Club president Wayne Maddalena ran with the idea after have being given the contact information for an online raffle platform.

"It was a way of keeping the members and the community connected to the club," Wayne explained.

Being a not-for-profit club, the weekly raffle isn't about raising cash it's about drawing people in and having them feel like it's their club. So when NSW first went into lockdown in March 2020, Wayne thought keeping the raffle going would be good idea.

Wayne and his wife Colleen kicked off a live-stream raffle draw in May 2020.

They had no idea how it was going to go, but they thought it was definitely worth a try. The draw lasts around 40 minutes and includes a bit of trivia, a few daggy jokes and some little light banter between the couple.

Since the launch, the audience has grown from around 20 tickets holders to over 60, including members and non-members. Some of the increase happened during the recent return to lockdown.

"The last four weeks it's grown every week. There are lots of younger people buying tickets," Wayne said.

But according to Colleen, the live-stream attracts hundreds of viewers.

"It's interactive. People see it as entertaining," Colleen smiled. And it's not just the audience that's growing, it's also the generous business owners who donate the prizes. When there's an in-club raffle it's all about the meat trays, but the online version hands out store credits. The current businesses include Autopro Gloucester, Hebby's Bakery, Circle of Friends, Ladybug Shop, Tracy's Hair Salon, Nikki's Hairdressing and Gloucester Golf Club.

With the Gloucester Golf Club open for COVID-safe business, the Friday in-club raffle has resumed, however, the online raffle will continue due to its popularity.

This Thursday (September 23) will see the 69^th raffle take place at 6pm on the Gloucester Country Club Facebook page. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased through the Facebook page link or at the club.