Calcutta Sweepstakes Events

What is a Calcutta?

They've been around for years and a terrific fun way to entertain your audience as well as make some money for your organisation if fundraising is your outcome.

They are usually based on a major sporting event with a multi-participant field, such as The Melbourne and Caulfield Cups and the AFL's Brownlow Medal Count.

A pool of funds is generated by a raffle and auction, and this pool is split up amongst successful bidders according to who "owns" the placegetters in the actual event.

The event runs in four phases:

1) The Draw.

A "raffle" is conducted whereby "punters" purchase tickets. When all tickets have been sold, the draw is conducted to establish interim owners of each runner in the field.

2) The Auction

The host then auctions off each runner in the field. If an interim owner from phase one is the successful bidder in this auction phase they need only pay half of the winning bid. If the interim owner is not the successful bidder, they will collect half of the winning bid as their reward for being lucky in phase one.

3) Settling Time

Successful bidders pay for their purchases and successful interim owners collect their half of the auction price.

4) The event is conducted. Typically, a Calcutta is conducted the night before the event but can easily be run just before the event on the day/night. Payouts are then made to the successful final owners according to the way the pool has been divided. The usual split for a Melbourne Cup would be 60%, 20%, 15% and 5% for 1st, 2nd 3rd and Last respectively.

All proceedings are recorded on laptop and projected on the big screen to the audience who can see at a glance the progress of all phases of the event - number of tickets sold, runners names and their published odds, interim and final owners, the size of the pool and projected dividends.

Is it legal?

Yes. TriviaOz will assist you in obtaining the necessary government permit to conduct the event. There is a modest cost for the licence of about $40 and it takes a week or two to be processed.

How can my organisation make money from it?

By law, you are permitted to retain a maximum of 5% of the pool to cover your costs. The rest of the pool must be distributed back to participants.

You may wish to charge participants to attend, and you can profit from bar and food sales as well as conduct the traditional other fundraising activities such as Nearest The Pin, True or False, Four Corners, etc. We can also arrange for Allsports Memorabilia and Artist at Work to attend to add to your event. See their links to investigate these options.

Alternatively, if fundraising is not your outcome, a TriviaOz! Calcutta can be a great form of entertainment (and profit!) for your staff, friends and customers.

Consult with TriviaOz! who will help plan and conduct your whole event.

What do TriviaOz! do and provide for the event?

We do the lot. You provide the venue and audience and we do the rest.

Your host will bring:

• Raffle Tickets
• Cash change to facilitate transactions
• Payout envelopes
• Laptop and Calcutta software
• Projector
• Screen
• PA system and MP3 player for musical entertainment
• All other equipment for other fundraising activities as required

Your host will conduct the whole event in conjunction with you and/or your committee to achieve your outcomes.

What does a TriviaOz! Calcutta cost?

The base price is $750. Depending on location, size of audience, degree of customisation required and inclusion of other activities, this can vary. Contact TriviaOz! for a detailed discussion of your exact requirements and we'll be happy to prepare a detailed proposal and quotation for you.