Fair · Safe · Transparent
Our standards
We run competitions the way we'd want to enter them ourselves. Here's how we keep draws fair, protect players and stay accountable, and how we are building Grand Draws to meet the UK DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators.
Fairness
- Independently verifiable draws. Every winner is drawn with a provably-fair commit-reveal method anyone can check. We publish a locked commitment before a competition closes and reveal the seed after, so the result can be recomputed without trusting us. Verify a draw →
- Every draw goes ahead. Every competition is drawn at 9pm on its published closing date, whether or not every ticket sells, and the full advertised prize is awarded. We never cancel, postpone or reschedule a draw, and never reduce a prize, because of low sales. Winners are selected at random from all qualifying entries, in accordance with the laws of chance, using a verifiable random draw.
- Clear odds. The ticket cap is shown on every competition, and live sales counts appear once entries open, so you always know your chance of winning.
- Skill-based prize competitions. Entry requires a correct answer to a genuine skill question. Together with the free route below, that makes our competitions prize competitions rather than lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005.
Player protection
- 18+ only. You must be 18 or over and resident in Great Britain to enter. We check age at sign-up and before any prize is paid.
- Limits & breaks. Every competition has a maximum number of entries per person, so no one can spend without limit. You can set a monthly spend limit or self-exclude in your account: for now those are saved in your browser, and they become account-enforced before paid entries open. Contact us and we will put a break on the account itself. Responsible play →
- No pressure. We don’t use fake scarcity, countdown pressure tricks or “guaranteed win” claims. Honest odds, honest prizes.
- A free route, always. You can enter any competition free by post with exactly the same chance of winning, no purchase necessary. Free entry route →
Transparency & accountability
- Winners published. Every draw runs automatically and every winner is published (first name, county and winning ticket number, unless they ask us not to) in our winners archive, where any result can be independently verified. See winners →
- Prompt payment. Every prize is tax-free cash, paid straight to the winner's UK bank account. We aim to pay within one working day of verifying the winner. The prize amount is shown up front on each competition.
- We publish this page. We set out our fairness and protection measures openly, review them regularly, and expect any partners to uphold them too.
- Your data. HDCH Limited, trading as Grand Draws, is the data controller and handles your data under UK GDPR. We publish the third-party providers we use. Our sub-processors →
The DCMS Voluntary Code
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has published a Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators. We are building Grand Draws to meet it. We are not claiming to be a signatory to the Code. Instead, here is an honest account of what is already true and what will be in place before paid entries open, so you can hold us to it.
Already true today
- You must be 18 or over to create an account or enter.
- The free postal entry route is shown on every competition before you buy, with the same chance of winning as a paid ticket. Free entry route →
- The maximum number of tickets, and so your odds, is shown before you enter, along with the cap on entries per person.
- Every draw goes ahead on its closing date with the advertised prize. We never cancel, postpone or reduce a draw because of low sales.
- Winners are picked by a verifiably random, auditable computer draw that anyone can recompute. Verify a draw →
- Results and winners are published. Draw results →
- A clear complaints process, with set response times. Complaints →
- Signposting to free, independent support if entering stops being fun. Responsible play →
In place before paid entries open
- Spend limits you set yourself, including a limit of £0.
- The option to take a break of at least six months, or to close your account permanently.
- Credit card spending capped at £250 a month.
- Monitoring for signs that entering may be causing someone harm, so we can step in.
Questions about how we operate?
We're happy to explain anything. Email [email protected], and if something ever feels wrong, the complaints page sets out a clear route to raise it.
Browse competitions