A draw nobody can argue with
A raffle lives or dies on trust. If the draw happens in a back room, somebody will always wonder. Run it in the open — every entry on the wheel, the spin where everyone can watch — and the result defends itself. This guide walks through a fair draw from the first entry to the last announcement, using the free spinner on this site.
Start with the rules, out loud
Before you collect a single entry, say the rules where entrants can read them: who can enter, how many entries each person gets, how many prizes there are, and whether one person can win more than one prize. Write them on the entry post itself. Most raffle arguments aren’t about the draw — they’re about a rule nobody stated until it mattered.
If you’re selling tickets or fundraising, check your local rules first — some schools, workplaces, and states require a permit for paid raffles. Free-entry giveaways are simpler, but a two-minute check beats a cancelled draw.
Collecting entries, the clean way
Keep entries in one list as they come in: names, handles, or ticket numbers — whatever identifies a winner works, as long as it’s consistent. One entry per line. If your rules give bonus entries — a share earns a second ticket, a bigger donation earns three — add that person’s name once per entry. On the wheel, duplicate names get extra slices, which is exactly what extra chances should mean.
Right before the draw, read the list once. Remove staff, accidental double sign-ups from the same person (unless they’re earned bonus entries), and anyone ineligible under your rules. This five-minute check is where fairness is actually won.
Set up the draw
Paste the finished list into the name box; the count on the spinner should match your entry count. Shuffle the list so the wheel’s starting order means nothing. If you’re drawing live — in a room or on a stream — go fullscreen first, keep the sound on, and do one practice spin with a dummy list so your audience sees the wheel works before the real names go up.
Drawing more than one prize
Decide your draw order before you spin, and announce it. Drawing the grand prize last builds the room; drawing it first is fine too — what matters is that nobody hears the order invented mid-draw.
After each winner, tap “Remove winner & spin again.” That name leaves the wheel, so one person can’t sweep every prize — unless your stated rules allow multiple wins, in which case keep them in and say so. Draw at a steady pace, read each name out loud, and let the confetti finish before the next spin. Suspense is free entertainment; rushing wastes it.
The Winners Wall is your public record
Every winner lands on the Winners Wall in the order they were drawn. Screenshot it after each draw — or take one screenshot of the whole wall at the end — and post it with the results. When someone asks “who won the second prize again?” three days later, you don’t rely on memory. You point at the record everyone watched being made.
Announcing winners people actually see
Tag or message each winner where they entered, and post the Winners Wall screenshot in the same place the entries happened. Give winners a clear claim deadline — 48 hours is common — and say upfront what happens to unclaimed prizes: most draws roll them into one final public redraw, done exactly like the first draw, on the wall for all to see.
Run your first draw
- Write your rules on the entry post: who’s in, entries per person, the prizes, and whether repeat wins are allowed.
- Collect entries in one list, one per line; add duplicate lines only for earned bonus entries.
- Clean the list — remove ineligible entries and accidental duplicates — then paste it into the spinner and check the count.
- Go fullscreen, announce the draw order, and spin for your first prize.
- Tap “Remove winner & spin again” between prizes, screenshot the Winners Wall, and post it with the winners tagged.