Are you dreaming of running your own prize competition business in the UK? Starting a successful prize competition business might seem challenging, but with the right knowledge and strategy, you can turn it into a profitable and exciting venture.

Our ultimate guide walks you through every step needed to launch and grow a prize competition business—from legal compliance and marketing strategies to prize selection and website setup. Whether you’re new to the industry or looking to refine your approach, this guide is your complete roadmap to success.

Why Buy This Guide to Start Your Prize Competition Business?

Launching a prize competition business requires more than just great ideas; it needs preparation, knowledge of the law, and effective marketing. This guide helps you avoid costly mistakes by providing the following:

Expert Insights
Learn proven techniques to set up, market, and scale your business.

Legal Compliance
Understand the Gambling Act 2005 and how to ensure your competitions are 100% legal.

Marketing Strategies
Get actionable tips to promote your competitions on social media, attract participants, and boost sales.

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE HOW TO GUIDE?

In 2024, 85% of prize competition businesses were found acting as an illegal lottery. This is a criminal offence and puts them at risk of the Gambling Commission investigating their business and issuing a hefty fine or even a prison sentence. 

This How To Start A Prize Competition Business in the UK is the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom. Knowing this industry like the back of our hand, we’ve teamed up with marketing and legal experts to build this exclusive walkthrough! It will ensure full compliance with the Gambling Act 2005, how to approach promoting your business on social media and everything your website needs to fulfil everything required.

*PLEASE NOTE: Rafflers is not associated with the Gambling Association or the ASA. We are an independent business looking to encourage prize competition businesses to abide by the Gambling Act 2005, providing Marketing advice and supporting businesses across the UK.

Start your competition business the smart way!

Download your ultimate guide and learn how to stay legal, launch fast, and run a successful prize draw in the UK.

CONTENTS

1. What is a Prize Competition?
      1.1. The Gambling Act 2005
      1.2. Skills Based Question
      1.3. The Free Entry Route

2. Name, Branding & Target Audience
      2.1  Target Audience
      2.2  Business  Name
      2.3  Business Logo
      2.4  Brand Colours
      2.5  Fonts

3. The Website
      3.1 Domain Name
      3.2 The Entry Process
      3.3 Entry Lists
      3.4 Winners Page
      3.5 Payment Platforms
      3.6 Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy & Cookies
      3.7 Site Credit
      3.8 Not Selling Enough Tickets

4. The Prize
      4.1 Sourcing Prizes

5. The Live Draw
      5.1 Live Streaming Platforms
      5.2 Facebook Live
      5.3 Instagram Live
      5.4 Youtube Live
      5.5 TikTok Live
      5.6 X (Twitter) Live
      5.7 Live Draw Hints and Tips
      5.8 Random Number Generators
      5.9 Informing the Winner

6. Marketing & Promotion
      6.1 Social Media Marketing & Promotion
      6.2 Free Marketing
      6.3 Collecting Reviews

 7. Social Media
      7.1 How To Setup a Facebook Business Page
      7.2 How To Schedule A Facebook Post
      7.3 Monitor your Engagement
      7.4 Understanding Hashtags & Tags

8. Paid Marketing
      8.1 Facebook Ads
      8.2 Facebook Ads Cost
      8.3 What is Ad Fatigue?
      8.4 Email Marketing

9. MailChimp
10. RMG Approval
11. Instant Wins
12. Flash Competitions
13. Early Bird Tickets
14. Launching Your Business
15. Final Words
16. Handy Links

 

Frequently Asked Questions

This guide covers everything you need to start and run a prize competition business, including legal requirements, marketing strategies, website setup, prize selection, and ensuring compliance with UK laws like the Gambling Act 2005. The ‘Contents’ section of this page shows everything included in this guide.

It’s perfect for entrepreneurs, small business owners, or anyone interested in starting a prize competition business, whether you’re a complete beginner or already familiar with the industry.

No prior legal knowledge is needed! The guide explains the legal requirements in simple terms and ensures you understand how to run competitions that are fully compliant with UK laws.

Yes, it provides clear instructions on how to design your competitions so they qualify as legal prize competitions and not as lotteries, which require a gambling license.

Absolutely! It offers practical advice on using social media, email marketing, and paid ads to promote your competitions and attract participants.

You will learn exactly what information your website should contain, including the entry process, terms and conditions and more. This guide does not teach you how to ‘build’ a website. You will need a website designer to do this for you.

No, as long as your competition is structured as a legal prize competition and not a lottery. The guide teaches you how to ensure this distinction.

Yes! In fact, we’re big fans of an email marketing platform called MailChimp. You’ll find a full step by step guide on how to use it.