Work out your real chance of winning a UK prize competition from the ticket cap and how many entries you hold.
Enter a ticket cap and how many tickets you'll buy (no more than the cap) to see your odds.
Results are estimates for guidance only and assume the inputs you provide — they aren't financial advice.
How competition odds work
In a standard UK prize competition every ticket has an equal chance, so your probability of winning is simply the tickets you hold divided by the total tickets in the draw. Five tickets in a 5,000-ticket competition is 5 ÷ 5,000 — a 0.1% chance, or odds of 1 in 1,000.
The figure this calculator gives you is the worst case: it assumes every ticket sells. Many competitions are drawn before they sell out, and most operators draw only from sold tickets — so if a 10,000-ticket competition closes at 4,000 sold, each ticket's real odds are 1 in 4,000. The sell-through figures we publish on each competition page tell you how full a draw actually is.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out my odds of winning a competition?
Divide the total number of tickets by the number of tickets you hold. If a competition sells 5,000 tickets and you buy 5, your odds are 1 in 1,000 — a 0.1% chance. This assumes every ticket sells; if the competition doesn't sell out and the operator still draws, your real odds are better.
Are competition odds better than the lottery?
Almost always, yes. A single Lotto line is roughly a 1 in 45 million chance of the jackpot. Even one ticket in a 50,000-ticket competition is 1 in 50,000 — about 900 times better. The trade-off is the prize is usually smaller and you pay more per entry.
Do my odds improve if the competition doesn't sell out?
Usually. Most UK operators draw from sold tickets only, so 2,000 sold out of a 10,000 cap means your effective odds are 1 in 2,000 per ticket, not 1 in 10,000. Check the operator's terms — a few roll over or void instead of drawing early.
We track thousands of live UK competitions with prices, ticket caps and end dates — so you can compare the odds before you enter.