A UK competition website needs a skill question and free entry route, a fair draw, age checks, safe payments, data protection tools and honest marketing controls. Use this checklist of competition website features to test any platform, including ours.
How to use this checklist
Go through each section and tick what your platform does. Anything it leaves out becomes your job to build, buy or do by hand. Ask suppliers to show you each feature working, not just list it.
Where a line mentions a Niche feature, it is on every Niche plan. The one exception is Meta and TikTok ad tooling, which comes with the Done-for-you service.
This is general information, not legal advice. Take advice from a solicitor before you launch.
Legal structure features
- Skill question at checkout. Section 14(5) of the Gambling Act 2005 says a skill requirement counts only if it would reasonably prevent a significant proportion of people from taking part or winning. The platform should let you write and change hard-enough questions. See skill questions.
- Free postal entry route. Set up in the competition, shown clearly and handled the same as paid entries. See free entry route explained.
- Go-live check. Blocks a competition priced below a stamp or with too short an entry window.
- Prize-proof gate. Requires proof the prize is bought before the competition goes live.
- Clear terms. Your terms are easy to find from every competition page.
Draw features
- Provably fair draw. Niche uses commit-reveal with random.org, so the draw data is locked in before the result is known and anyone can check it afterwards.
- Live draw console. Run the draw in front of your audience.
- Instant wins. If you run instant-win competitions, the platform should handle prize allocation and record every win. See instant win competitions explained.
- Draw records. Keep a record of every draw that you can show to others.
Read how to run a fair draw for how these fit together.
Payments and money features
- UK card payments. Niche connects to Acquired, Cashflows and DNA Payments.
- Refund tools. Refund a customer from your admin.
- Chargeback handling. Collect evidence and respond to disputes.
- Reconciliation. Match your sales to what the provider pays you.
- Monthly sales report. Gives your accountant what they need.
Customer protection features
- Age and KYC check before prizes are released. See KYC and age checks.
- UK geo-blocking. Limits sales to people in the UK.
- Spend limits. Customers set a cap on what they spend.
- Self-exclusion. Customers can step away.
- Clear complaints route. Make your contact details easy to find.
Data protection features
- Consent log. Record who agreed to what, and when.
- Erasure requests. A way to process requests to delete personal data.
- Marketing opt-in controls. Keep email and SMS consent separate from ticket purchase.
The ICO says organisations using personal information must pay a data protection fee unless exempt. See GDPR for competition websites.
Branding and marketing features
- Your own domain and branding. See white-label competition platform.
- Email, SMS and push. Bring buyers back for the next competition.
- Meta and TikTok ad tooling. On Niche this comes with the Done-for-you plan.
- Accurate prize promotion. The ASA's CAP Code, section 8, covers prize promotions, so keep your claims true. See how to market a competition website.
What to ask on a demo
- Show me a competition being created, with the skill question and free route.
- Show me the go-live check blocking a bad setup.
- Show me a draw and how I would prove it was fair.
- Show me a refund and a chargeback.
- Show me how a customer sets a spend limit.
- Show me what happens when I move to another supplier.
Once you have checked the competition website features, compare costs on the pricing page and in how much does a competition website cost?. The whole process is in our guide to starting a competition website.
Frequently asked questions
What features does a competition website need?
A skill question and free entry route, a fair draw, UK card payments with refunds and reconciliation, age checks, responsible-play controls and data protection tools.
Do I need a free entry route?
The ASA says genuine skill-based prize competitions are unlikely to need one. A paid draw decided by chance does. Many operators include a free postal route as a safeguard. Take legal advice on your model.
Are all features included on every Niche plan?
Yes. Starter, Pro and Done-for-you all get every feature. Plans differ in support, setup. Every plan is a monthly fee plus 5p per paid order, with 0% of ticket sales. Running Meta and TikTok ads for you is part of the Done-for-you service.
How do I prove a draw was fair?
Use a method that locks in the draw data before the result is known and lets anyone check it afterwards. Niche uses commit-reveal with random.org.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change: check the Gambling Act 2005 and guidance from the Gambling Commission, or speak to a solicitor, before you launch.