Guides to running a competition website
Plain-English guides to the rules, the costs and the setup of a UK prize competition website. General information, not legal advice.
- Start here
How to start a competition website
The full picture: the law, the free entry route, payments, draws and running costs.
Charity competitions and raffles: how they differ from prize competitions
How charity raffles and society lotteries differ from prize competitions in the UK, who can run them, and when to register with a council or Commission.
Choosing prizes and ticket prices
How to choose prizes and set ticket prices for a UK prize competition: simple odds maths, max tickets per person, sell-out risk and cash alternatives.
Competition website features checklist
A checklist of the features a UK competition website needs: skill question, free entry route, fair draws, age checks, payments, GDPR and marketing.
Competition website vs WordPress plugin
Compare a hosted competition website with a WordPress plugin: cost, compliance, security, control and who does the work. A fair guide for UK operators.
Free entry route explained
What a free entry route is, why UK prize draws need one, which methods count as free, and how to show it as prominently as the paid route.
How much does a competition website cost?
What a UK competition website really costs: platform fees, setup, payments, prizes, ads and legal advice, with Niche from £49 a month.
How to start a competition business in the UK
A plain guide to starting a prize competition business in the UK: the legal model, setup, prizes, payments, margins and the risks to plan for.
Skill questions in prize competitions: what the law requires
What the Gambling Act 2005 and Gambling Commission say about skill questions in prize competitions, why multiple choice rarely works, and how to set one.
Are online prize competitions legal in the UK?
Online prize competitions are legal in Great Britain if they use real skill or a free draw. What the Gambling Act 2005 says, and what to do first.
GDPR for competition websites: what UK operators must do
UK GDPR for prize competition sites: ICO fee, lawful basis, marketing consent under PECR, retention, erasure requests and your privacy policy.
How to market a competition website
How to market a prize competition website in the UK: ad rules, Meta permission, email and SMS, social proof and the numbers to track.
How to run a fair draw for your prize competition
How to run a provably fair prize draw: random number generation, commit-reveal, live draws, and how to publish results so entrants can trust you.
Instant win competitions explained
How instant win competitions work in the UK: how prizes are placed, the ASA rules on fairness and odds, and how to add instant wins to your website.
KYC and age checks for prize competitions
How to check age and identity for a UK prize competition: what the DCMS code expects, when to verify, what to ask for, and how to handle winners.
Payment providers for competition websites: what UK operators need to know
Why mainstream processors often refuse prize competition sites, what a high-risk merchant account is, and what UK acquirers ask for.
The DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators
The DCMS Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators explained: who it covers, the £250 card cap, spend limits and transparency rules.
White-label competition platform: what it is and what to check
What a white-label competition platform is, what to check before you choose one, and how Niche gives you your own domain, branding and compliance tools.
Thinking of starting your own?
Niche gives you your own competition website on your own domain, from £49 a month + 5p an order. We take 0% of your ticket sales.