The free postal entry route, explained
What a free postal entry route is, why UK prize competitions offer one, and how a good platform handles postal entries alongside paid tickets.
What it is
A free entry route lets anyone enter a competition without paying. In the UK it is usually a postal route: the entrant sends their details and answer on a postcard or letter to an address in your terms.
Why it matters
Offering a genuine free entry route is one of the ways a paid prize draw can fall outside the definition of a lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. To count, it needs to be properly publicised and give postal entrants the same chance as paid entrants.
Check the Gambling Commission's current guidance and take legal advice for your own competitions.
How a platform should handle it
Postal entries should be logged in the same admin dashboard as paid tickets, allocated ticket numbers fairly and included in the same draw. Your terms, competition pages and checkout should all point clearly to the free route.
Every NextGenComps build includes the free postal entry route and skill-question patterns as standard.
General information, not legal advice.