Some customers may prefer to enter a lottery in person rather than through PARKS DIRECT. This article explains how staff can submit a lottery entry on behalf of a customer using RecTrac.
Use this article when assisting a customer with entering a lottery at a facility or over the phone.
Step 1: Open the Lottery Activity and Add To Cart
Navigate to the customer's household account in Global Sales and open the Activity tab.
Search for the activity the customer would like to enter and locate the appropriate lottery section.
Select the desired section and click Add To Cart.
If the customer is unsure which lottery activity they wish to enter, ask for the program name, activity number, or facility listed in the program announcement.
Step 2: Select Participating Family Members
After clicking Add To Cart, the Lottery Enrollment window will open.
Under Step 1 - Select Participating Family Members, select the household member or members who should be entered into the lottery.
Lottery groups may include eligibility requirements such as age restrictions. Household members who do not meet the requirements may not be available for selection.
Step 3: Select a Lottery Enrollment Option
Under Step 2 - Select a Lottery Enrollment Option, choose either Individual Lottery Enrollment or Linked Lottery Enrollment.
When enrolling only one customer in the lottery, choose Individual Lottery Enrollment.
Individual Lottery Enrollment
Select this option when only one household member is entering the lottery, or when each participant is entering the lottery independently.
In other words, if Family Member A does not win the lottery, Family Member B can still win, or vice versa. Each participant's lottery results will be evaluated separately.
Linked Lottery Enrollment
Select this option when multiple household members should be considered together and not be split in terms of lottery outcome.
Linked enrollments are commonly used when participants need the same lottery outcome, such as siblings who need to attend the same section.
If a customer is unsure which option to choose, explain that Individual Lottery Enrollment treats each participant separately in the lottery, so they can win while others in the household do not, while Linked Lottery Enrollment evaluates selected household members as a group - either all people in that household entering the lottery will be selected to attend, or none will, depending on the luck of the draw.
Step 4: Select Enrollment Choices
Under Step 3 - Select Enrollment Choices, select the customer's preferred section under Choice 1.
To select a section, click the selection button (small square with arrow extending) next to the blank field under the customer's name.
The Activity Section Management window will open, allowing you to review and select available sections.
Step 5: Review Available Sections
In the Activity Section Management window, review the available sections with the customer.
Confirm:
- Meeting dates
- Meeting times
- Facility location
- Any other details important to the customer
Select the customer's preferred section and click Select.
Step 6: Select Additional Choices (Optional)
If additional choices are available, repeat the section selection process for Choice 2 and any remaining choice fields of the Lottery Enrollment window.
Choices should be selected in order of preference. The lottery system will attempt to place participants into their highest available choice.
A second choice is not mandatory - the customer may, if they wish, only enter themselves or their household members for a single lottery section.
Linked Enrollment Example
When using Linked Lottery Enrollment, customers who want participating household members to attend together should generally select the same sections for each participant.
Example:
- Participant A Choice 1 = Section 501C
- Participant B Choice 1 = Section 501C
- Participant C Choice 1 = Section 501C
and
- Participant A Choice 2 = Section 572C
- Participant B Choice 2 = Section 572C
- Participant C Choice 2 = Section 572C
This allows the linked participants to be evaluated together during the lottery drawing.
Step 7: Continue the Transaction
Review all family members, enrollment options, and selected choices with the customer before proceeding.
Once ready, click Continue in the Lottery Enrollment window.
The lottery enrollment will be added to the shopping cart.
Step 8: Complete Checkout
Complete the transaction as normal.
Lottery enrollment is free; however, the transaction must still be completed to submit the customer's lottery entry.
You're all set! The customer's lottery entry has been submitted successfully.
How do customers view their pending lottery enrollments?
Customers can view submitted lottery entries and lottery results through My Pending Enrollments in PARKS DIRECT once the lottery drawing has been completed.
To locate this page, the user should log into their account using the "SIGN IN / REGISTER" button on the top right corner of the PARKS DIRECT home page.
Once signed in, they should select their name displayed in the same top right corner, then from the drop-down menu, select "My Pending Enrollments"
After the lottery drawing is completed, the customer will receive an email with their results and any next steps needed to register for the course.