Instant win raffles explained: how they work and the rules for UK sites
Instant wins are prizes players can win the moment they buy, on top of the main draw. They're one of the most popular features on UK raffle and competition sites, and the DCMS Code for prize draw operators has specific rules for them. Here's how instant win raffles work, how to run them fairly, and what the rules say.
- Before a raffle opens, some ticket numbers are set at random as instant winners. Get one of those numbers and you win that prize straight away.
- Games like scratch cards or spin the wheel only reveal the result. The ticket number has already decided it.
- The DCMS Code says instant win draws shouldn't be the majority of your raffles, and you shouldn't take credit card payments for them.
- Free postal entries must have the same chance of winning instant prizes as paid tickets.
How instant wins work
An instant win raffle has a main prize, drawn at the end as usual, plus a set of instant prizes. Before the raffle goes live, a number of ticket numbers are picked at random to be instant winners, and each one is linked to a prize.
When someone buys, the system gives them ticket numbers at random. If one of their numbers is an instant winner, they win that prize there and then, and their tickets still go into the main draw.
Because the winning numbers are fixed in advance and tickets are given out at random, every ticket has the same chance. That's also why instant win raffles usually don't let players pick their own numbers.
What about the games?
Many sites reveal instant wins with a game, like a scratch card, spin the wheel or balloon pop. The game doesn't change anything. The result was decided by the ticket number when the player bought it, and the game is just a fun way to show it. Keep it that way: a reveal should only show a result that's already decided, and never add a second layer of chance.
What the DCMS Code says about instant wins
The government's Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators mentions instant wins in two clauses, and its rules on free entries and prizes apply to them too.
They shouldn't be the majority
The Code says instant win prize draws "should not form the majority of an operator's total number of competitions at any given time". So if you have ten raffles live, no more than five should be instant win raffles.
No credit cards
Operators "should not accept any credit card payments whatsoever for any instant win prize draws". That includes credit card payments made through a money service business.
Free entries can win instant prizes too
For instant win draws, the Code expects "compliance with, and equivalence between, the paid and free-entry routes", and clear information for players on how the free entry route works. It also says free and paid entries "should have an equal chance of winning each available prize". In practice, a valid postal entry needs ticket numbers that can win instant prizes, just like a paid ticket.
Think about timing too. If all the instant prizes are won early, a postal entry that arrives later can't win one. Decide how you'll handle that, and explain it in your terms and on your free entry page.
How to run instant wins well
- List every instant prize on the raffle page, and show which have been won
- Tell winners straight away, and make claiming simple
- Deliver prizes promptly, as the Code expects
- Count the instant prizes in your costs before you launch: see how to price raffle tickets
- Keep a balance of instant win raffles and main draw raffles
- Explain how instant wins work on your site, in plain English
Questions people ask
Are instant win raffles legal?
Yes, when they're set up as prize draws with a proper free entry route, like any other raffle. See are online raffles legal in the UK?
Can one player win more than one instant prize?
Yes. Every ticket has the same chance, so a player with more tickets has more chances, and sometimes one order wins more than once.
Can players choose their own numbers?
Usually not on instant win raffles, because tickets are given out at random. Pick-your-own-numbers works better on raffles without instant wins.
Instant wins on Reffle
Instant wins are built into Reffle. You add instant prizes when you create a raffle, players see their ticket numbers on their order and claim wins in one tap, and you get a daily email of everything won. Reveal games include scratch cards, spin the wheel, card flip, balloon pop, piñata, ticket reveal and safe cracker, styled to your brand. Every site also has a page explaining how instant wins work, and if instant win raffles would make up more than half of your live raffles, the platform warns you before you publish.
Want to see it in action? Book a free demo.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Source: DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators, clauses 1.3, 1.10, 2.2, 2.4 and 2.5 (gov.uk). Last checked October 2026.
