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THE DRAW RULE, BEFORE THE RESULT

Sold out first. Then the next eligible draw.

When the final paid ticket is confirmed, the competition locks. We add a 24-hour buffer, then nominate the first configured Wednesday or Saturday 20:00 UK draw after that point. The exact nominated draw is shown before its result is known.

See which draw counts See Vault Verified Draw
  1. 01OpenEligible entries can be bought.
  2. 02Sold outThe final paid ticket closes the competition.
  3. 03+24 hoursThe earliest eligible draw point is fixed.
  4. 04NominatedThe first scheduled draw after that point is locked.
  5. 05PublishedThe result and proof record are released.

WHICH DRAW COUNTS?

The timing rule is automatic, not an operator choice.

The system records the final paid-ticket time, calculates the eligibility point, and stores the first matching draw from the configured schedule. If the next draw is less than 24 hours away, it is skipped.

  1. 01 TRIGGER Final paid ticket

    Checkout closes and the sold-out timestamp is recorded.

  2. 02 BUFFER 24 hours added

    No published result before this exact point can be used.

  3. 03 SCHEDULE First eligible draw

    The next configured Wednesday or Saturday 20:00 UK draw is selected.

  4. 04 COMMITMENT Exact draw shown

    The competition page displays the locked date and time before the result.

EXAMPLES The 24-hour rule decides whether the nearest draw is eligible.
SELLS OUTTuesday 18:00
ELIGIBLE FROMWednesday 18:00
NOMINATEDWednesday 20:00
SELLS OUTWednesday 10:00
ELIGIBLE FROMThursday 10:00
NOMINATEDSaturday 20:00

Current configured schedule: Wednesday and Saturday at 20:00 Europe/London. If the published draw schedule changes, the operator configuration and competition terms must be updated before launch.

ENTERING A COMPETITION

Four steps. Nothing hidden.

  1. 1

    Pick a prize

    Check the entry price, availability, closing terms and draw mode before entering.

  2. 2

    Add entries

    Use Fast Entry, or choose specific available ticket numbers when manual selection is offered.

  3. 3

    Complete your entry

    Provide the required details, answer the skill question and choose the available payment route.

  4. 4

    Keep your confirmation

    Your confirmed entry numbers connect your purchase to the final published result.

FOR COMPETITIONS ABOVE 59 ENTRIES

Vault Verified Draw

A public draw result supplies the unpredictable input. SHA-256 connects that result to a list of eligible paid entries that was frozen first.

SHA-256 does not create entries or let an operator choose a winner. The completed result page recalculates the proof in your browser and exposes the exact text inputs for any independent SHA-256 calculator.

Completed draws will link to public verification →
  1. 01
    Sell-out freezes eligible entries

    Only valid paid entries are sorted by ticket number. New reservations and checkout are locked.

    BEFORE RESULT
  2. 02
    The list gets a fingerprint

    SHA-256 creates a 64-character entry-list hash. Changing even one eligible entry creates a different hash.

    SHA-256
  3. 03
    The published result is added

    The fixed seed combines the competition ID, draw date, main numbers, bonus ball, paid-entry count and frozen-list hash.

    PUBLIC INPUT
  4. 04
    One paid entry is selected

    SHA-256 and rejection sampling map the seed fairly to one position in the frozen eligible-entry list.

    DETERMINISTIC
  5. 05
    Your browser checks the proof

    The result page rebuilds both hashes, confirms the first unbiased nonce and reproduces the winning ticket.

    RECALCULATED

INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION

Check both hashes yourself.

A completed draw publishes the exact calculator inputs in full. Paste each one into any SHA-256 calculator that accepts plain text as UTF-8, then compare its 64-character output with the published record.

  1. 1

    Copy the exact inputKeep every character, separator and nonce. Do not add spaces or a trailing line break.

  2. 2

    Calculate SHA-256Use plain text encoded as UTF-8, not a file upload or another hash mode.

  3. 3

    Compare all 64 charactersThe calculator output must match the full hash on the completed draw record.

Why eligible entries matter: if 713 of 1,000 ticket numbers are valid and paid, selection is made from those 713 frozen entries. An unsold ticket cannot win.

ILLUSTRATIVE ANATOMY Placeholders only — not a draw result
CHECK 01Frozen entry-list fingerprint
CALCULATOR INPUT · PLAIN TEXT / UTF-8 [{"ticketNumber":<number>,"entryId":"<anonymous-id>"},…]
EXPECTED OUTPUT <64-character entry-list hash published on the result page>
CHECK 02Published-result hash
CALCULATOR INPUT · PLAIN TEXT / UTF-8 VAULT_VERIFIED_DRAW:v1:competition=<id>:drawDate=<time>:main=<numbers>:bonus=<ball>:validPaidEntries=<count>:entryListHash=<hash>:nonce=<published-nonce>
EXPECTED OUTPUT <64-character result hash published on the result page>

A basic calculator confirms both fingerprints. The built-in draw verifier additionally checks the nonce sequence, rejection sampling and winning position in the frozen list.

TWO DRAW MODES

The competition page always shows which one applies.

01—59

Classic 1–59

The published Bonus Ball maps directly to the same paid ticket number. Bonus Ball 17 means ticket 17 wins.

Best for a simple 59-entry board.
60+

Vault Verified Draw

The published numbers and bonus ball are combined with the frozen paid-entry hash, then mapped to one eligible entry.

Built for 100, 1,000 or larger entry ranges.

WHAT THE PROOF GIVES YOU

You do not have to accept a mystery “random winner” button.

  • Fixed before the resultThe eligible list is locked before the published numbers are applied.
  • Tamper-evidentAny change to the frozen list changes its SHA-256 fingerprint.
  • RepeatableThe same public inputs and frozen list always reproduce the same result.
  • Private by designPublic proof uses ticket numbers and anonymous entry IDs, not customer contact or payment data.
Technical verification: exactly what is hashed

First, the exact compact JSON representation of the frozen anonymous entry list is hashed as UTF-8. No extra spaces or trailing line break are added.

[{"ticketNumber":1,"entryId":"entry_…"},{"ticketNumber":2,"entryId":"entry_…"}]

The versioned seed then contains the competition ID, exact nominated draw time, normalised main numbers, bonus ball, eligible paid-entry count and that entry-list hash.

VAULT_VERIFIED_DRAW:v1:competition=…:drawDate=…:main=…:bonus=…:validPaidEntries=…:entryListHash=…

The literal text :nonce=0 is appended and SHA-256 is calculated. If that value falls in the tiny rejected range, the nonce increases until the first accepted hash. That accepted hash maps to one index in the sorted frozen list.

Any standard SHA-256 calculator can confirm the entry-list and result hashes. The built-in verifier also checks the rejection-sampling sequence and winner mapping, which a basic hash calculator does not do.

CLOSING AND REFUNDS

Check each competition’s stated deadline and terms.

If a competition does not sell out, its published terms explain whether it may be extended or cancelled. The current site back-stop is 90 days; cancelled competitions are refunded.

Read the full terms

18+ UK only. Skill-based entry route. Terms apply. No official lottery affiliation.

Ask us a question before entering