Report
Understanding the consumer landscape in free draws and prize competitions
This short report explores consumer behaviour in relation to free draws and prize competitions
Data Sources and Methodology
This report draws on 3 data sources to explore participation in free draws and prize competitions and build a broader understanding of this activity. Each source offers a unique perspective, and together they allow for a more comprehensive and triangulated view of the free draw and prize competition landscape.
All brand names have been removed for confidentiality and commercial sensitivity.
Triangulation and Analytical Approach
Each dataset offers a different lens:
- Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) survey data provides insight into who is participating
- YouGov Finance open banking data allows us to observe spending behaviour, offering a real-world view of financial engagement with free draw and prize competition providers
- SimilarWeb web traffic data helps us understand the scale and frequency of online engagement, revealing how often people visit these sites and how interest may vary over time.
Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB)
The GSGB is a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain, for further details about the methodology of the overall survey, visit the technical report. Whilst the survey is predominately designed to gather consumer data in relation to gambling behaviours, through the use of ad hoc and topical questions we can also gather information from consumers about other topics, such as free draws and prize competitions. This is important to understand the broader landscape and how these types of activities sit alongside regulated gambling activities.
The GSGB uses a mixed mode approach and respondents can complete survey responses online or via a paper survey. The question on free draws and prize competitions, along with other topical or ad hoc questions, was asked only to those respondents who completed the survey online. The GSGB survey data in this report is from respondents who answered the survey online between April 2024 and April 2025, giving a total sample size of 13,049.
To ensure accurate comparisons in this report, the analysis is limited to online respondents during the same period, April 2024 to April 2025. As a result, figures related to other gambling activities may differ from our official statistics, which are based on the full, nationally representative sample. These figures should not be used as a replacement for our official statistics. Instead, they should be interpreted solely within the context of this report, specifically when contextualising free draw and prize competition participation to headline gambling activities.
The question was worded as follows:
“In the past four weeks have you spent any money to enter an online draw or competition for the chance to win a substantial prize such as a luxury house?”
This question was designed to capture self-reported participation in free draws and prize competitions, particularly those that had participated in a paid entry. Demographic and behavioural data from the GSGB were used to explore participation overall, as well as in the context of other activities.
YouGov Open Banking Data
To complement the self-reported consumer data from GSGB, we analysed anonymised open banking data acquired from YouGov Finance (opens in new tab). This dataset includes real-world financial transactions from consenting participants, which was used to explore spending behaviours related to free draw and prize competition providers. The data covers the period between April 2024 and April 2025. Users with incomplete transaction history were removed resulting in a complete 12 months of transactional data from 15,245 users, of which 2,678 made at least one transaction with a free draw or prize competition provider. Differences in mode of payments are not accounted for. For example, if payment is aided by telephone, this is not specified and can’t be distinguished.
We identified transactions with over 30 free draw and prize competition providers. To ensure robust analysis, we excluded any providers with fewer than 10 users in the dataset, resulting in a final sample of 20 providers. To explore patterns in user behaviour across these providers, we grouped the data and providers into four equal-sized categories based on the average amount users spend, commonly referred to as quartiles. These groups range from the lowest to the highest spenders and allow us to compare trends in transaction size, visit frequency, and overall engagement.
SimilarWeb Web Traffic Data
To understand online engagement with free draw and prize competition providers, we viewed web traffic data from SimilarWeb (opens in new tab). This includes metrics such as total visit volumes per site and average visits per user for a selection of free draw and prize competition websites. SimilarWeb is a digital intelligence platform that estimates website and app traffic, offering insights into user behaviour and online market trends. The data covers the period from May 2024 to April 2025, looking at the same providers identified in the open banking data, which allows us to assess the scale and reach of these free draw and prize competition providers.
Strengths and Limitations Summary
The use of a multi-source approach enhances the reliability and depth of our insights by enabling us to examine behaviours from multiple angles. This methodology helps us to identify patterns that may remain hidden when relying on a single data source. For example, while SimilarWeb data provides valuable information on free draws and prize competition site visits, it does not capture the volume of actual transactions. However, using alongside other data sources, helps to gain a more comprehensive understanding. For example, YouGov’s open banking data can be used to contextualise spending on free draw and prize competition providers, complementing the behavioural insights from web traffic data.
However, the data sources used are not fully representative of the entire population in Great Britain. The GSGB used in this context reflects responses from individuals who completed the survey online, and open banking data is drawn from participants more likely to engage in research.
It is important to note that the open banking and web traffic data, as well as GSGB, are drawn from different user samples, meaning individual-level comparisons are not possible. Nevertheless, triangulating these independent sources enables us to construct a more holistic picture of behaviour across the sector. Open banking data reveals how much and how often users spend, while web traffic data shows how frequently and widely free draw and prize competition providers are accessed. Together, these perspectives highlight the diversity of user engagement. It also demonstrates the value of the GSGB in identifying and exploring new and evolving consumer behaviours and the vast insights we can get from just a single question on the survey.
Previous sectionDefinitions - Understanding the consumer landscape in free draws and prize competitions Next section
Key Findings - Understanding the consumer landscape in free draws and prize competitions
Last updated: 22 January 2026
Show updates to this content
No changes to show.