Competitions should be a bit of fun — never a problem, never a pressure. This page sets out, in plain English, every measure we run to keep play safe, fair and transparent, and exactly where to get help if it stops being fun. It reflects the DCMS Voluntary Code for prize draws and competitions, which we build to.
The straight facts: Bullpen prize competitions are open to UK residents aged 18 or over. Every prize is awarded in accordance with the laws of chance — winners are drawn using public randomness that nobody (including us) can influence, and anyone can re-check any draw on our fairness page. A free postal entry route is available on every paid competition; free and paid entries have an equal chance of winning every prize.
Player protections we run
18+ only — our competitions are for adults, and we never target marketing at under-18s.
One account per person — unique verified email and mobile, with duplicate accounts blocked and multi-account entries voided.
Spending limits you control — set a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly limit, enforced automatically at checkout. Decreases apply instantly; increases wait 48 hours, so a limit can't be lifted in the heat of the moment. You can set your limit to £0 to block all spending.
Pause, suspend or self-exclude — take a 1–4 week pause, suspend for 6 or 12 months, or self-exclude permanently. While you're paused or excluded you can't enter, and we send you no marketing.
Marketing is opt-in — unticked by default, one-tap opt-out on every message.
We watch for warning signs — repeated limit-hits and unusual spend patterns are flagged for a human to review and reach out.
Time to breathe — every competition runs for a proper window between opening and the draw; entries close before the draw happens.
Transparency you can check
Odds shown up front — every competition shows the total number of tickets and your live odds before you enter.
Provably fair draws — the prize map is cryptographically sealed before a single ticket sells; winners are derived from public randomness created after entries close. Verify any draw yourself — no account needed.
Free entry route — free postal entry on every paid competition, shown on the competition page before you buy, with the same chance of winning as a paid ticket.
No moving the goalposts — because each draw is sealed in advance, we can't change the prize, shift the date or cancel a draw because of low sales. The draw happens whether or not every ticket sells.
Winners are real and published — full results and entry lists on every drawn competition.
Clear complaints route — message us via the help button on any page or contact us; every message is tracked and answered.
Credit cards
In line with the DCMS Voluntary Code, we don't accept credit-card payments above £250 per month per player, and credit cards are not accepted at all for instant-win competitions. If you're near the limit, use a debit card, your Bullpen wallet, or wait until next month. If it's stretching to a credit card, that's the moment to pause — the support below is free and judgment-free.
If it stops being fun — talk to someone
Whatever's going on — spending more than you meant to, chasing losses, money worries, or just not feeling right about it — these services are free, confidential and used to hearing exactly this. You won't be judged.
Want us to step in? Use your account's Responsible gaming tools — set a limit, take a pause, or self-exclude — or message us and a human will sort it with you, no questions asked.
Promoters and partners
Some people are paid to send visitors our way — bloggers, websites and creators who
earn a commission when someone they refer enters a competition. The DCMS Voluntary Code holds
us responsible for how they behave, and we agree with that. So every promoter signs written
terms before they carry a single link, and those terms require them to:
Only promote to adults — 18+ audiences only. We turn down anyone whose
audience skews younger, whatever the traffic is worth.
Say it's an ad — every paid placement must be clearly marked, in line with
the CAP Code.
State 18+ and the free entry route — it is built into every banner we supply,
and required in anything they write themselves.
Never suggest a win is guaranteed — no "can't lose", no "easy money", no
pressure. It's a competition, and it has to be described as one.
Never publish a competition's skill answer — the answer is what makes the
entry a competition rather than a lottery. Publishing it ends the partnership immediately
and forfeits anything owed.
Send real people — no incentivised sign-ups, no referring themselves, no
traffic bought on our brand name.
We review what our promoters publish, check the quality of the
players they send, and end partnerships that fall short — we would rather lose the
traffic. If you have seen someone promoting Bullpen in a way that breaks any of the above,
please tell us and we will deal with it. Our full promoter
terms are at bullpencompetitions.com/promoter-terms.
Accountability
We built this platform to the DCMS Voluntary Code of Conduct for prize draws and competitions and publish our measures on this page so you can hold us to them. We review our tools and compliance regularly, hold every promoter to the standards set out above, and welcome feedback — if you think we've fallen short anywhere, tell us and we'll put it right.