> A practical checklist for comparing UK prize competitions: the real prize, price, odds, free entry, the draw, who runs it, results and your limits. Source page: https://granddraws.co.uk/guides/how-to-compare-prize-competitions [All guides](https://granddraws.co.uk/guides) # How to compare UK prize competitions Last updated 25 September 2026 · 7 min read Short answer Compare prize competitions on the things you can check, not the headline. Look at what the prize actually is, the ticket price including VAT, the total ticket cap (which sets your odds), the per-person limit, and how easy the free postal entry is to find. Then check the skill question, what happens if a draw does not sell out, how the winner is picked and whether you can verify it, which company runs it, where results are published, how to complain, and whether you can set a spend limit. ## The checklist Twelve questions, in the order we'd ask them. Each one should have an answer you can find on the site before you pay. - The prize: is it cash or an item, is a cash alternative offered, and when will it be paid? - The price: what does one ticket cost, and does the price shown include VAT? - The ticket cap: is the maximum number of tickets published before you pay? Your odds are your tickets divided by that number. - The per-person limit: how many entries can any one person hold? - The free entry route: is free postal entry shown before you buy, on the same odds, and easy to find? - The skill question: is there one, and does a wrong answer really disqualify an entry, paid or posted? - Low sales: what happens if the competition does not sell out? Look for a plain answer in the terms. - The draw: how is the winner picked, and can you check the result yourself afterwards? - The operator: what is the company's full name and number, and does it match the Companies House register? - Terms and results: are the terms easy to find, and are winners and results published after each draw? - Complaints: is there a clear route, with response times? - Control and support: can you set a spend limit or take a break, is entry 18+ only, and is free support signposted? ## The points that are easiest to miss Price first. The Government confirmed in February 2026 that paid entries to prize draws with a free entry route are subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. A price that already includes VAT is the price you pay, so check nothing is added at checkout. Low sales are the point that varies most. Some terms allow a closing date to move, a prize to change or a draw to be cancelled if not enough tickets sell. The Government's Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators says operators should not reduce a prize, change the end date or cancel a draw because of low ticket sales, so it is worth knowing where a site stands before you pay. Then the draw itself. The CAP Code, which covers promotions like these, requires prize draws to award prizes in accordance with the laws of chance, using either a computer process that produces verifiably random results or an independent person. "Verifiably" is the word to test: can you, as an entrant, check the result from what is published? ## Checking who runs it The CAP Code expects a promoter's full name and correspondence address to be stated. Take the company name and number from the terms or the footer and look it up on the Companies House register, which is free. It shows the registered office, whether the company is active, and who its directors are. This matters more than usual here. Prize competitions and free draws sit outside the Gambling Commission's regulation, and the Commission has pointed out that they may not carry the same protections as regulated gambling. The checks in this guide are how you fill that gap for yourself. ## How Grand Draws handles each point Here are our answers to the same twelve questions, so you can hold us to them. - The prize: cash only, the amount shown on the competition page, paid by bank transfer within one working day of us verifying the winner. There is no cash alternative to negotiate because the prize is already cash. - The price: shown including any VAT. Paid entries are subject to VAT at 20%, and the price you see is the price you pay. - The ticket cap: every competition publishes its maximum number of tickets before you enter, so your worst-case odds are known up front. - The per-person limit: every competition has one, shown alongside the cap, and the same limit applies to postal entries. - The free entry route: shown on every competition before you buy, with exactly the same chance of winning as a paid ticket. The full rules are at /free-entry. - The skill question: every paid competition has a genuine multiple-choice question. A wrong answer means the entry does not qualify, paid or posted. - Low sales: every draw goes ahead on its published closing date, sold out or not, with the full advertised prize. There is no sales threshold, and we never cancel, postpone or reduce a draw because of low sales. - The draw: automatic, at 9pm on the closing date, using a commit-reveal method tied to the drand public randomness beacon. Winners are selected at random from all qualifying entries, in accordance with the laws of chance, using a verifiable random draw. Anyone can recompute a result at /draw-check. - The operator: DVC Group Ltd (company number 10462808), trading as Grand Draws, registered office 12 Yeomanry Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 3EH. - Terms and results: the terms are at /terms. Winners are published with first name, county and winning ticket number, and a winner's surname and county are available on request, in line with the CAP Code. - Complaints: a written process at /complaints, with an acknowledgement within 2 working days and a written answer within 10 working days. - Control and support: entry to a paid competition is for residents of Great Britain aged 18 and over. Your account lets you set a monthly spend limit and self-exclude, and /responsible-play signposts free, independent support. Our full standards are at /standards. ## Sources - [DCMS: Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators (gov.uk)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-code-of-good-practice-for-prize-draw-operators/voluntary-code-of-good-practice-for-prize-draw-operators) - [CAP Code, section 8: promotional marketing (ASA)](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/08.html) - [Gambling Commission: Consumer information notice on free draws and prize competitions](https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/consumer-information-notice-free-draws-and-prize-competitions) - [Gambling Act 2005, Schedule 2, paragraph 8: choice of free entry (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/19/schedule/2/paragraph/8) - [Companies House: DVC Group Limited, company number 10462808](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10462808) Checked against these sources on 25 September 2026. ## Common questions **What is the most useful single thing to check?** What happens if the draw does not sell out. It tells you whether the prize, the date and the draw itself are certain, and the answer should be in plain words in the terms. At Grand Draws every draw goes ahead on its closing date with the full prize. **Is a bigger prize always the better competition?** Not necessarily. Compare the prize with the ticket price and the ticket cap: a smaller prize with a low cap can give you far better odds per pound than a large one with a high cap. **How do I check who runs a competition?** Find the company name and number in the terms or site footer and search for it on the Companies House register, which is free. Grand Draws is run by DVC Group Ltd, company number 10462808. **Are prize competitions regulated?** Prize competitions and free draws that meet the Gambling Act 2005 conditions sit outside the Gambling Commission's regulation. Their promotions are covered by the CAP Code, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority, and the Government has published a voluntary code of good practice for prize draw operators. ## Related guides [Competition odds, explained honestlyHow 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.](https://granddraws.co.uk/guides/competition-odds-explained) [Free postal entry, explainedHow 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.](https://granddraws.co.uk/guides/free-postal-entry-explained) [How we prove our draws are fairHow 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.](https://granddraws.co.uk/guides/how-we-prove-our-draws-are-fair) [Are 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.](https://granddraws.co.uk/guides/are-prize-competitions-gambling) [Prize competition glossary: the terms explainedPlain-English definitions of the terms on UK prize competition sites: entering, tickets and odds, the draw, prizes and winners, and staying in control.](https://granddraws.co.uk/guides/prize-competition-glossary) ## Be 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+. [Create a free account](https://granddraws.co.uk/account?next=early-access) ## Your ticket could be next Every competition has published odds, a draw anyone can verify and a free postal route. 18+. [Browse competitions](https://granddraws.co.uk/competitions) --- Grand Draws is a UK skill-based prize competition operator. It is not a casino, not a lottery and not gambling. Every competition requires a correct answer to a genuine skill question and offers a free postal entry route on the same odds. 18+, UK residents only. Please enter within your means.