Fun Random Name Picker

How to run a fair raffle or giveaway draw

Updated 4 November 2026 · 4 minute read

Most complaints about a draw come from unclear rules or a draw nobody saw. Six steps make a raffle or giveaway fair, and make it look fair too.

1. Write the rules before anyone enters

Most arguments about a draw are really arguments about rules nobody wrote down. Before you open entries, decide and publish:

  • Who can enter: age, country, members only, and whether it's one entry per person or per ticket.
  • When entries close, with a date, a time and a time zone.
  • What the prizes are and how many winners there will be.
  • When and how the draw happens, ideally "live on stream at 7 pm" or "on screen at the meeting".
  • How winners are contacted, and how long they have to reply before a back-up winner gets the prize.

Raffles where people pay to enter are regulated in many countries and states, and some need a licence or must be run by a registered charity. The rules differ a lot from place to place, so check what applies where you are before you sell tickets. Giveaways on social media also have to follow that platform's own rules for promotions.

2. Build one clean list of entries

A draw can only be as fair as the list it uses. Put every valid entry in one place (a spreadsheet works well), then:

  • Remove duplicates if the rules say one entry per person. Watch for the same name spelled two ways and the same email address twice.
  • Remove entries that don't count: late entries, your own team, and anyone the rules exclude.
  • Decide how extra tickets appear. Someone who bought five tickets can be on the list five times, or once as Maria *5. In this picker both work: the *5 gives exactly five times the chance.
  • Sold numbered tickets? In the raffle picker, set From and To (say 1 to 500) and press Fill the draw, then delete any numbers you didn't sell.

Freeze the list when entries close. Keep a copy, such as the spreadsheet itself or a screenshot showing the number of entries, so you can show later exactly what went into the draw.

3. Draw where people can see it

A draw done in private and announced later invites doubt, however honest it was. A visible draw removes it:

  • Share your screen, stream it, or put it on the projector at the event.
  • Show the list first and say how many entries there are.
  • Use a draw with a clear moment, like lottery balls, a wheel or a hat, so everyone watches the result appear.
  • Draw the back-up winners at the same time (see the next step).
  • Never draw again because you don't like the result. If a pick breaks the rules (a duplicate you missed, for example), explain why out loud, remove it and draw again.

4. Draw back-up winners up front

Some winners never reply. If you draw a replacement weeks later, in private, people will wonder. Instead, set the number of alternates in the raffle picker's settings before the draw. One draw then gives you the winners and the back-ups in a fixed order: if winner 1 hasn't claimed the prize by the deadline, alternate 1 gets it, and so on. Everyone saw the order decided at the same moment.

5. Keep a record

After each draw the raffle picker shows a draw record: the date and time, the number of entries and a short list code. The list code is a fingerprint of the exact list used. Paste the same list again and you get the same code; change a single entry and the code changes. Post the record with your winner announcement, and save the winner card image too.

Keep the frozen entry list, the record and any screen recording until every prize has been claimed.

6. Contact the winners and announce

  • Contact winners the way the rules said, and include the deadline in the message.
  • If a winner doesn't reply in time, move to the next alternate, and say so publicly.
  • Announce winners by first name or username. There's no need to publish anyone's personal details.
  • Thank everyone who took part, and send prizes when you said you would.

Common mistakes

  • Drawing before entries close, or letting in "just one more" late entry.
  • Editing the list after it was frozen.
  • Drawing several times and keeping the result you like best.
  • Letting friends, staff or the organiser enter without saying so.
  • Using a "random" method nobody can see, such as scrolling a spreadsheet with your eyes closed.

How fair is an online draw?

This site picks winners with your browser's cryptographic random number generator, the same kind used to make security keys. The winner is decided before the animation starts, so the animation can't be steered, and every entry has an equal chance unless you give it extra chances on purpose. Nothing is uploaded: the list stays in your browser. Read more on how the picker works, or pick a random number for a quick draw.