Prize competitions are cheap to enter one ticket at a time, which is exactly why the total is easy to lose track of. A few pounds here and there across several operators can add up to more in a month than you would ever have decided to spend in one go. This guide is about keeping that total a decision you made, and about what to do if it stops feeling like one.
Treat it as entertainment spending
The most useful way to think about a ticket is as the price of taking part, in the same way as a cinema ticket. Most entries win nothing, and across many draws you should expect to get back less than you spend; that is how an operator pays for the prizes and makes a profit. If you would be unhappy to spend the money and get nothing back, it is money to keep for something else.
That also means a win is a nice surprise, not a return on investment. It does not make the money you spent on other draws "worth it", and it is not a reason to spend more next week.
Set a budget before you start
Decide on an amount for the week or the month before you look at any draws, not while you are browsing them. Then stick to two rules:
- Stop when you reach it, not when you win and not when a draw you like comes along. The budget is the limit, and the next period starts fresh.
- Do not top it up from other money. If you find yourself moving money from savings or bills to keep entering, the budget has stopped working.
It helps to see what a regular habit costs over a whole year. The spending calculator turns a few tickets a week into a monthly and yearly figure, which is often larger than people expect.
Do not chase losses
Chasing means spending more to make up for what you have already spent: buying extra tickets after a run of draws with nothing back, or entering a bigger draw to "win it all back". It does not work, because every draw is separate. The tickets you bought last week do not make this week's ticket any more likely to win.
Changing how you spread your money does not change that either. Buying one ticket in each of twenty draws gives you more chances of winning something; twenty tickets in one draw gives you a better chance of winning that one prize. Either way, your expected return for each pound is set by the draws you choose, not by how you divide your money between them. Our guide to competition odds shows the arithmetic, and the expected value calculator works it out for a single draw.
Track spend and results side by side
The honest picture is what you spent and what came back, for the same period. People tend to remember the wins and forget the spending, so a record kept as you go is more reliable than one put together from memory. Write down every entry, including the ones you would rather not count, and record a result for each draw once it has been made, including the ones that came to nothing. If a draw is cancelled and you get your money back, record the refund so it is not counted as spending.
The free tools on this site
Every tool below comes with a free account. None of them is a paid extra, and nothing on the site rewards you for spending: achievements are earned for things like tracking your entries, trying different kinds of draw and keeping to a budget, never for the amount of money you put in.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Weekly and monthly budgets | Set either or both. We tell you when your recorded spending reaches 80% and 100% of the amount you chose. If you track entries, you can also get a short statement after each month ends. |
| Cooling-off pause | Pause yourself for 7, 14, 30 or 90 days. Once started it cannot be cancelled early, by you or by us. While it runs we stop competition alerts, marketing emails and entry prompts, and our links through to operators stop working. |
| Entry and result tracking | Record each entry on My Entries, then whether it won. Your figures show what you spent, what came back and any refunds. |
| Spending calculator | Works out what a regular habit costs over a month and a year, without an account. |
| Quiet hours | Stops push notifications during hours you choose. You set them on your alerts page. |
Two limits are worth being clear about. The budget counts the entries you record with us; we cannot see what you buy on operators' own sites, so it is only as complete as your record. And a cooling-off pause stops us from pointing you at draws, but it cannot stop you visiting an operator directly. If you need a stronger barrier, the support below can help with that.
Your net position, meaning what came back minus what you spent, is only shown once you have recorded enough results for it to be true. Until then we say why it is missing rather than show a figure that counts every unanswered draw as a loss.
Signs it has stopped being fun
It is worth stopping to think if any of these sound familiar:
- You regularly spend more than you planned, or keep raising your budget.
- You borrow money, use credit or miss bills to keep entering.
- You hide how much you spend from people close to you.
- You enter to win back what you have spent, or feel you have to keep going.
- You feel anxious, low or irritable when you are not entering, or when a draw does not go your way.
Where to get support
You do not have to wait until things are serious to talk to someone.
- GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. It is free and open 24 hours a day, and there is a live chat on the GamCare website.
- GamStop does not cover competition sites. It lets you exclude yourself from online gambling businesses licensed by the Gambling Commission in Great Britain. Prize competition operators are not licensed, because prize draws sit outside gambling law, so signing up to GamStop will not stop you entering them.
- Card blocks. Many banks let you switch on a block for gambling payments in their app. It may not catch competition sites, because many are not coded as gambling merchants, so ask your bank how its block works and what else it offers.
- Debt advice. If spending has led to debt, StepChange and Citizens Advice give free, confidential help.
- Someone you trust. Telling a friend or family member what you are spending, and asking them to check in with you, can make a budget much easier to keep.
Quick answers
How much should I spend on competitions?
Only money you would be comfortable spending on entertainment and getting nothing back for. Pick a weekly or monthly amount before you start, and stop when you reach it rather than when you win.
Can I track how much I spend on competitions?
Yes. With a free account you can record entries, set weekly and monthly budgets with warnings at 80% and 100%, and record results, so your spending and what came back sit side by side.
Where can I get help if competition spending gets out of hand?
Talk to someone early. GamCare runs the free National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, open 24 hours a day. If spending has led to debt, StepChange and Citizens Advice give free, confidential advice.