It’s a fair question: with so many competition sites around, how do you know a draw is genuine and not rigged? Here’s what to look for — and what “provably fair” actually means.
What makes a competition legitimate in the UK?
A lawful UK prize competition must include a genuine element of skill (the skill question) and must offer a free entry route. Sites that do both, publish clear terms, and pay winners openly are operating correctly. Avoid anything that lets you enter with no skill element and no free route.
What does “provably fair” mean?
Provably fair is a method — borrowed from cryptography — that lets you verify a draw wasn’t tampered with, rather than just trusting the operator. Before tickets go on sale, the site publishes a commitment: a cryptographic hash of the secret “seed” that will decide the winner. Because the hash is published in advance, the seed can’t be changed later without the hash no longer matching. After the draw, the site reveals the seed, and anyone can re-run the calculation to confirm the winning number was fixed before sales even opened.
How to spot a trustworthy competition site
- Provably-fair draws you can independently verify.
- Published winners — real names and prizes on a public results page.
- A clear skill question and a genuine free entry route.
- Independent reviews (e.g. Trustpilot) and transparent terms.
- Clear 18+ / UK-only rules and responsible-play tools.
At Nitrous Competitions every draw is provably fair and every winner is published. See how it works in our FAQ or browse the live competitions. 18+, UK only.