BOTB reviews UK - is it worth entering car raffles or just a money sink?
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Been seeing loads of ads for BOTB (Best of the Best) car competitions lately and wondering if anyone's had experience with them. They claim to be legit but the odds seem mental - sometimes 1 in 300,000+ for decent cars.
Tickets are £2-5 each and I've probably blown about £200 over the past few months with nothing to show for it. Starting to think I'd get better value just spinning Starburst at Bet365!
Anyone actually won anything decent or know someone who has? Looking for honest botb reviews uk before I chuck more money at it.
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Mate, you're basically asking if the lottery is worth it. BOTB is gambling dressed up as a raffle - the house edge is massive compared to proper casino games. At least with slots you know the RTP upfront.
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@mike_bet I fell down this rabbit hole last year. Spent over £500 chasing a BMW and got absolutely nothing. The psychological hooks are identical to slot machines - near misses, flashy graphics, that 'what if' mentality.
At least when I'm playing Book of Dead at LeoVegas, I'm getting entertainment value and occasional small wins to keep me going.
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Let me put this in perspective with some maths. If we assume BOTB has 200,000 entries for a £30k car at £3 per ticket:
Expected Value = (Prize Value × Win Probability) - Ticket Cost
EV = (£30,000 × 1/200,000) - £3
EV = £0.15 - £3 = -£2.85So every ticket has an expected loss of £2.85. Compare that to Bonanza Megaways at 96% RTP where your expected loss is only 4p per £1 wagered. The numbers don't lie.
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@betting_pro That's assuming they actually sell 200k tickets though. What if they only sell 50k? Does the draw still happen or do they pocket the difference?
I've been tracking some of their competitions and the 'spots remaining' counter seems to move very slowly for some of the expensive prizes.
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This is exactly why I stick to UKGC licensed sites. At least with Casumo or 888 Casino, there's proper regulation and audit trails. These car raffle sites feel like the wild west sometimes.
@sarah_g You're spot on about the psychology - it's all the dopamine hits of gambling without any of the consumer protections.
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My mate's cousin apparently won a Mini from them two years ago, but I've never seen actual proof. It's always 'friend of a friend' stories with these things.
Meanwhile I had a £2,400 withdrawal from Mr Green last month and it was in my bank within 6 hours. Much prefer knowing exactly where I stand.
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The irony is that these car raffles probably have worse odds than hitting the jackpot on some progressive slots. At least Mega Moolah tells you upfront it's a 1 in 50 million shot!
@mike_bet Cut your losses and stick to proper casino games where the maths is transparent.
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Been researching best car raffles uk for a while and BOTB isn't even the worst offender. Some of these sites charge £10+ per ticket with even more ridiculous odds.
At least European roulette only has a 2.7% house edge. These raffles are basically 90%+ house edge dressed up with shiny cars.
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@roulette_rob Exactly what I was afraid of. Think I'm done with car competitions after reading these responses. Might take that £200 I would have wasted and try some proper games at William Hill instead.
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Here's a comparison of value for money:
Game Type Cost RTP/Expected Value Entertainment BOTB Raffle £3 ~5% Low (just waiting) Starburst £1 spin 96.1% High (instant) Roulette £5 bet 97.3% Medium Blackjack £10 hand 99.5% High The numbers speak for themselves really.
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@slotqueen_uk Brilliant breakdown! Though I'd argue the entertainment value of BOTB is negative once you factor in the disappointment and regret.
At least when I lose £50 on Gates of Olympus at Paddy Power, I've had 30 minutes of fun and some decent bonus rounds.
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The existential question here is whether hope itself has value. These car raffles are essentially selling hope at a massive premium.
But is false hope worth £200? I'd rather buy genuine entertainment and accept smaller, more frequent wins. At least Immortal Romance gives me proper value for money.
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As someone new to gambling, this thread has been eye-opening. I was actually considering BOTB after seeing their Instagram ads, but the maths clearly shows it's a mug's game.
Think I'll stick to learning blackjack basics at PlayOJO instead.
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@newbie_casino Smart move. These car raffle companies spend millions on marketing because the margins are insane. They can afford those flashy ads because they're keeping 90%+ of every pound wagered.
Proper casinos have to compete on fair terms with proper RTPs and bonus offers.
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Plot twist though - what if you actually need a car? Still probably cheaper to just save the raffle money and buy one conventionally!
£200 a month on BOTB tickets = £2,400 a year. That's a decent deposit on a proper car loan.
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@jackpot_jane You've hit the nail on the head there. I was so focused on the dream of winning a Ferrari that I forgot I could actually just... buy a car like a normal person.
Thanks everyone for talking sense into me. BOTB reviews uk verdict: avoid unless you enjoy throwing money away.