Let’s delve into an analysis of pay-to-enter instant wins and examine two specific examples, starting with BOTB’s £1m offering.
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The rise of pay-to-enter instant wins
In recent years, pay-to-enter instant wins have become more prominent on competition websites. Unlike free-to-enter promotions or product-based instant wins, these require participants to purchase tickets for the chance to win cash or other prizes instantly. These competitions are designed to attract participants with the promise of high-value prizes, and the revenue generated can be substantial. Let’s take a closer look at one of the more well-known examples: BOTB’s £1m instant wins.
BOTB’s £1m Instant Wins Analysis
BOTB’s £1m instant wins promotion is structured as follows:
- Total number of tickets: 899,999
- Price per ticket: £2.29
Revenue if all tickets are sold: To calculate the total potential revenue:
899,999 tickets×£2.29 per ticket=£2,060,997.71
899,999 tickets x £2.29 per ticket = £2,060,997.71
If all tickets are sold, BOTB stands to generate approximately £2,061,000.
Prizes breakdown
BOTB advertises over 50,000 instant prizes, with the current distribution showing:
- 456 prizes won
- 49,979 prizes remaining
This gives a total of:456+49,979=50,435 total prizes
Cash Prizes
Here’s a breakdown of the cash prizes available:
- £25,000 cash – 20 prizes
- £10,000 cash – 15 prizes
- £5,000 cash – 10 prizes
- £2,000 cash – 10 prizes
- £1,000 cash – 30 prizes
- £500 cash – 50 prizes
- £200 cash – 150 prizes
- £100 cash – 250 prizes
- £75 cash – 400 prizes
Total number of cash prizes: 935
Odds of Winning a Cash Prize
To find the odds of winning a cash prize, we need to compare the total number of cash prizes to the total number of tickets:
The probability of winning a non-cash prize such as site credit or a free competition ticket is approximately 5.5%, or 1 in 18. But the majority of these non-cash prizes are worth less than the value of a ticket, and game credit only gives you yet another (slim) chance to win a prize.
Legal requirements missing
Legally, all pay-to-enter UK competitions should have a free entry route which is advertised just as prominently as the paid entry route. I could not actually see a free entry route advertised on BOTB’s page at all.
Prize-Draw.com’s Instant Win analysis
Let’s compare the BOTB draw with Prize-Draw.com’s instant win offering.
The ticket price difference
One of the biggest differentiators between these two competitions is the price per ticket:
- BOTB: £2.29 per ticket
- Prize-Draw.com: £0.90 per ticket
This difference means that for the price of a single BOTB ticket (£2.29), you could purchase approximately 2.5 tickets in Prize-Draw.com’s competition. This factor alone can significantly impact your odds of winning.
The pricing on Prize-Draw.com is interesting and I suspect it’s to greatly reduce the possibility of postal entries. Their postal entry route is very, very prominent and appears to meet all the legal requirements – but if it costs 85p for a stamp, you’re unlikely to bother if you can buy a ticket for 90p.
Revenue potential and prizes overview
BOTB’s Competition:
- Total tickets available: 899,999
- Potential total revenue: £2,060,997.71 if all tickets are sold
- Number of cash prizes: 935
- Odds of winning a cash prize: Approximately 1 in 962
- Odds of winning a non-cash prize: Approximately 1 in 18
Prize-Draw.com’s Competition:
- Total tickets available: 80,000
- Potential total revenue: £72,000 if all tickets are sold
- Number of cash prizes: 70
- Odds of winning a cash prize: Approximately 1 in 1,143
- Odds of winning a non-cash prize: Approximately 1 in 5
That’s a very simple comparison but not the full picture, because of the substantial ticket price difference.
Analysing the odds
When comparing these competitions, it’s crucial to consider what you’re getting for the money you spend.
Cash prizes:
- BOTB: With a ticket priced at £2.29, your odds of winning a cash prize stand at 1 in 962. This competition is known for its larger pool of cash prizes, but the higher ticket price impacts the affordability of multiple entries.
- Prize-Draw.com: At just £0.90 per ticket, your odds of winning a cash prize are 1 in 1,143. Although this might seem less favourable on a per-ticket basis, the lower price allows you to buy more tickets for the same total spend.
Comparison for £2.29 Spend: For £2.29 (the price of one BOTB ticket), you could buy 2.5 tickets in Prize-Draw.com’s competition. This improves your overall odds for winning a cash
Combined odds for 2.5 tickets ≈ 1 in 457
This means that spending £2.29 on Prize-Draw.com tickets gives you a better cumulative chance of winning a cash prize compared to a single BOTB ticket.
Non-Cash Prizes:
- BOTB: The odds of winning a non-cash prize are around 1 in 18. These prizes often include game credits or other items that may not be as enticing as cash.
- Prize-Draw.com: With an impressive 19.1% chance of winning a non-cash prize (1 in 5), and with 2.5 tickets for £2.29, your chances of winning increase significantly, to nearly 50%.
Final thoughts
If you’re focused solely on cash prizes, BOTB offers slightly better odds for a single ticket, but the price means fewer chances for the same spend. On the other hand, Prize-Draw.com’s lower ticket price provides the opportunity to buy more tickets for the same budget, boosting your overall odds of winning a cash prize to approximately 1 in 457 with a £2.29 spend.
For non-cash prizes, Prize-Draw.com is the clear winner, offering significantly better odds and value. With a 1 in 5 chance per ticket and improved cumulative odds for multiple entries, it’s more attractive for those looking to maximise their chances across a range of prizes.
It’s also worth mentioning again that I can’t see how BOTB are satisfying the requirements of free postal entry to stop their draw being considered an illegal lottery. I did a deep dive into their terms which does mention free postal entries, but burying these instructions in terms does not meet the Gambling Commission’s guidance. This gives me a lot less confidence or trust in the website. It is not uncommon for such websites to flaunt the rules, as can be seen in the Advice to the Government – Review of the Gambling Act 2005 Published in April 2023 which is likely to result in stricter regulation of such competitions in the future.