04 July 2026
The UK prize competition sector has grown rapidly with relatively little formal oversight, often being misunderstood or grouped with gambling. That is beginning to change with the launch of the Prize Competition Council (PCC), a new trade body representing more than 50 operators and aiming to improve standards, protect players and give the industry a stronger voice.
The council follows the introduction of a government-backed voluntary code of good practice for prize draw operators. Published in November and introduced in May, the code covers areas including ethical marketing and monthly spending limits set by players or operators.
The PCC helped shape the code and will now support operators in putting it into practice. Board member Daniel Swann said its success depends on industry-wide support, with the council working alongside operators rather than becoming another layer of bureaucracy.
The PCC’s first board will serve a two-year term and includes representatives from both major brands and smaller independent operators:
Founding member Jo Bucci, who is stepping down as a director and also chairs Winvia Entertainment PLC, said the board would help the industry tackle future challenges. She also thanked the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for supporting the council’s development.
McGregor described the launch as a sign that the sector is coming of age, with a growing industry now needing proper representation and clearer standards.
The council’s main priorities are to:
That final point is especially important because UK prize competitions sit in a complicated regulatory position. Depending on how they are structured and how prizes are awarded, they may fall outside the legal definitions of gambling or lotteries. This grey area has helped the market grow, but it has also attracted greater scrutiny.
Research published by Rokker in April estimated that the UK prize draw market generates around £1.3 billion in annual revenue and has approximately 7.4 million active players. In other words, this is no longer a niche corner of the internet.
One factor behind that growth is taxation. Jamie Pinner from DrawHouse noted that prize draws currently sit outside Remote Gaming Duty, making them more tax-efficient than sportsbooks and online casinos.
However, Pinner believes that advantage may not last forever. If formal regulation arrives, established betting companies could be well placed to enter the market because they already have large customer bases and compliance systems in place.
The PCC’s arrival feels like a natural step for an industry that has outgrown its small and independent beginnings. Self-regulation often appears before formal regulation, and the sector’s leading operators seem keen to help shape future rules rather than wait for them to be imposed.
Whether that approach succeeds will depend on how well operators follow the voluntary code and whether the council can balance industry growth with genuine player protection. With the government continuing to watch the sector closely, the PCC’s progress will be worth following.
Ticket price only tells part of the story. A cheaper ticket might get you more entries, while another competition could offer better overall odds or a much bigger prize for the same spend. That’s why we’ve added Spend Search to RaffleRadar — choose your budget and compare competitions based on what your money actually gets you, using three different search options.
The UK prize competition industry has come a long way from a collection of relatively small independent websites giving away cars and cash. It is now estimated to be worth around £1.3 billion a year, attracts roughly 7.4 million adult players, and has caught the attention of some seriously well-funded businesses.
Another major player has moved into the UK prize draw market. German lottery group ZEAL Network has bought SevenCanyon, the company behind 7days Performance, Redline Competitions and UKCC, in a deal worth up to £38.6 million. It is a sizeable takeover, but the bigger story is what it says about an industry that is quickly growing up.