Offline vs Online Lottery [Complete Comparison]

"Which is better - in-person or online events?" "How should we handle lotteries for hybrid events?"

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, event formats have diversified. It's now an era where we choose the optimal lottery method based on the situation.

This article thoroughly compares offline and online lottery methods and explains strategies for hybrid events.

Offline Lottery (In-Person)

Common Methods

1. Paper lottery tickets
2. Lottery drum (Garapon)
3. Rock-paper-scissors
4. Paper Amidakuji

Advantages

1. Excitement & Sense of Unity

Features:

• Share the atmosphere
• Real-time reactions
• Shared excitement

Effects:

• Event excitement
• Participant interaction
• Memorable experiences

Suitable Events:

• Wedding receptions
• Community festivals
• Company year-end parties

2. Simple & Easy to Understand

Features:

• No explanation needed
• Everyone knows the method
• Accessible to elderly participants

Benefits:

• Low barrier to entry
• Fewer troubles
• No technical issues

Suitable Participants:

• People unfamiliar with digital tools
• Elderly people
• Children

3. No Internet Required

Features:

• No Wi-Fi or mobile connection needed
• No communication troubles
• Can be held anywhere

Benefits:

• Works in areas with poor connectivity
• Safe for outdoor events
• No system downtime risk

Suitable Locations:

• Mountain areas
• Remote islands
• Underground venues

4. Physical Production Possibilities

Features:

• Sound of spinning lottery drum
• Physical drawing motion
• Actual prize display

Effects:

• Engage all five senses
• Visual impact
• Easy photo opportunities

Disadvantages

1. Location Constraints

Challenges:

• Everyone must be in the same place
• Difficult for remote participants
• Venue capacity limits

Impact:

• Some people cannot participate
• Transportation costs
• Time constraints

Costs:

• Venue fees
• Transportation costs
• Accommodation (for distant participants)

2. Time-Consuming

Challenges:

• One person at a time
• Long duration for large groups

Example:

100 people drawing lots in sequence:
30 seconds per person × 100 people = 50 minutes

Impact:

• Overall event delays
• Participant fatigue
• Schedule compression

3. Preparation & Cleanup Effort

Required Tasks:

• Creating lottery tickets
• Setting up lottery drum
• Transporting prizes
• Cleanup

Time:

• Preparation: 1-3 hours
• Cleanup: 30 minutes - 1 hour

Costs:

• Material costs
• Setup fees
• Transportation fees

4. Risk of Human Error

Possible Mistakes:

• Duplicate ticket numbers
• Counting errors
• Prize distribution errors
• Lack of records

Countermeasures:

• Double-checking
• Assign record keeper
• Photo/video recording

5. Transparency Issues

Concerns:

• "Are the tickets rigged?"
• "Is this fixed?"
• "Was it manipulated behind the scenes?"

Countermeasures:

• Visualize the process
• Multiple people verify
• Pre-check lottery tickets

Online Lottery (Remote)

Common Methods

1. Online Amidakuji
2. Roulette tools
3. Excel/Spreadsheet random numbers
4. Dedicated lottery apps

Advantages

1. Location Independent

Features:

• Participate from anywhere in the world
• Remote workers can join
• International offices participate simultaneously

Effects:

• Increased participation
• Enhanced diversity
• Global expansion

Cost Savings:

• Zero venue fees
• Zero transportation costs
• Zero accommodation costs

Suitable Events:

• Online seminars
• Remote work company events
• Global company-wide events

2. Time Efficient

Features:

• Instant results with pre-participation
• No time increase for large groups

Example:

300-person online lottery:
- Pre-participation: 5 minutes each (staggered)
- Result announcement: 5 minutes
Total: Under 10 minutes

Effects:

• Shortened event duration
• Easy schedule management
• More time for other content

3. Automatic Record Keeping

Recorded Information:

• Participant list
• Participation date/time
• Lottery results
• Process logs

Benefits:

• Post-verification possible
• Evidence for troubles
• History management
• Audit compliance

Applications:

• Share results via URL
• No screenshots needed
• Automatic archiving

4. Large Group Support

Scalability:

• Same effort for 10 or 1000 people
• System processes automatically
• No human resources needed

Example: For Amidasan:

• Supports up to 299 people
• No additional costs
• Processing time remains the same

Suitable For:

• Large enterprise events
• Large-scale campaigns
• Online communities

5. Participatory & Transparent

Features:

• All participants involved in the process
• Real-time progress visibility
• No room for manipulation

For Amidakuji:

• Everyone draws lines
• No one knows the result
• Mathematically fair

Effects:

• High satisfaction
• Fewer complaints
• Improved trust

Disadvantages

1. Internet Connection Required

Challenges:

• Wi-Fi or mobile connection needed
• Depends on connection speed
• Risk of communication failures

Impact:

• Some cannot connect
• Participation inequality
• System troubles

Countermeasures:

• Pre-testing
• Backup plan
• Offline alternatives

2. Digital Skills Required

Challenges:

• How to access URLs
• Operating smartphones/PCs
• Installing apps

Difficulty For:

• Elderly people
• Those unfamiliar with digital tools
• First-time tool users

Countermeasures:

• Thorough pre-explanation
• Support system
• Operation manual
• Rehearsal

3. Lack of Excitement & Unity

Challenges:

• Experience through a screen
• Hard to convey atmosphere
• Feeling of isolation

Impact:

• Less excitement
• Less memorable
• Difficult emotional sharing

Countermeasures:

• Encourage cameras on
• Prompt reactions
• Use chat features
• BGM/sound effects

4. Tool Selection Risks

Challenges:

• Tools with unknown reliability
• Security risks
• Unusable UI

Risks:

• Personal information leakage
• System downtime
• Unfair lottery

Countermeasures:

• Select reliable tools
• Pre-testing
• Check reviews
• Security check

5. Difficult Troubleshooting

Possible Issues:

• Connection errors
• Browser glitches
• Device differences

Challenges:

• Remote support
• Difficult to identify causes
• Participant skill gaps

Countermeasures:

• Prepare FAQs
• Support desk
• Have alternatives ready

Detailed Comparison Table

Item	Offline Lottery	Online Lottery
Location	Everyone in same place required	Anywhere OK
Time Efficiency	△ (Long for large groups)	◎ (Pre-participation possible)
Preparation	○ (Physical prep needed)	◎ (Almost none)
Cost	△ (Venue/transportation fees)	◎ (Almost zero)
Excitement	◎	△
Transparency	△ (Tool-dependent)	◎ (If participatory)
Records	△ (Manual)	◎ (Automatic)
Large Groups	× (Time-consuming)	◎ (Scalable)
Troubles	○ (Simple)	△ (Technical)
Elderly-Friendly	◎	△
Global	× (Physical constraints)	◎
Environment	◎ (No internet needed)	△ (Internet required)

Lottery for Hybrid Events

Definition of Hybrid

Hybrid Event: An event where offline (venue) participants and online (remote) participants join simultaneously

Example:

• 50 people at headquarters venue
• 200 remote participants
• Total 250 people

Challenges of Hybrid Lotteries

Challenge 1: Unequal Participation Methods

Problem:

• Only offline participants can draw
• Online participants just watch

Impact:

• Sense of unfairness
• Lower engagement for online participants

Challenge 2: Timing Coordination

Problem:

• Offline is immediate
• Online is pre-participation
• Timing doesn't match

Challenge 3: Sharing Excitement

Problem:

• Venue excitement doesn't reach online participants
• Online participant reactions don't reach venue

Best Practices for Hybrid Lotteries

Method 1: Fully Online (Recommended)

How:

1. Offline participants also join via smartphone
2. Everyone uses online tools
3. Display results on large screen

Benefits:

• Everyone is equal
• Unified process
• Records are kept

Implementation Example:

1. Create event on [Amidasan](https://amida-san.com)
2. Share URL with both venue and remote
3. Everyone joins via smartphone/PC
4. Project onto large monitor at venue
5. Share results with everyone

Recommended Tools:

• Online Amidakuji
• Large group support
• High transparency

Method 2: Representative Method

How:

1. Place representative for online participants at venue
2. Representative participates in lottery for online group
3. Share results with everyone

Benefits:

• Can maintain offline method
• Preserve venue atmosphere

Disadvantages:

• Lower sense of ownership for online participants
• Effort to select representative

Method 3: Two-Stage Lottery

How:

1. Stage 1: Lottery for offline participants
2. Stage 2: Lottery for online participants
3. Announce both results together

Benefits:

• Adopt appropriate method for each
• Ensure fairness

Disadvantages:

• Time-consuming
• Tends to be complex

Hybrid Event Checklist

Pre-Event:

• Select lottery method supporting both offline and online
• Pre-test (both environments)
• Distribute participation instructions to both
• Establish technical support system

Day Of:

• Prepare large monitor/projector
• Check audio equipment (online voices to venue)
• Stream venue atmosphere online
• Utilize real-time chat features

Post-Event:

• Request feedback from both participant types
• Record improvements for next time

Recommendations by Scenario

Fully Offline Recommended

Scenarios:

• Wedding receptions
• Community festivals
• Small gatherings (under 20 people)
• School events

Reasons:

• Excitement & unity are important
• All participants in same place
• Many unfamiliar with digital tools

Fully Online Recommended

Scenarios:

• Online seminars/webinars
• Remote work company events
• Global company-wide events
• Large groups (100+ people)

Reasons:

• No location constraints
• Time efficient
• Records kept
• Large group support

Hybrid Recommended

Scenarios:

• Post-COVID corporate events
• Organizations with nationwide offices
• Events difficult for distant participants

Recommended Method:

• Fully online (everyone joins via smartphone)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is a fair lottery possible in hybrid format?

A: Yes, it's possible. If everyone uses online tools, you can implement fairly without offline/online distinction.

Q2: Can online lotteries be exciting?

A: With effort, yes:

• Encourage cameras on
• Prompt reactions
• Use BGM/sound effects
• Liven up with chat

Q3: What if there are many elderly participants?

A: Base it on offline lottery with support from younger generation:

• Representative method
• Family support
• Thorough pre-explanation

Q4: Which is more cost-effective?

A: Online lottery is overwhelmingly cheaper:

• Zero venue fees
• Zero transportation costs
• Zero preparation effort

Q5: Which is more trustworthy?

A: Both are fair when done correctly, but transparency is higher with online Amidakuji. Everyone participates in the process and records are kept.

Summary

Offline vs Online Lottery:

Offline:

• Excitement & unity ◎
• Simple & easy to understand
• No internet required
• Location & time constraints

Online:

• Location independent
• Time efficient ◎
• Records kept
• Large group support ◎
• Internet required

Hybrid:

• Recommend everyone use online tools
• Prioritize fairness
• Ensure records and transparency

Optimal Choice: Consider:

• Event purpose
• Participant characteristics
• Environment & constraints

Let's realize events where everyone is satisfied with modern lottery methods!