Best car raffles UK - BOTB vs others, where do you actually stand a chance?
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Been looking into car raffles lately and BOTB keeps popping up everywhere. The adverts make it look dead easy - spot the ball, win a McLaren. But I'm wondering if anyone here has actually won anything or knows the real odds?
Seen a few botb reviews uk forums mentioning people never winning despite playing for years. Then you've got other sites like Omaze doing proper raffles with guaranteed winners. What's the crack with the best car raffles uk? Are we just mugs funding someone else's marketing budget?
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BOTB is basically spot the ball with fancy graphics mate. Been playing it for 3 years, spent probably £800+ and won the grand total of... nothing. Not even a bloody keyring.
The thing that winds me up is they never publish proper odds. At least with Paddy Power or William Hill you know you're getting mugged - they tell you the exact percentages.
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@casino_dan That's mental spending £800! Though I get it, the cars are gorgeous. I tried BOTB for a few months and the 'instant wins' are a joke - always £1 credit that you can't even withdraw.
What about Raffall? They seem more transparent about their draws at least.
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Right, let me break down the mathematics for you lot. If BOTB has 50,000 entries for a £200k car at £3 per entry, that's £150k revenue. Factor in their overheads, marketing spend (those bloody YouTube ads aren't cheap), and profit margin:
Expected Value = (Prize Value × Win Probability) - Entry Cost
EV = (£200,000 × 1/50,000) - £3 = £4 - £3 = £1But that assumes fair play. If they're skimming 40% profit, your real EV is closer to -£0.20 per entry. You're literally paying them to advertise to you.
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The problem with car raffles is they're not regulated like proper gambling. UKGC licensed sites like Bet365 have to publish RTPs - Book of Dead is 94.25%, Starburst is 96.09%. You know where you stand.
With BOTB you're flying blind. Could be 1000 entries, could be 100,000. They'll never tell you.
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@betting_pro Nice breakdown! Though you're being generous assuming they only take 40%. I reckon it's closer to 60% when you factor in all their costs.
Anyone tried those charity car raffles? At least you know the money's going somewhere decent even if you don't win the Porsche.
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This is why I stick to proper casinos. Yeah, LeoVegas might take their cut, but at least when I'm playing Gates of Olympus I know it's 96.5% RTP. Won £2,300 last month and had it in my bank within 24 hours.
These car raffle sites? You're just hoping they're not complete cowboys.
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Here's a comparison of what I've found researching the best car raffles uk:
Site Entry Cost Transparency Guaranteed Winner Regulation BOTB £0.99-£4.99 Poor No None Omaze £10-£25 Good Yes Regulated Raffall £2-£15 Fair Yes Some oversight Charity raffles £5-£20 Excellent Yes Gambling Commission OMaze is looking decent tbh. At least someone definitely wins the car.
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@withdrawal_king Cheers for that table mate! Omaze does look better when you lay it out like that. Might give them a punt instead.
Still can't believe I spunked £800 on BOTB. Could've had some proper sessions on Bonanza Megaways at Mr Green instead!
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The philosophical question here is: what's the difference between this and buying lottery tickets? Both are basically taxation on people who can't do maths.
At least with the National Lottery you know 28% goes to good causes. With BOTB it's going to William Higginson's yacht fund.
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Plot twist: I actually know someone who won a Mini Cooper from one of these sites. Not BOTB though - it was some smaller outfit that's probably gone bust by now.
Took them 6 weeks to get the car sorted and loads of hassle with insurance. The 'prize' came with about £3k of tax implications they didn't mention either.
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@roulette_rob That's the bit they don't mention! Win a £100k car, suddenly you owe HMRC £20k+ in tax. It's like those American game shows where people win houses then can't afford to keep them.
I'll stick to my casino bonuses at Casumo thanks. At least when I cash out £500 it's actually £500.
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The tax thing is massive! Won £8,500 on Sweet Bonanza at PlayOJO last year - no tax to pay on gambling winnings. Win the same value car? You're looking at income tax on the full amount.
These car raffle sites should be forced to mention that in their ads. 'Win this Audi! *Subject to potential £15,000 tax bill'
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Hold up, I thought gambling winnings were tax-free in the UK? Are car raffles different because they're not technically gambling?
This is getting confusing. Maybe I should just stick to Bet365 and their welcome bonus!
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@newbie_casino Exactly right mate. Car raffles often aren't classified as gambling so they fall under different rules. The prize gets treated as income.
Proper gambling sites like 888 Casino or Virgin Games? Your winnings are tax-free because you've already paid tax on the money you used to gamble with.
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This whole thread has convinced me these car raffles are a mug's game. The combination of unknown odds, potential tax bills, and zero regulation? No thanks.
I'd rather take my chances on Evolution Gaming's Lightning Roulette at Grosvenor. At least the RTP is published and I know I won't get a tax bill if I hit big.
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Been following this thread and did some digging on botb reviews uk. Found loads of complaints about 'technical issues' whenever people get close to winning. Coincidence? I think not.
Also noticed they change their terms and conditions more often than I change my socks. Red flag central.
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The irony is delicious though. We're all here discussing the 'best car raffles uk' when we know deep down they're designed to separate us from our money more efficiently than a Dyson.
Yet I bet half of us will still have a flutter on the next Lamborghini draw. Human nature innit?
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@jackpot_jane Guilty as charged! Even after reading this thread I'm still tempted by that McLaren 720S on the BOTB homepage.
Though I think I'll stick to live blackjack at BetMGM where the odds are at least mathematically predictable. Sometimes the heart wants a supercar but the brain knows better!