How to pick a raffle winner fairly: automatic draws, live draws and records
The draw is the moment your players trust you with. Get it right and every winner announcement builds your reputation. Get it wrong, or just make it look wrong, and you'll spend days answering complaints. Here's how to pick a raffle winner fairly, and how to show that you have.
- The DCMS Code expects winners to be picked by a verifiably random and auditable computer process, a certified drawing machine, or by (or under the supervision of) an independent person.
- Free and paid entries must have the same chance, so add every valid postal entry before you draw.
- Publish how your draws work on your website.
- Keep a record of every draw: the winning ticket, the winner, the date and time, and how many valid entries there were.
What the DCMS Code expects
Clause 2.2 of the government's Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators says prizes should be awarded fairly "in accordance with the rules and terms displayed to players". That should be done by an independent person, or under the supervision of one, unless winners are selected by "a computer process that produces verifiably random and auditable results, or by a certified physical drawing machine".
The same clause says entries "should have an equal chance of winning each available prize", whether they came through the free entry route or the paid one, and that operators "should provide details of the mechanism used for draws on their website". Clause 2.1 adds that every type of draw needs a clear summary of how it's run, including a statement that prizes are awarded in accordance with the laws of chance.
Three ways to draw a winner
An automatic draw
When the raffle closes, the system picks a winning ticket at random from every valid entry, with no human involvement, and records the result. It's the simplest way to meet the Code, as long as the process is random and the result can be checked later.
A live draw
Drawing live on social media or in your own app makes great content, and players love watching. The safest way is to run the draw from your raffle system and reveal the result live on screen. If you use a general random number generator instead, make sure it only picks from tickets that were actually sold or given out: landing on an unsold number looks bad, even if you draw again.
A drawing machine
Ball machines and tumblers look traditional, and some operators use one and enter the drawn number into their raffle system. Under the Code, a machine should be certified. If it isn't, the draw needs an independent person to supervise it.
Step by step: running a fair draw
- Close on time. Draw on the date you advertised. The Code says you shouldn't change the date a draw ends, or cancel a draw because ticket sales are low.
- Add every valid postal entry first. Free entries that arrived in time must be in the draw, with the same chance as paid tickets.
- Draw from valid entries only. Only tickets that were actually given out, paid or free, should be able to win.
- Record the result. Keep the winning ticket number, the winner, the date and time of the draw, and the total number of valid entries.
- Contact the winner. Tell them how to claim, and check they meet your terms, such as being 18 or over.
- Deliver the prize promptly. The Code expects winners to get the advertised prize, or a reasonable cash alternative, promptly.
- Share it, with permission. Post the result, and a winner photo if they're happy for you to.
What if a raffle doesn't sell out?
Draw it as advertised. The Code says you shouldn't give a prize of lower value or cancel a draw because ticket sales are low, and you shouldn't change the date a draw ends. If a raffle undersells, take the lesson into the next one: fewer tickets, a smaller prize or a different price, all set before it goes live. Our guide to pricing raffle tickets covers this.
When a player questions a draw
Most complaints come down to trust, so answer with facts. Point to the draw method in your terms and on your site, confirm the winner was picked at random from all valid entries with an equal chance, and share the record you kept: the winning ticket, the time of the draw and the number of valid entries. A public entry list or a recording of your live draw makes these conversations much easier.
How Reffle handles draws
Reffle gives you the choice. Draw live by screen-sharing the draw button in your dashboard, which picks a winner at random from every valid entry, with a reveal such as the coin flip. Or let the site run a fully automatic draw. Either way, a permanent record is kept. Every site also has a public random number generator anyone can use, which shows who owns each number, and you can show a live entry list with privacy options so players can see the draw is fair. A countdown on your site tells players when your next live starts.
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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Source: DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators, clauses 2.1, 2.2 and 2.5 (gov.uk). Last checked October 2026.
