The winner of the latest Omaze mansion has finally been revealed. So who is behind the firm, how is it funded, and is it as altruistic as it claims to be or is it a giant money-spinner for its owners?
Picture scenes of jaws dropping, tears welling and champagne corks popping as the lucky recipient was told the good news.
Kevin Bryant, 53, won the latest Omaze Million Pound House Draw and is now the proud owner of a five-bedroom countryside retreat in PrestburyA search on Google Maps reveals the 'dream home' is actually on a narrow rat-run connecting the idyllic village to a main road They talked about how the traditional charity business model didn't make sense any more when the chance to win could be made available to anyone online anywhere, raising more money in the process.
Cranston and his co-star Aaron Paul were persuaded to sign up and over the course of the final season of Breaking Bad in 2013 they raised almost $1.8 million with draws that enabled winners to meet the stars, cook with them and travel in the RV motorhome used in the show. The UK offshoot of Omaze was launched during lockdown in 2020 when everyone was cooped up at home dreaming of a bigger, better roof over their heads.While the US operation offered 'experiential' prizes, such as hanging out with celebrities, the British business shamelessly tapped into our obsession with house prices and climbing the property ladder.
'It's an entertainment product,' adds the former City derivatives trader, 46, who did a masters at the London School of Economics and lives in Richmond with his wife and two sons.'We are one of the biggest corporate charity donors in the UK now,' says Oakes. Omaze uses what it calls 'talented interior designers' to furnish the houses before they are offered in the prize draw.
Each entrant gets a unique 13-digit number for claiming a prize. The more entries they buy, the more times the code is logged, and the greater the chance of winning. For example, the minimum £10 entry fee gives you 15 entries and the code is logged 15 times. Matt Pohlson, the co-founder of Omaze, also got to rub shoulders with US Vice President Kamala Harris
The latest grand prize draw, Omaze's 25th, will benefit Bowelbabe, the bowel cancer charity founded by Dame Deborah James, who died of the condition at the age of 40. Omaze insists it not running a lottery or sweepstake, which means it can operate outside gambling rules.The odds of winning the lottery jackpot are fixed whereas the chances of bagging an idyllic Omaze pad depend on how many people buy tickets to take part in the prize draw.
And unlike the National Lottery, which is live streamed on YouTube nowadays, the Omaze draw takes place behind closed doors with the winning ticket selected by a random number generator.
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