UK competitions and prize draws: a guide for entrants

Prizepot explains how UK competitions and prize draws work, what the law and advertising rules say, how to spot a scam, and what to do if you win. We list no live competitions and sell nothing.

Last updated 2 November 2026

Who this guide is for

If you enter online competitions, social media giveaways, magazine prize draws or charity raffles, this guide is for you. It explains the rules that operators must follow, so you can tell a properly run competition from a risky one. It does not list live competitions, take entries, or recommend any operator.

Three things that look alike

People use "competition", "prize draw" and "raffle" as if they meant the same. In UK law they are different, and the difference matters to you as an entrant:

• A prize competition depends on skill, judgement or knowledge.
• A free draw is decided by chance, with a route to enter without paying.
• A lottery is decided by chance and requires payment. It is tightly regulated under the Gambling Act 2005.

Read prize draw vs competition vs lottery for the details, and the free entry route for how free entry has to work.

Staying safe

• Spotting scam competitions: the warning signs, such as being told you've won something you never entered or being asked for a fee.
• Social media giveaways: what a proper giveaway must say.
• The CAP Code rules that the Advertising Standards Authority applies to promotions.

If you win

• Claiming your prize: what you should receive, and what should never cost you money.
• Tax on prizes: what we can and cannot say, and where to check.

Entering well

Comping tips covers how to organise entries, read the terms and keep a budget. For community fundraising, raffles and small society lotteries explains the rules for organisers.

Some basic principles

1. You should never pay to claim a prize. The CAP Code, the advertising rulebook, says consumers must not be charged to claim a prize (rule 8.21.1).
2. If you did not enter, you did not win. Action Fraud says: "If you haven't bought a ticket, you can't possibly have won."
3. Read the terms. The closing date, number of prizes, and who can enter should be clear.
4. Treat paid entries as spending. If a prize draw charges for tickets, decide a limit in advance and stick to it.

How a competition is supposed to work

A well-run promotion has a named promoter, clear terms, a closing date, a fair way of choosing winners and a plan for contacting them. The ASA's guidance says promoters must have a reliable method and enough resources to include all valid entries, and must be able to show how winners were chosen. As an entrant, you can use the same checklist before you enter: who, what, when, how and what happens next. If any of these is missing, think twice.

What this site does not do

We do not list live competitions, rank operators, tell you which draws to enter or give you tips on beating the odds. We also do not take any payment from operators. Our aim is that you understand the rules well enough to make your own decisions.

A quick checklist before any entry

• Do I know who the promoter is?
• Can I read the full terms, including the closing date?
• Is it free to enter, or is there a free route alongside a paid one?
• Does anyone ask for bank details, a fee or a password? If so, stop.
• Do I know how winners are chosen and told?

About the law on this site

This is general information, not legal advice. We link to the Gambling Commission, the ASA and other official bodies and say what each one says. Rules change, so check the sources, and if you run a promotion yourself, get legal advice.

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