Guides
The questions people actually ask about prize competitions, answered properly, including the ones most sites would rather you didn’t ask.
Tools
Do you pay tax on competition winnings in the UK?
UK prize competition winnings are not taxed as income for private individuals. What that means, what can still be taxed, and the one thing to check first.
4 min readAre prize competitions gambling?
When is a UK prize competition outside gambling law? The Gambling Act 2005 tests that decide it, what they mean in practice, and how to check a site.
5 min readFree postal entry, explained
How to enter a UK prize competition free by post, why the odds are identical to a paid entry, and what the law asks of a free entry route.
4 min readHow we prove our draws are fair
How our commit-reveal draw works: a published SHA-256 commitment, a future drand beacon round, and a revealed seed that lets you recompute any winner.
5 min readCompetition odds, explained honestly
How to work out your real odds in a UK prize competition, why a published ticket cap matters, and which odds claims are worth double-checking.
4 min readHow to win prize competitions in the UK
No trick guarantees a win, but there are sensible ways to improve your real odds without wasting money. Here is what actually helps, and what to ignore.
5 min readPrize draws vs Premium Bonds: where should your spare cash go?
Premium Bonds keep your money safe and pay by monthly draw; a prize competition spends a small entry on a shot at a set cash prize. The honest difference.
5 min readOnline raffles in the UK, explained
An "online raffle" is usually a prize competition, not a raffle in the legal sense. Here is the legal difference, and how to tell which you are entering.
5 min readHow competition winnings are paid
How and when you get paid after winning a UK cash competition: bank transfer, how long it takes, what checks apply, and what we publish about winners.
4 min readPrize competitions vs the lottery: which is the better bet?
How a UK prize competition differs from the National Lottery on odds, cost, prizes and the law, and where each one actually gives you the better shot.
5 min readWhat is a skill question, and why does it matter?
What the skill question in a UK prize competition is for, what the law asks of it, and why getting it right matters on every entry, paid or free.
4 min readHow to compare UK prize competitions
A practical checklist for comparing UK prize competitions: the real prize, price, odds, free entry, the draw, who runs it, results and your limits.
7 min readWhy we don't livestream our draws
Our draws run automatically at 9pm and are not streamed. Instead we publish the data that lets anyone recompute the winner, at any time. Here is how.
5 min readPrize competition glossary: the terms explained
Plain-English definitions of the terms on UK prize competition sites: entering, tickets and odds, the draw, prizes and winners, and staying in control.
7 min readHow instant win games work
How instant win games allocate prizes, whether they are random, and how to read the odds. Where Grand Draws stands on them.
6 min readWho can enter UK prize draws?
Age limits, residence and citizenship, under-18s and entering from abroad: who is allowed to enter a UK prize draw, and what sets the rules.
5 min readHow UK prize draws work
What a prize draw is, how entries, odds and the draw itself work in the UK, and the different legal footings a draw can sit on.
6 min readPrize draw vs raffle: what is the difference?
A raffle is a lottery in UK law; "prize draw" is a looser term that can mean three different things. The difference, and why it matters to entrants.
5 min readWhat do competition tickets cost, and is a cheap ticket better value?
UK competition tickets start at 9p. What the price actually buys, why a cheap ticket gives better odds but less prize, and the minimum order explained.
5 min readBe first when we open
Paid competitions open 30 October 2026, and our free £500 launch draw runs 1 to 30 October. Create a free account for first pick of tickets, free welcome rewards and launch-day alerts. 18+.
Your ticket could be next
Every competition has published odds, a draw anyone can verify and a free postal route. 18+.