How do I start an Open Syndicate?
There are two types of Syndicates, private and open. Private means people can join by your invitation only, whereas open Syndicates are available for anyone who visits the website to join. Initially, the only option available when creating a new Syndicate is private membership. The ability to create an open Syndicate is only given to those who have successfully administered a private Syndicate on this website for at least 12 months. We have put this restriction in place so that potential new members can feel confident that the Syndicate they are joining is being managed be an able and trusted administrator.
Can I change my private Syndicate to an open Syndicate?
Yes you can. Once you have successfully managed a private Syndicate on this website for 12 months you will be given the status of “Super Administrator” and will have the ability to create open Syndicates. This includes the ability to change your private Syndicate to open. We would recommend that if you choose to change your membership type, that you obtain permission from all your current members. Also be aware that open Syndicates settings are Shared Cost where winnings are added to Member balances. If your Syndicate settings are different, you will need to change those first.
Can I be a Member or Administrator of more than one Syndicate?
Yes you can! There is no restrictions on the number of Syndicates you can start or be a member of. When you are part of multiple Syndicates, you will be given the option of which Syndicate to go to when you log in.
How do members pay money to add to their balances?
My Lotto Syndicate Manager does not collect or payout money, rather it is a tool for managing your Syndicate. The Syndicate Administrator will still need to collect Member Payments and payout any winnings. It is recommended that the Syndicate Administrator set up a bank account for this purpose.
Does it cost to use the website?
You can use the website for free for 6 months after which there is a small annual subscription of $4 per member to pay to help with the costs of maintaining and developing the website. You can see more information about the costs on the Costs page.
Can I stop automatic emails?
We recognise that sometimes Syndicate members may feel they get too many emails, and would be content with not being reminded of their entry in a draw or getting an email every time they win a bonus ticket. To give administrators more flexibility in their communications to members, the Syndicate information has an option to stop certain automatic emails. You can find and change these settings anytimne by clicking on the administration menu at the top, then Syndicate Admin in the dropdown menu and then edit Syndicate settings.
How do I add or remove a member from a draw?
If you have a member who has recently joined and you want to make sure they are included in the next draw, or if you have a member who has left that you want to remove from a draw, you can do all this from the Draw Edit page. To do this, go to the View Draws page and click on the Draw Edit button for the relevant draw. At the bottom of the Draw Edit page you will see a form for making participant changes. You can only do this before a draw takes place! When a member is added or removed, the website automatically recalculates each participating members contribution to the ticket cost and updates their balances accordingly. Emails are sent to the participants that have been added or removed to let them know what has happened.
Can I use the Syndicate winnings to pay for a subscription or to purchase extra tickets?
The Deduct From Winnings page allows you to transfer money from winnings to be used for extra purchases or costs. How this happens depends on your Syndicate settings. If your Syndicate Type is “Take Turns”, the amount will simply be deducted from either your accumulated winnings or each individual members winnings balance. If your Syndicate Type is “Shared Cost”, the amount will be deducted from either your accumulated winnings or each individual members winnings, and equal shares added to the member balances. The added amounts for each member will then be deducted again from their balance when you add extra tickets or costs.
How do I pay out the winnings to members on the website?
When it comes time to pay out winnings to members, you can go to the Pay Out Winnings page where details of the pay out will be displayed. You will be emailed the details, but you can also print them from here if you choose. Clicking on the Process Payout button will then email the Members with their pay out details, clear their balances and forward the next pay out date to 12 months time.
How do I add pre-existing member balances?
If you have been operating the Syndicate prior to starting on My Lotto Syndicate you may want to transfer the existing member balances. If you only have payment balances to transfer, the easiest way to do this is simple to add a payment. To do this, select ‘Add a Payment’ from the Syndicate Quick Menu on the Dashboard and enter the Members’ existing balance as a payment into their account.
If you are also transferring winnings balances, you can add these by selecting the Add to Winning Balances menu item which is found by hovering over Administration in the top menu, then members, then balances.
Can I change the order of members’ turns?
Sometimes a Member may be away or want to swap turns with someone else. Trying to keep track of swaps can be tricky and instead of trying to allow for this on the website, we think it is easier to make these arrangements personally. What we have done is make it so that you don’t personally have to upload the draw details when it is your turn; anyone can do it on your behalf.
Can I change the Syndicate Administrator?
Yes you can! You may want to change the Syndicate Administrator temporarily to cover an absence or permanently. To do this, go to the Change Administrator Page and select the new Administrator from your Members. If the new Administrator is not a Member they will obviously have to join the Syndicate first! Once changed, the new Administrator will receive an email to let them know the change has happened and that they can now log in and receive Administrator access.
You also have the option of ticking a box to say you want to leave the Syndicate. If you don’t tick this, your Membership will simply change to being a Member rather than Administrator. Ticking the box will remove your Membership altogether and email will be sent to you with details of any balances left to be paid out to you.
Why can’t I add or update a draw after the draw has taken place?
An important reason for creating this website was to avoid any situation where a win could be covered up or not reporting truthfully. Money can do funny things to people! Being unable to change the information after the fact adds security and transparency for Members. You can, however, change the winnings amount after a draw in case you made an error when you first entered it. If you do change this, all members will be notified of the change by email.
What do I do if a member wants to leave?
If a member wants to leave the Syndicate, you can delete them by going to the Members Administration page and clicking the delete button. Clicking the delete button will give you details of their balances to payout to the member (if any) and they will also get an email to say they have been removed, with details of the payout they should receive. You will then have to click on the ‘Confirm Delete’ button to complete the deletion.
Why can’t I change the Syndicate type?
Each Syndicate type behaves quite differently, and changing between one type and the other would be a complicated process. To save confusion and the possibility of things going wrong, we have disabled the ability to switch. If you do want to go from a Shared Cost Syndicate to Taking Turns or visa versa, we suggest deleting the current Syndicate and starting a new Syndicate with the new type.
What do i do when a member has left and has a bad debt?
If a member has been deleted but still owes money which cannot be recovered, there are two ways you can process this. One option is to take the bad debt out of the Syndicate or Members winnings using the Deduct From Winnings page. If your Syndicate Type is “Take Turns”, the amount will simply be deducted from either your accumulated winnings or each individual members winnings balance depending on how you set your winnings payout method. If your Syndicate Type is “Shared Cost”, the amount will be deducted from either your accumulated winnings or each individual members winnings, and equal shares added to the member balances. You can then use the second option which is take the bad debt out of Members’ balances using the Deduct Costs page. Members will be informed of the deduction by email.
What if we miss adding a draw?
If for whatever reason draw details were not uploaded before the draw took place, the Administrator will be sent an email to say that a draw has been missed. Because there may be a genuine reason why the draw details were not uploaded in time, the email has a one time link which the Administrator can use to still add the details. If the link is used, members will be emailed to let them know the details were added after the draw took place. Although this link is provided, using it should be avoided where ever possible. If you wanted to skip a particular draw, you will still get the email, but you don’t need to do anything. Simply upload the next draws details when you have purchased the tickets. Missed draw emails can be switched off on your Syndicate settings if you don’t want to receive them.