How to Verify a UK Competition Operator on Companies House

Quick answer

Find the legal company name and company number in the operator’s terms, then search that number using Companies House’s Find and update company information service. Match the record to the website, check company status, filing history, directors and any insolvency information. Registration is not approval of the competition, proof of prize ownership or a guarantee that winners will be paid.

1. Start with the legal operator, not the competition’s brand

When we assess a competition website, our first question is not whether its logo looks professional. It is who will actually owe the winner a prize. A brand, domain name and registered company can have different names. That is not automatically suspicious, but the connection should be clear before anyone pays.

Start with the website footer, competition terms, privacy notice and contact page. Record the legal operator’s name, company number and stated address. Check whether the terms name the same business as the footer. A privacy notice may identify a separate data controller, so do not assume that every company mentioned operates the draw.

According to Companies House’s Find and update company information service, the public register lets you search company records and inspect filed information. We prefer searching by company number because similar names and previous trading names can otherwise lead to the wrong record. Preserve any leading zeroes or letter prefixes.

Our initial checklist is simple:

• Identify the entity accepting your entry under the terms.
• Copy its company number exactly.
• Note the website address and date of your check.
• Save the relevant terms before buying tickets.

We also use our operator comparison pages as a starting point for further checks, not as a substitute for confirming the contractual operator ourselves.

If there is no company number, ask what legal entity runs the promotion. A sole trader will not have a limited-company record, and overseas structures may require another register. An absent Companies House listing therefore does not, by itself, prove wrongdoing. However, we would avoid paying an operator that cannot clearly identify who is responsible for delivering the prize and handling complaints.

2. Match the company record and understand its status

Open the Companies House service independently rather than relying solely on a screenshot supplied by the operator. Search the number, then compare the registered name, status, incorporation date and registered office with the website’s disclosures. A copied company number can look convincing while belonging to an unrelated business.

A name mismatch needs investigation, not an instant accusation. Companies can change their registered names while retaining the same number. Companies House records include previous names, which can help explain older documents. We would expect current terms to make the present operator clear rather than require customers to reconstruct its history.

An active status is a useful starting point, but it is not a certificate of financial health. It does not establish that the business owns the advertised prize, has reserved the cash alternative or runs fair draws. Likewise, an incorporation date tells you when that company was formed, not necessarily when the brand began trading.

A registered office may be an accountant’s address or another legitimate service address. We would not treat that alone as evidence of a scam. Instead, check whether the operator provides usable customer contact details and explains any different correspondence address.

Our trust and safety approach treats registration as one layer of evidence. We would pause before entering where the record shows dissolution, liquidation or an active proposal to strike off. Those statuses have different meanings, and a strike-off proposal may have an administrative explanation, but none should be brushed aside while the website continues taking payments.

Ask for a specific explanation supported by current records. If the company shown in the terms is dissolved, we would not pay while the discrepancy remains unresolved. A reassuring social-media reply does not fix unclear contractual identity.

Live snapshot: 8 competitions with the smallest ticket pools (RaffleScout data, 2026-09-30)

3. Read filing history rather than stopping at ‘active’

The overview page is only the beginning. According to Companies House, the register also provides filing history, accounts and confirmation statement information. We check the next due dates and then open relevant documents to understand the sequence, particularly when the overview flags something overdue.

Accounts and confirmation statements do different jobs. Accounts contain financial information for a past reporting period. A confirmation statement confirms that specified information held on the register is up to date; it is not a report proving that the operator can afford every prize it advertises.

Our practical reading order is:

• Check whether accounts or confirmation statements are overdue.
• Read the latest available accounts and their reporting date.
• Look for strike-off notices and any subsequent discontinuation.
• Review name changes and registered-office changes for unexplained inconsistencies.
• Inspect any insolvency information and registered charges where relevant.

Small and micro-entity accounts can contain limited public detail. We would not label an operator unsafe simply because its publicly available accounts are brief. Equally, an old cash balance is not evidence that today’s prize fund is ring-fenced. Public accounts are historical, and the company’s position can change after the reporting date.

A registered charge generally records security granted to a lender or another creditor. Borrowing is not automatically a warning sign, but a charge does not reassure us that a particular prize is available either. We avoid turning isolated accounting entries into confident solvency claims.

What matters is the pattern and the explanation. Repeated overdue filings, unresolved notices and contradictory website details justify a pause. A corrected administrative lapse deserves a more measured assessment. We save the record we reviewed and its date, because a check made months ago cannot establish the operator’s position when a new competition opens.

4. Check directors and ownership without overclaiming

Companies House officer records help establish who is formally responsible for managing the company. We review current directors, appointment dates and relevant resignations. We also look at persons with significant control, or PSCs, where recorded, to understand who owns or controls the business beyond its public-facing brand.

These are different roles. A director manages the company’s affairs, while a PSC meets particular ownership or control conditions. The person presenting a live draw need not be either. We would not assume that a familiar presenter personally guarantees the company’s obligations.

Where a director has other appointments, those records can provide context. For example, they may help explain a previous brand or a move between related businesses. However, a common name is not enough to identify someone confidently, and a dissolved company in a director’s history is not proof of misconduct. Businesses close for many ordinary reasons.

The more useful question is whether the history fits the operator’s own claims. If a website says it has traded for years but the named company is recently incorporated, ask whether another entity previously operated it. We would want to know which company is responsible for current entries and any outstanding prizes.

Companies House information should be treated as filed evidence, not a blanket endorsement. Registry checks and identity-verification requirements do not certify a competition’s legality, prize funding or customer service.

When using our ranked comparison of UK competition sites, we would still revisit the register after a disclosed ownership change. Our concern is continuity of responsibility, not collecting personal details about directors. Keep enquiries focused on business records, current contractual obligations and clear answers. We avoid publishing unsupported accusations based on shared addresses, similar names or unrelated company closures.

Our Companies House checklist: what each check establishes and what it cannot prove

5. Separate company registration from competition compliance

A genuine company can still run a poorly explained or non-compliant promotion. Companies House answers questions about the entity; it does not approve the draw mechanics. Once we have matched the operator, we move to the rules governing entry, winner selection and prize delivery.

According to the Gambling Commission’s guidance on prize competitions and free draws, arrangements that meet the relevant legal requirements can operate without a Gambling Commission licence. Consequently, absence from its licence register is not automatically a red flag for this type of promotion. Conversely, saying ‘we are registered at Companies House’ does not establish an exemption from gambling law.

We explain that distinction further in our guide to prize competitions and lotteries. For an operator check, the practical task is to identify the entry model and read its actual conditions rather than accepting a generic claim that everything is legal.

Where a free postal entry route is offered, check the address, required information, entry limits and receipt deadline. Allow for postage and delivery time. The Gambling Commission explains that qualifying free-entry routes must meet conditions concerning cost, convenience, visibility and equal treatment in prize allocation. Ordinary postage may still cost you money; ‘free entry’ does not necessarily mean zero expense.

According to the ASA’s CAP Code, Section 8, significant promotional conditions must be communicated appropriately, and promotions must be administered fairly. We therefore check closing dates, eligibility, prize descriptions, winner notification and delivery arrangements alongside the company record.

We would avoid paying while material terms contradict each other or leave responsibility unclear. Save the advert and terms so you can show what was promised. For consumer problems, Citizens Advice provides guidance on rights and possible next steps; a Companies House search is not itself a refund or dispute-resolution service.

6. Apply the checks before comparing tickets and odds

RaffleScout’s supplied snapshot for 30 September 2026 contains 294 live UK competitions. The median ticket price is £0.35, with prices ranging from £0.01 to £9.99. Those figures help compare entry costs, but none tells us whether a company record matches the operator taking payment.

For example, the snapshot lists ‘Nutribullet Blender Combo - Autodraw’ on mckinneycompetitions.com at £0.39 per ticket, with maximum odds of 1 in 999, 18% sold and a draw date of 5 October 2026. It also lists ‘Win This Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box!’ on clickcompetitions.co.uk at £0.99, with maximum odds of 1 in 249, 10% sold and the same draw date.

These are listing facts from RaffleScout live competition data, not findings from a Companies House investigation. The supplied snapshot contains no company numbers, filings or director records. We therefore cannot claim that either operator has passed the checks described here on that date.

Our order of work would be to establish the legal entity, review its record, examine the promotion’s terms, and only then compare live odds on RaffleScout. Maximum odds and a current sold percentage are not a promise of your final chance: later sales, entry allocation and draw rules still matter.

Finally, set a spending limit before browsing. Low ticket prices can make repeated purchases feel insignificant, but they still accumulate. Our guidance is for adults aged 18+ only. We would never borrow to enter or buy more tickets to recover earlier spending. If entries are affecting essential bills, stop purchasing; National Debtline offers free debt advice. Corporate checks can reduce uncertainty about an operator, but they cannot make paying for an uncertain prize financially safe.

RaffleScout verdict

We treat Companies House as an identity and filing-history check, not a trust badge. Match the exact company number, investigate adverse statuses and overdue filings, and confirm which entity owes the prize. Then assess the competition terms separately. If the operator cannot explain a material discrepancy, our choice is to keep our money rather than let attractive odds override an unresolved risk.

Related reading

• Won a House Competition? Tax, Handover and Paperwork Explained
• Motorbike Competition: Is the Prize Right for You?
• Prize competition vs lottery: the UK legal difference

• Compare all live competitions
• Check live odds across every operator

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• RaffleScout live competition data
• Companies House: Find and update company information
• Gambling Commission: Prize competitions and free draws
• ASA / CAP Code, Section 8: Promotional marketing
• Citizens Advice: Consumer rights
• National Debtline