What the DCMS Voluntary Code Means for Competition Players
What the DCMS Voluntary Code of Practice covers, which UK competition operators have signed up, and why it matters for players before they enter a prize draw.
If you've spent any time entering UK prize draws, you may have noticed a new badge appearing on some operator websites: a reference to the Government Voluntary Code of Practice. But what actually is it, who has signed up, and does it make any practical difference to you as a player?
Here's everything you need to know.
What is the DCMS Voluntary Code?
The Voluntary Code of Practice for Prize Draw Operators was published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in November 2025. It sets out a series of standards that UK competition operators commit to meeting when they sign up.
The code was developed in response to the rapid growth of the UK prize draw market, which is now worth an estimated £1.3 billion annually with over 7.4 million adult participants. As the market expanded, so did concerns about transparency, player protection, and the varying standards of operators across the industry.
The code is voluntary, meaning operators are not legally required to sign it. However, those that do are making a public commitment to a set of principles that go above the minimum legal requirements.
What do operators commit to?
The code covers three main areas:
- Player protections. Signatories must have proper age verification in place, a clear and accessible complaints process, and signposting to responsible play resources such as GamCare and BeGambleAware. Operators must also take reasonable steps to identify and support players who may be experiencing gambling-related harm.
- Transparency. Operators must clearly display the odds of winning for each competition, guarantee draw dates and honour them, and publish verifiable winner information. This means that when an operator says a draw will happen on a specific date, they are committed to making that happen — and when someone wins, the result must be publicly accessible.
- Accountability. Signatories agree to cooperate with DCMS reviews and to comply with the code in good faith. This creates a layer of oversight that does not exist for non-signatory operators.
Why does it matter to players?
Before the code existed, there was no formal way to distinguish between a well-run, trustworthy operator and one with poor practices. Players had to rely on Trustpilot scores, social media reputation, and word of mouth.
The Voluntary Code changes that. It gives players a clear, government-backed signal that an operator has committed to minimum standards of fairness and transparency. Specifically, it means:
- You can verify the odds before you spend money
- You have a guaranteed complaints route if something goes wrong
- Draw dates are commitments, not estimates
- Winner information is published and verifiable
That is not a small thing. In a market where some players spend hundreds of pounds a month across multiple operators, knowing that a draw will happen when it says it will, and that a winner will actually be announced publicly, provides genuine reassurance.
Who has signed up?
Over 100 operators have signed the Voluntary Code since its launch. Among the most well-known signatories are BOTB, Omaze UK, McKinney Competitions, Elite Competitions, Aspire Competitions, Dream Car Giveaways, Rev Comps, and 7 Days Performance.
The definitive list of signatories is maintained by DCMS on the [gov.uk website](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/voluntary-code-of-good-practice-for-prize-draw-operators/voluntary-code-of-good-practice-for-prize-draw-operators), which is updated as new operators join. RaffleScout only features operators that appear on that list, so every competition you see on this site comes from a code signatory.
What the code does not cover
It is worth being clear about what the Voluntary Code is not. It is not a licensing regime, and it does not give DCMS the power to fine or shut down operators who breach it. Enforcement is reputational rather than legal — operators who sign up and then fail to meet the standards face removal from the signatory list and the reputational consequences that come with that.
It also does not apply to the hundreds of smaller operators who have not signed up. If you are entering competitions with an operator you have not seen before, checking whether they appear on the DCMS signatory list is one of the most useful things you can do before spending any money.
Is mandatory regulation coming?
Possibly. The pace of DCMS activity in this space suggests that the voluntary code is a stepping stone rather than an end point. The prize draw market has grown quickly and attracted significant public attention, and regulators tend to follow that pattern with more formal oversight over time.
If mandatory regulation does arrive, operators who are already signed up to the voluntary code will be best placed to comply. For players, it would mean stronger protections and a more consistent standard across the whole market.
How RaffleScout uses the code
Every operator listed on RaffleScout is a verified DCMS Voluntary Code signatory. We check the gov.uk signatory list directly rather than relying on operators to self-report, and we display the code badge on every operator listing where it applies.
Our view is simple: if an operator has not committed to these basic standards of transparency and player protection, we will not feature their competitions. The code is the floor, not the ceiling — but it is a meaningful floor, and players deserve to know which operators have cleared it.
[Browse competitions from verified Voluntary Code signatories on RaffleScout →](/competitions)