Frequently asked questions

No. Every competition turns on a genuine skill question you must answer correctly, and every one can be entered free by post. Under the Gambling Act 2005, a competition with a genuine skill question, or a free entry route of equal standing, is a prize competition rather than a lottery, so no gambling licence is needed. See our guide to the rules for the detail.

Yes. You must be 18 or over and resident in Great Britain (England, Wales or Scotland) to enter a paid competition. Our free launch draw was advertised to UK residents and stays open to Northern Ireland too.

It varies by competition, and paid tickets start from 9p each, bought in minimum orders of 25. If you would rather not pay, every competition can be entered free by post.

It is the legal backbone of the whole site. A genuine skill question is what makes each competition a lawful prize competition rather than a lottery, and you must answer it correctly to qualify.

Yes. Every competition caps the number of entries one person can hold, so nobody can buy their way to a near-certain win.

Send a postcard with your details and your answer to the skill question to our free entry address. Postal entries go into the draw with exactly the same chance as paid tickets. The free entry route page sets out the full method.

It is still drawn on its closing date at 9pm and the full prize is awarded. We never cancel, postpone or shrink a draw because of low sales.

Winners are selected at random from all qualifying entries, in accordance with the laws of chance, by a verifiable, provably-fair method that runs automatically at 9pm on the closing date. The draw is not live-streamed, but you never have to take our word for it: we contact the winner directly, publish the result in the winners archive, and anyone can recompute and check any result at /draw-check.

Cash, every time. Prizes are tax-free, because a UK competition prize is a windfall rather than income (our tax guide explains, with links to HMRC), there is nothing to ship and no voucher to redeem. The amount shown on the competition is the amount that reaches the winner’s bank.

We contact the winner directly after the draw, confirm their identity and age, and transfer the cash straight to their UK bank account. We aim to pay within one working day of verifying the winner.