Setting prize odds you can stand behind

How weights turn into percentages

On this site, typing *3 after an entry makes it three times as likely as an entry without a weight. To find any prize's chance, add up all the weights, then divide that prize's weight by the total. It is the classic definition of probability: favourable outcomes divided by all possible outcomes.

Repeating a line works the same way as a weight. Three lines of Free coffee are worth Free coffee *3.

Slice size versus real chance

A weighted entry gets a bigger slice, so what players see matches the odds. That is a good thing: a wheel where a tiny slice secretly wins half the time would be deceptive. If you want a rare prize to look rare, give it a small weight and let the slice show it.

Limited prizes need Remove after spin

If you have one grand prize, it must leave the wheel once it is won. Turn on Remove after spin for limited prizes, or edit the entry down to the number you have left. Otherwise the wheel can hand out a prize that no longer exists, and the next winner is disappointed in front of everyone.

Remember that removing a prize changes the odds for everything else. After the grand prize is gone, the remaining total weight is 22 and each prize's chance goes up slightly.

Be open about the odds

Telling players the chances costs nothing and prevents most complaints. A simple line such as 'Grand prize: 1 in 23 spins' next to the screen is enough.

If people pay to play, check your local rules first. In the UK, for example, the advertising regulator's guidance warns that a promotion where winners are picked by chance and entrants must pay can be an illegal lottery unless there is a free entry route. YouTube's contest rules also require entry to be free. Free spins at an event or in a classroom avoid the question.

Keeping it exciting without changing the odds

Excitement comes from the reveal, not from tricks. Choose a longer spin with sound and confetti in Settings, count down before you press Spin, or use a mystery wheel that hides the labels until it stops. None of these change who wins.