How to Read an Agora Competition Page Before You Enter

Before you enter an Agora competition, you should be able to answer a few basic questions from the competition page: what can I win, what does an entry cost, how many tickets can exist, how many can I hold, when does it close and how will the winner be selected?

The page is designed to put those details in one place. This guide explains what each section means, which figures are live, and which numbers should not be confused with each other.

Start with the prize#

The first thing to check is what is actually being won.

For a cash competition, this is usually straightforward. A competition titled Win £250 Cash has a £250 main prize. Other competitions may offer site credit or another prize type, and the page should explain what the winner receives and any conditions that apply.

The prize is the main draw reward. If the competition also includes instant wins, treat those as a separate part of the competition rather than adding them to the main prize when judging your main draw chance.

The competition page may also explain whether the advertised prize is guaranteed, how it will be paid or fulfilled, and whether any additional restrictions apply.

Check the entry price#

The entry price is what one paid online entry costs before any applicable promotion or site credit.

For example, Agora's current £250 cash competition is shown at 25p per entry. That means 10 paid entries at the standard price would cost £2.50.

The entry price tells you the cost of one ticket. It does not tell you the size of the competition or your final probability of winning.

That is why the next figure matters.

Read the ticket cap and live progress together#

The ticket cap is the maximum number of tickets that can exist in the competition.

If a competition has a 1,000 ticket cap, the competition cannot contain more than 1,000 tickets under that published structure.

Agora also shows live progress on active competitions, such as the number of tickets issued against the cap and the percentage sold. This helps you see how much of the available pool has currently been taken.

These are different figures:

Figure	What it means
Ticket cap	The maximum number of tickets that can exist
Live progress	How many tickets have been issued so far
Final entry pool	The eligible paid and free postal entries included when the competition closes

The final entry pool is not known until close. A competition with a 1,000 ticket cap could close with fewer than 1,000 eligible entries.

That is why a ticket cap should be treated as a maximum, not as the guaranteed final number of entries.

If you want to understand the maths in more detail, use our odds guide and calculator.

Find the customer entry limit#

The customer entry limit is the maximum number of entries one person may hold in that competition.

This is not the same as the ticket cap.

A competition could have a ticket cap of 1,000 but a customer entry limit of 100. In that example:

• no more than 1,000 tickets can exist overall
• one customer may hold no more than 100 entries, subject to the competition rules

Entry limits generally apply across paid and free entries unless the competition page says otherwise.

The purpose of showing the limit before entry is simple: you should know both how large the overall competition can become and how many entries a single customer is permitted to hold.

Read instant wins separately from the main draw#

Some Agora competitions include instant wins alongside the main prize.

Where instant wins are available, the page can show how many remain and the prizes attached to them.

An instant win is separate from the main draw. Winning an instant prize does not replace the main draw unless the specific competition rules say otherwise, and the existence of instant wins does not change the probability calculation for the main prize.

Agora's instant win positions are distributed across the ticket pool before launch and committed so they cannot be moved after entries begin. As tickets are issued, a ticket may reveal one of those winning positions.

Paid and valid free postal entries are included in the same instant win allocation process.

If you are comparing value, ask two separate questions:

1. What does the main draw offer for the entry price and ticket structure?
2. Do the instant win prizes add value that matters to me?

Keeping those questions separate makes the page easier to assess.

Check when entries close#

Every competition has a closing date and time.

This is the point at which new entries stop being accepted and the eligible entries can be compiled into the final entry pool.

Do not confuse the closing time with the draw time. They may be close together, but they describe different events.

The competition page or draw information should show:

• when entries close
• when the draw is due to take place
• how the winner will be selected
• where a live draw can be watched, where applicable

Agora's current £250 competition is scheduled to draw on 27 September 2026 at 21:00. Live competition cards also use countdown information so the remaining time is visible without having to calculate it yourself.

If a material schedule change is necessary, the updated information is published on the website.

Look for the skill question#

Where a skill question applies, you need to answer it as part of the entry process.

For online paid entries, the question is completed before or during checkout. Only entries meeting the competition's requirements are eligible for winner selection.

The same principle applies to postal entries. If a question is required, the postal entry must include the answer.

The page should make it clear whether a question applies. If you believe a question contains an error or is unclear, contact support before entering where possible.

Check the free postal entry route#

Where a free entry route is available, it gives you another way to enter without paying Agora for the entry.

A valid free postal entry has the same chance of winning as a valid paid entry in the same competition. It is included in the same final entry pool and, where instant wins apply, the same instant win allocation process.

Postal entries must follow the published instructions and be received before the competition closes. Proof of posting is not proof of receipt.

The free entry route also remains subject to the competition's entry limits.

Read the full free entry and skill question guide before posting an entry, because missing information, a late arrival or an incorrect answer where one is required can make the entry invalid.

Understand how the winner is selected#

The competition page should tell you how the winner will be chosen.

Agora validates entries against factors such as payment, eligibility, entry limits and the skill question where one applies. Valid entries are then compiled into the entry list used for winner selection.

Depending on the competition, winner selection may use a live random draw, a verifiably random computer process, an independently supervised process or another method explained on the page.

After a completed draw, Agora publishes results and entry information so the outcome can be checked. The Trust Centre explains the wider draw, verification and record keeping process.

Know what happens if you win#

The page tells you what the prize is, while Agora's terms explain the standard process after winner selection.

Unless a specific competition says otherwise, Agora aims to make first contact with the winner within 30 minutes of the competition closing or the draw being completed.

The winner then needs to complete verification. This can include identity, age, address, account ownership and, for a cash prize, bank account ownership.

For cash prizes, Agora's standard terms state that payment is aimed to be completed within 48 hours after the winner has responded, passed verification and provided valid bank details.

Specific competition information takes priority where the competition page states a different arrangement.

A quick page reading checklist#

Before paying for entries, you should be able to find an answer to each of these:

Check	What you are looking for
Prize	Exactly what the winner receives
Entry price	Cost of one paid entry
Ticket cap	Maximum number of tickets in the competition
Live progress	Entries issued so far against the cap
Customer entry limit	Maximum entries one person may hold
Instant wins	Whether they exist, what they are and how many remain
Closing information	The deadline for valid entries
Draw information	Date, time and winner selection method
Skill question	Whether an answer is required
Free entry route	How to enter without paying Agora
Rules	Any restrictions or extra conditions specific to the competition

If one number looks especially attractive, read the numbers around it before making a decision. A cheap entry, small ticket cap or large prize tells you only part of the structure on its own.

The final check is your own budget#

Understanding a competition page helps you make an informed decision. It does not make winning predictable.

Every valid ticket carries an equal chance within its applicable draw, and holding more tickets can increase probability, but it can never guarantee a prize.

Decide what you are comfortable spending before you enter and keep to that amount. Competitions should be treated as entertainment, not as a way to make money or recover previous spending.

You can read more about the controls and support available in our Responsible Play guide.

The takeaway#

An Agora competition page is there to let you understand the structure before you enter.

Read the prize, entry price, ticket cap, customer entry limit and closing information first. Then check instant wins, the skill question, free entry route and draw method.

Once those pieces are clear, you can decide whether the competition is right for you without relying on one headline number.