We have a lottery as a way to raise vital funds so that we can continue our work to support people with arthritis.

Our lottery also helps us to reach new people who may not have heard of Arthritis UK before – Playing the Arthritis UK lottery is a great way to help get people involved in our mission to make sure everyone with arthritis can live well, while we work towards a cure.

We’re committed to operating our lottery in a safe, secure and responsible way, and we are licensed by the Gambling Commission.

If you are concerned about your gambling, we recommend contacting the BeGambleAware helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visiting their website at www.begambleaware.org.

By taking part in the lottery, you are joining a charity lottery called Unity, which brings together lots of charity players into one weekly lottery draw.

You will receive a 6-digit lottery number when you enter. And every Friday you will be entered into our draw. The winning digits are chosen at random.

You can have up to 20 chances per draw each for a £1, giving you even more chances to win one of our fantastic prizes.

Prizes are issued and posted to the winner directly, there is no need to claim.

You must be at least 18 years old to participate in the Arthritis UK Weekly Lottery.

When you enter the lottery, you will be sent a unique 6-digit number. This number will be chosen at random and will be your number for as long as you play our lottery.

When you play our lottery, a minimum of 50% of every pound goes to support people with arthritis – it funds life-changing research and vital services that help people to live well with their condition.

The remaining 50% of every pound played covers prizes (18.4%) and the lottery’s administration (31.6%).

No, this is not possible and you will need to set up another Direct Debit for lottery payments.

(This means that if you want to cancel the lottery at any time, this does not affect your current Direct Debit with Arthritis UK).

Each chance in the lottery cost £4.34 a month. This is based on you paying £1 a week over a 52-week year.

Your Direct debit will be collected monthly. Some months will have five weeks and some months will have four. The additional £0.34p will build up credit to cover the months where there are five weeks.

Following registration there are a number of administrative processes to complete, like verifying your payment details with your bank, claiming the funds from your bank account and the funds being received.

Within 21 days of signing up you will receive a letter of confirmation which includes your unique lottery number(s). You will also be given the date you will first be included in the draw.

When the draw takes place, all winners will be sent notification by post or email. You will not need to claim your prize.

If you match 4 digits or more, you will be sent your winnings automatically, either directly into your bank (if playing by Direct Debit), or via a cheque sent in the post.

If you match 3 digits you will be sent an email to confirm your win and your temporary 5 prize entry lottery numbers for the following week's draw.

Don’t worry, we have a record of your number/s. If you’d like us to re-send them, call us on 0330 123 9893 or email info@unitylottery.co.uk

There is no cost to Arthritis UK if you win. The draw is a number-match game, so the cost of prizes is covered at the time the number is drawn and prizes distributed.

We're committed to helping people with arthritis

If you have any questions, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help you for any support or advice. Call our free arthritis support helpline on 0800 5200 520 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm). You can also chat to our arthritis virtual assistant – AVA – 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.arthritis-uk.org. Order or download information from our range of free booklets. These will help you to understand arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions and treatments. Our online community is another great way to get support – visit arthritis-uk.org/online-community to connect with other people with arthritis who understand what you’re experiencing.

There are lots of ways you can join our incredible community to help change the way people see arthritis. You could:

• volunteer to support people with arthritis in your community
• campaign to put arthritis at the forefront of the government’s agenda
• take on a challenge and help raise vital funds
• take part in our life-changing research.

Ready to learn more? Visit www.arthritis-uk.org/get-involved.

At Arthritis UK we are committed to protecting your personal data and being transparent about what we do with it. We will use your personal data in accordance with data protection law and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) best practice guidelines. We sometimes use external companies to collect or process personal data on our behalf. We do comprehensive checks on these companies before we work with them and put a contract in place that sets out our expectations and requirements, especially regarding how they manage the personal data they have collected or have access to.

You can choose not to hear from us by post and telephone, or update your other contact preferences at any time, by contacting our Supporter Care team at enquiries@arthritisuk.org, or on 0300 790 0400. Please also be sure to read our Privacy Notice for further information on our commitment to keep your data safe and secure.

To speak to someone about a gambling problem contact the Gamble Aware confidential helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit their website www.gambleaware.co.uk for further information.

If you have a question about the lottery, please get in touch via the Contact page or call the Lottery hotline on 0330 123 9893.

If you have a question about arthritis or the work of the charity, you can get in touch at supportercare@arthritisuk.org or call 0300 790 0400.

We look forward to hearing from you.