Who Regulates Prize Draws and Competitions in the UK?

Quick answer: No single UK regulator licenses prize draws: free prize draws and genuine skill competitions sit outside the Gambling Act 2005, paid chance based draws must offer a free entry route to stay outside lottery law, and adverts are policed by the Advertising Standards Authority under the CAP Code. Note that this is not legal advice.

Key takeaways

A free prize draw, or a competition decided by a genuine test of skill, is not gambling under the Gambling Act 2005, and the Gambling Commission does not license it.
A paid draw decided wholly by chance must offer a free entry route, usually by post, so nobody has to pay to take part.
Advertising is regulated through the CAP Code, enforced by the ASA, while the DCMS voluntary code sets operator standards such as clear terms and published results.

See how a compliant UK operator lays this out: new MrRaffle players can claim free tickets, and every game publishes its prize list before you play.

Are prize draws regulated in the UK?

Yes, by a patchwork rather than one body: free prize draws and genuine skill competitions fall outside gambling law, paid chance based draws must include a free entry route to stay outside lottery law, and the advertising around promotions is regulated through the CAP Code. This is general information, not legal advice.

In practice, three layers apply to the competitions you see advertised:

Gambling law decides what counts as gambling. The Gambling Act 2005 sets that line, and the Gambling Commission polices the gambling side of it.
Advertising law decides how promotions may be described. The CAP Code, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority, covers the claims and the small print.
Operator standards decide how a well-run draw behaves day to day. The DCMS voluntary code of good practice covers terms, draw methods, results and complaints.

A site can sit outside gambling law and still be bound by the other two layers. That is why "not licensed gambling" is not the same as "no rules apply".

What does the Gambling Commission regulate?

The Gambling Commission licenses betting, casinos, bingo, lotteries and arcade machines, and it enforces the Gambling Act 2005. Free prize draws and genuine skill competitions are not gambling under that Act, so the Commission does not license them and they do not sit on its register.

For entrants, that has a practical edge. A free draw needs no Gambling Commission licence, so the register is not where you check one. What the Commission does cover is paid, chance based activity that would otherwise be a lottery: the rule is that such draws need a free entry route, normally by post, to stay on the right side of the line. If a paid draw advertises itself as chance based and offers no free way in at all, that is a warning sign worth checking before you enter.

What does the ASA do about competitions?

The ASA enforces the CAP Code, the UK rulebook for advertising, and its Section 8 covers promotional marketing: prize promotions, free entry routes and how offers are described. Anyone can complain, and the ASA publishes rulings when an advert breaks the rules.

The rules matter to entrants in practical ways:

Adverts must be honest. A promotion should not mislead about the chance of winning or bury key conditions out of sight.
Free routes must be genuine. Where a paid route exists, the free entry route must be real, workable and clearly explained.
Rulings are public. When the ASA upholds a complaint, the ruling is published, which gives you a way to check how a brand has behaved before.

If a competition advert promises something its terms do not deliver, the ASA is the right place for that complaint, and the operator is the first place to ask.

What is the DCMS voluntary code?

The DCMS voluntary code of good practice for prize draw operators is published by the government department for culture, media and sport. It sets standards on clear terms, fair draw methods, published results and complaint handling, and operators adopt it voluntarily.

Because the code is voluntary, the useful move is to check whether a site says it follows it. Look for the three habits the code describes:

Terms published before entry opens, so nobody enters blind.
A draw method that can be checked, usually a random selection with results published afterwards.
A complaint route that a player can actually use.

A voluntary code is not a licence and it is not enforced like one, but it is a benchmark: a site that meets it is easier to compare with one that says nothing.

How does that protect entrants?

Three protections matter most to entrants: adverts must describe the promotion honestly, paid chance based draws must carry a free entry route so paying is optional, and operators that adopt the DCMS code commit to clear terms, fair draw methods and published results.

Put together, they answer the practical questions that decide whether a competition is worth your time:

The offer: the rules require the promotion to be described honestly, in the advert and in the terms.
A free way in: on paid draws decided wholly by chance, the free route must exist and be genuine. Our explainer on whether prize competitions are legal in the UK walks through the legal shape of that.
The draw method: a well-run draw publishes how the winner is chosen, and the results afterwards.
The complaint route: the ASA handles misleading advertising, and the operator handles everything else.

Before you enter anywhere, check the terms: MrRaffle's competition terms page lists eligibility, closing dates and the free postal entry route for its draws.

What should you check on any competition site?

Six checks cover most of it: who operates the site and their company number, the terms for the specific competition, the free entry route where one applies, the closing and draw dates, how results are published, and how to raise a problem.

The operator. A company name and registration number should be easy to find, along with a contact route that is not just a chat bot.
The terms. Read the clauses on eligibility, dates, prizes and extensions. The competition terms guide breaks the important ones down line by line.
The free route. On a paid chance based draw, the postal route should have full instructions, not a footnote.
The dates. Both the closing date and the draw date should be stated, with no vague "draw held soon".
The results. A finished draw should produce winners and results you can find afterwards.
The complaint route. A monitored email address or contact form is the minimum.

If a site passes those checks, it is telling you it expects to be held to them. If it fails one, that is the moment to slow down, whichever prize is on offer. Our checklist for spotting a legit prize competition covers the warning signs in more detail.

You can run the checks here: claim free tickets, open any game and compare its prize list with the terms before you decide anything.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates prize draws in the UK?

There is no single regulator for prize draws. Free draws and genuine skill competitions fall outside the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission licenses gambling rather than free draws, the ASA enforces advertising rules through the CAP Code, and the DCMS voluntary code sets operator standards.

Do prize draw operators need a Gambling Commission licence?

No, not for a free draw or a genuine skill competition, because neither is gambling under the Gambling Act 2005. The picture changes for a paid draw decided wholly by chance: it needs a free entry route to stay outside lottery rules.

Is a paid prize draw a lottery?

It can be, in law, if it is decided wholly by chance and there is no free way to enter. That is why paid chance based draws add a free entry route, usually by post: the route keeps the promotion outside lottery territory.

Does the CAP Code cover online and social media competitions?

Yes. The CAP Code applies to promotional marketing in UK adverts across media, including online and social posts, and it includes rules on free entry routes and how prize promotions are described. The ASA publishes rulings when adverts break those rules.

What can you do if a competition looks misleading?

Start with the operator and ask for the terms and the free entry route in writing. If the advertising itself misleads, you can complain to the ASA with evidence. This is general information, not legal advice, so take professional advice for anything more serious.

Sources

Gambling Act 2005, section 14, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 7 October 2026
Gambling Act 2005, Schedule 2, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 7 October 2026
Promotional marketing: Free entry routes, ASA and CAP, accessed 7 October 2026
CAP Code, Section 8: Promotional marketing, ASA and CAP, accessed 7 October 2026
Voluntary code of good practice for prize draw operators, DCMS, accessed 7 October 2026

Play responsibly

MrRaffle is for UK residents aged 18 and over. Only play with money you can afford to spend, set a budget before you start, and take a break if it stops being fun.

See the rules for yourself: read MrRaffle's competition terms, check what the law says about UK prize competitions, or claim free tickets and start on the free route.