GB United Kingdom · Guide
Paid-entry prize draws are lawful in Great Britain when they are genuine prize competitions or offer a free entry route. Here is how each model works, what the 2025 Voluntary Code expects of operators and where the lines are.
01 At a glance
02 The models
Most paid draws in Great Britain sit in one of three models. Which one applies depends on how entry and winning actually work, not on what the operator calls it.
Entrants pay, but winning depends on skill or knowledge. The test must deter a significant proportion of people from entering or from winning. The Gambling Commission says easy multiple-choice or second-chance questions rarely meet that bar.
A paid draw stays outside gambling law when there is a free way to enter, usually by post, that is no more expensive or less convenient, properly publicised and gives free entrants exactly the same chance of winning.
Good causes can run lotteries. Small society lotteries register with their local council and are limited to £20,000 per lottery and £250,000 a year. Larger lotteries need a Gambling Commission licence, as do external lottery managers.
+ Know before you run
03 Questions
In Great Britain, yes, when they are genuine prize competitions that rely on skill, or paid draws that offer a free entry route meeting the Gambling Act's conditions. Chance-based draws without a free route are lotteries and need registration or a licence. Northern Ireland has separate rules.
Not if it is a genuine prize competition or a free draw that meets the Act's conditions. Society lotteries need local council registration or, above the small lottery limits, a Gambling Commission licence.
A free way to enter a paid draw, usually by post. It must be publicised, no more expensive or less convenient than paying, and give free entrants the same chance of winning.
A code of good practice published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in November 2025, with operators expected to comply from May 2026. It covers age checks, spending controls, transparency about odds and fair winner selection.
The Voluntary Code expects either an independent person or a computer process that produces verifiably random and auditable results. A draw that anyone can check after the fact is the clearest way to show that.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change and depend on exactly how a draw is run, so take advice for your own model. Reviewed September 2026.
04 Access
The Voluntary Code asks for winners chosen by a verifiably random, auditable process. Every Blockdraws draw is sealed in advance and can be checked by anyone, under your own brand.
Blockdraws is white-label draw software with every draw verifiable by anyone. Available by application.
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