turn the **Provably Fair Autodraws** toggle off.
3. Click **Save Settings**.

To turn it back on, repeat the steps and switch the toggle on again. You stay connected to TrueNorth either way.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Switching Provably Fair Autodraws off also removes the live draw.** The **Draw Winners** button used for [TrueNorth Live Stream Draws](/drawing-winners/truenorth-live-stream-draws.md) only appears while this toggle is on. Competitions with **Auto draw** turned on are still drawn automatically, but the result will not go through TrueNorth and will not show the **Provably Fair Draw** panel. If you run live draws, leave this switched on.
{% endhint %}

***

### Next Steps

Now that TrueNorth is connected, choose how you want your competitions to be drawn.

{% content-ref url="/pages/ytZhoGmYl1vQ9IyEF1Ir" %}
[TrueNorth Autodraws](/drawing-winners/truenorth-autodraws.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

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

Prefer to pick a winner yourself with an outside random number generator? That is still possible.

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