On Hoardsy, a public random number decides each instant result seconds after you buy. The advertising code has specific rules for them, and they are easy to check on any site.
What the ASA says
- Fair and random. Rule 8.25: “Instant-win tickets, tokens or numbers must be awarded on a fair and random basis.”
- Don’t exaggerate. Rule 8.20: “promoters must not exaggerate consumers’ chances of winning prizes”. The guidance wants a realistic indication of winning chances.
- Number of prizes. The ad should state “the number of prizes which are likely to be awarded”. A big pool with no count can exaggerate chances.
- Know at once. Winners “must know immediately what they have won and how to claim”.
- No cost to claim. A prize cannot be claimed if “the consumer must incur a cost to claim the prize” (rule 8.21.1).
- Independent check. Verification should be an independently audited statement that all prizes were distributed. Staff are unlikely to count as independent.
Source: ASA: instant wins.
How to check a site
- Does it show how many of each prize there are, and the chance per ticket?
- Is the result shown straight away?
- Does it explain how results are allocated?
Hoardsy publishes the prize table for every instant-win game. See Plinko odds, Skyfall odds, Scratchcard odds and instant win vs end draw.
How Hoardsy runs its competitions
- Closing dates are never extended for slow sales.
- There’s no minimum number of sales: every end-draw prize and top instant prize is awarded, sold out or not.
- Every competition page shows its prizes and your chance per ticket before you enter.
- Every competition can be entered free by post, with the same chances as a paid ticket. See free postal entry.
Keep reading
- All Hoardsy guides
- Are online prize draws legit?
- What the ASA has ruled on UK competition sites
- How to spot a risky competition site
Last checked 12 October 2026.
Hoardsy
See the competitions
Choose a draw or an instant game. Every prize and its chance is on the page before you enter.
18+, Great Britain only. Free postal entry on every competition.
