How To Run A Fair Giveaway — UK Law, Best Practice and the Tools You Need

The legal framework around UK giveaways is governed by the Gambling Act 2005, ASA codes (Cap Code and BCAP Code), and consumer protection law. Most giveaways under £5,000 prize value run by individuals or small businesses fall under "free prize draws" — which are explicitly legal provided they meet specific criteria.

The criteria to qualify as a free prize draw (and not an illegal lottery):

• No payment required to enter. Entry must have a free route. "Buy our product to enter" is illegal. "Buy our product OR write to this address with your name" is legal.
• Winner selected by a sufficiently random process. Random tools (like the ones on this site) qualify when documented.
• T&Cs are clearly stated. Closing date, prize details, eligibility, draw method, winner notification.

For prize draws above £5,000 or with paid entries, you're into "lottery" territory and need a licence. Most small businesses and content creators stay well below this threshold.

1. Closing date and time (specific, e.g. "23:59 GMT on 5 July 2026").
2. Prize details (specific — "£100 Amazon voucher" not "great prize"). Mention any restrictions (UK-only, age 18+, etc.).
3. Eligibility criteria (geographic, age, exclusions like "employees of X not eligible").
4. How winner is selected ("random draw using [tool name] after closing date").
5. How winner is notified (within X days, via Y method, and what happens if no response).

Skipping any of these creates legal vulnerability. The ASA upholds complaints based on missing T&Cs all the time, and the published rulings make for excellent (cautionary) reading.

The technical bit. For low-stakes giveaways (under £500 prize), a basic random pick is fine. For high-stakes giveaways, you want documented verifiability:

1. Collect all entries in a single list. Spreadsheet, exported list from Instagram, downloaded form responses.
2. Number the entries. Each entry gets a unique number, 1 to N. Sort alphabetically or by entry time for repeatability.
3. Document the count. "We have 423 entries" — record this publicly before drawing.
4. Use a random picker. Our Random Winner Generator, the Instagram Giveaway Picker or YouTube Giveaway Picker, all use cryptographically-secure random selection.
5. Record the draw. Screen-share record the picker spinning. Upload to YouTube unlisted or save locally as evidence.
6. Announce the winner. Publicly, by number first then by name (if appropriate). Confirm via the chosen notification method.

The documentation matters more than the specific tool. Three different competitive picker tools given the same input will produce different winners — but each is equally fair. The audit trail is what makes any one of them defensible.

Instagram has its own platform-specific rules that overlay UK law:

• Must include "this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram."
• Cannot require users to inaccurately tag content (e.g., "tag yourself in this photo" if they're not in it).
• Cannot encourage users to violate Instagram's terms.
• Must "acknowledge the release of Instagram by each entrant" in T&Cs.

The "like, comment, follow, tag a friend" formula is standard and Instagram-compliant when these disclaimers are present. Our Instagram Giveaway Picker handles the most common variant — pull commenters from a post, randomly select.

For YouTube, similar platform rules apply but the comment-pull mechanic is slightly different. The YouTube Giveaway Picker is built for this.

TikTok's promotional guidelines are roughly aligned with Instagram's. The mechanics that work:

• Comment-to-enter (use a giveaway picker to draw from commenters).
• Stitch / duet to enter (track manually, harder to automate).
• Follow + like + comment (cumulative entry criteria).

For TikTok specifically, the platform's younger demographic means age-eligibility matters more than on other platforms. Be explicit about minimum age in T&Cs (typically 18+ for most prize types).

Charity raffles where tickets are sold for money are not free prize draws. They're lotteries, and they require specific licensing:

• Small Society Lotteries: licensed by local authority. Cheap and straightforward for most school PTAs and small charities.
• Large Society Lotteries: licensed by Gambling Commission. For larger fundraisers.
• Workplace / Customer Lotteries: different rules — restricted to specific groups.

For schools running an end-of-term raffle, your PTA likely already has the necessary licensing — check before assuming. The Gambling Commission website has clear, helpful guidance for charity-tier organisers.

Sometimes the drawn winner doesn't meet eligibility (wrong country, ineligible age, employee of the company). Or doesn't respond to notification within the stated timeframe. The legal route:

1. Check the original T&Cs allow for a re-draw if winner is ineligible / unresponsive.
2. Document the disqualification reason. "Original drawn winner @username had no UK shipping address."
3. Re-run the draw, excluding the disqualified entry.
4. Notify the new winner.
5. Optionally make a public note that the original winner couldn't be confirmed.

The legal risk: re-drawing because you don't like the result (rather than for a legitimate eligibility reason). This is borderline fraudulent and the ASA will uphold complaints. Be defensible.

Beyond legal compliance, the trust-building practices that work:

• Show the draw. A 60-second screen-share recording of the picker spinning. Posted to social, the audience sees the randomness in action.
• Number entries publicly before drawing. "234 entries received, draw at 6pm tomorrow." Removes "did they add fake entries?" suspicion.
• Announce winners with corroborating detail. "@username, who entered with comment X on Date Y, is the winner." Makes the win verifiable to anyone watching.
• Respond publicly to complaints. If a viewer accuses bias, respond — show the methodology, link the recording.
• Same methodology every time. Audiences learn what to expect. The mechanical fairness becomes part of your brand.

• Forgetting the "free entry route." If your giveaway requires purchase, you need a free alternative entry. Almost every "lottery" investigation by ASA hinges on this.
• Hiding T&Cs in a 50-page document. ASA expects T&Cs to be reasonably accessible. A clearly-linked T&Cs page from the giveaway post meets the bar; a buried-in-website T&Cs page may not.
• Changing rules mid-giveaway. Once published, T&Cs are binding. Don't change them mid-campaign.
• Forgetting to announce the winner. Entrants reasonably expect to see who won. Silent giveaways generate complaints.
• Awarding cash-equivalent prizes without checking law. Some prizes (alcohol, scratch cards, etc.) have age or licensing implications.
• Not paying tax on prize value. For high-value prizes over £100, there can be tax implications for the recipient. Mention in T&Cs.

• Instagram comment-pull: Instagram Giveaway Picker.
• YouTube comment-pull: YouTube Giveaway Picker.
• Email list / form responses: Random Winner Generator.
• Live audience draw: Spin To Win Wheel — sound on, projected on screen.
• School / charity raffle: Raffle Winner Generator — supports numbered tickets.
• Multiple winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd): any picker with "pick N at once" mode.