Before you buy a ticket, a UK prize promotion has to tell you the things below. They come from section 8 (Sales promotions) of the CAP Code, the rulebook the ASA enforces. Use the list as a checklist on any site, ours included.
Rule 8.17: the significant conditions
- How to take part and what it costs. Promoters must give “how to participate, including significant conditions and costs”.
- A free entry route. “Any free-entry route should be explained clearly and prominently.” See free entry route rules.
- A closing date. “A prominent closing date, if applicable, for purchases and submissions of entries or claims.” The ASA expects a prize promotion to have one, and says closing dates “must not be changed unless unavoidable circumstances beyond the control of the promoter make it necessary”. See can a competition extend its closing date?
- The prizes. “Promoters must specify the number and nature of prizes or gifts, if applicable.”
- Restrictions. Location, age or the need to access the internet.
- Who is running it. “The promoter’s full name and correspondence address must be stated.”
Rule 8.28: prize promotions say more
The code says prize promotions must specify, clearly before or at the time of entry:
- any restriction on the number of entries
- “whether the promoter may substitute a cash alternative for any prize” (see cash alternatives explained)
- “how and when winners will be notified of results”
- the date prizewinners will receive their prizes, “if more than 30 days after the closing date”
Rules on how the draw is run
- Delivery. Rule 8.15.1: promoters “must award the prizes as described in their marketing communications or reasonable equivalents, normally within 30 days”. See how soon a prize should arrive.
- Chances. Rule 8.20: “Promoters must not exaggerate consumers’ chances of winning prizes.”
- Fair draws. Rule 8.24 requires prize draws to be awarded “in accordance with the laws of chance”. See how a provably fair draw works.
- Instant wins. Rule 8.25: participants “must know immediately what they have won”. See instant win rules.
What to do with this
Open a site’s terms and tick each item. A missing closing date, no named company or address, a free route you can’t find or a cash alternative that isn’t stated are all reasons to walk away. If a site breaks a rule, you can complain to the ASA.
Source: CAP Code, section 8: Sales promotions (ASA), read 12 October 2026. Quotes are short extracts; read the full rules at the source. The code covers advertising and promotions, and this page is not legal advice.
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.
