BOTB Review: Is Best of the Best Actually Worth It?
If you’ve spent any time in a UK airport over the years, there’s a good chance you’ve seen BOTB before. Usually it was a shiny supercar on a stand, a screen showing a sports photo, and someone trying to work out where the missing ball should be.
That’s BOTB — Best of the Best. They’ve been around since 1999, which is a long time in the world of competitions and prize draws. In a space where new raffle sites seem to pop up every week, that alone makes them worth taking more seriously.
I wanted to get a proper feel for whether BOTB is actually worth playing, so I spent time looking at how it works, what the prizes are like, what customers say, and where the complaints tend to come from. The overall picture is pretty clear: BOTB is legitimate, well-established, and a lot more transparent than many competition sites out there. But, like anything where you’re paying for a chance to win, it’s still something you need to approach sensibly.
How BOTB Works
BOTB is a competition platform where you can win cars, cash, watches, holidays, tech, and even property prizes.
The main competition they’re known for is the Dream Car competition. You choose the car you’d like to win, buy your ticket or tickets, and then play a game of Spot the Ball.
You’re shown a sports image where the ball has been digitally removed. Your job is to place a marker where you think the centre of the ball should be. A panel of independent judges then reviews the same image and decides on the winning position. Whoever is closest to the judges’ final coordinate wins.
That skill element is what makes BOTB feel different from a standard raffle. You’re not just waiting for a number to be picked. You actually have to make a judgement, and that makes the whole thing feel more involved.
There are a few different types of competitions, but the main ones are:
Dream Car
This is the big one. Supercars, performance cars, luxury cars, and cash alternatives. Think Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Range Rovers, Mercedes-AMGs, and similar.
Midweek Car
This works in a similar way to the Dream Car competition, but the prizes tend to be slightly more everyday or accessible. You’ll still find some very desirable cars here, including things like Teslas, Range Rovers, hot hatches, and premium SUVs.
Weekly Lifestyle
This is a bit different. Instead of Spot the Ball, you usually answer a question and then go into a draw if you get it right. Prizes can include watches, holidays, motorbikes, cash, tech, and other lifestyle rewards.
Tickets can start from very low prices, depending on the competition, and BOTB also offers subscription-style passes where you get a bundle of entries each week. For regular players, that can work out better value than buying one-off tickets every time.
Is BOTB Legit?
This is probably the first question most people ask, and it’s the right one.
Yes, BOTB is legitimate.
They’ve been operating for more than two decades, they’re a publicly listed company, and they have a long history of real winners. That already puts them in a very different category from the random prize sites you see advertised on social media with very little background behind them.
The Spot the Ball competitions are also more transparent than you might expect. BOTB publishes the judging results, shows the judging process, and uses external auditing for competitions. Their lifestyle and property competitions are also independently verified.
One of the strongest points in BOTB’s favour is that you can look back through previous winners going back years. There are winner videos, photos, prize details, and plenty of customer reviews from people who have actually won.
That doesn’t mean everyone wins, obviously. Most people won’t. But from everything available publicly, BOTB is not some mystery operation. It’s a long-running, visible, regulated competition business with real winners and a proper process behind it.
What Do Customers Say?
Customer feedback is mostly positive, although not perfect.
The positive reviews tend to mention the same things again and again: the website is easy to use, the competitions are enjoyable, smaller cash wins are paid quickly, and the winner experience feels personal. A lot of people seem to really like the fact that BOTB calls winners directly rather than just sending a cold email.
There are also plenty of reviews from people who haven’t won a major prize but still enjoy entering. That says quite a lot. For many players, it seems to be more about the weekly excitement than expecting to drive away in a Lamborghini.
The negative reviews are worth paying attention to as well, though.
Some people complain after spending money over a long period without winning, which is understandable emotionally, but it’s also part of how these competitions work. There can only be one winner for the big prizes.
The more useful complaints are around practical things. Some players have raised concerns about game credit expiry, subscription cancellation, and the Spot the Ball interface not being as smooth as it could be. Those are fair criticisms, and they’re things BOTB could probably improve.
There are also occasional complaints about the judging process. That tends to happen with Spot the Ball competitions in general, because the final position can feel subjective. However, BOTB’s process is judged, recorded, and audited, so while people may disagree with the result, there is at least a clear process behind it.
What BOTB Does Well
The main thing BOTB gets right is that it feels more credible than most competition sites.
The prizes are big, but the company doesn’t feel anonymous. You can see past winners, watch winner videos, review judging outcomes, and understand how the competitions work. That level of openness makes a difference.
The skill element also makes it more interesting. Spot the Ball gives you something to think about. You can study the players’ eyelines, body position, and movement in the photo. Whether you get it right or not, it feels more engaging than just buying a random ticket.
Ticket prices are another plus. You don’t need to spend a lot to enter, and for many competitions the entry cost is lower than what you’d spend on a coffee. That makes it accessible, as long as you keep your spending under control.
The winner experience also looks strong. The surprise calls and videos are a big part of BOTB’s appeal, and you can tell from the reactions that winning is a huge moment for people.
Smaller wins also seem to be handled well, with many customers saying cash or credit prizes are paid quickly.
What to Watch Out For
The biggest thing to remember is simple: you probably won’t win a major prize.
That’s not a criticism of BOTB. It’s just the reality of competitions. The prizes are attractive because the odds are difficult. You should only play with money you’re genuinely comfortable spending.
It’s also worth checking the current terms around game credit, subscriptions, and cancellations before signing up. Some complaints from customers focus on not fully understanding how these work, so it’s better to know before you commit.
Another thing to be aware of is how easy it is to get carried away. The prizes are designed to be exciting. That’s the whole point. But because tickets can be inexpensive, it’s very easy to add “just one more” entry and end up spending more than planned.
Set a weekly or monthly budget before you start, and stick to it.
Who Is BOTB Best For?
BOTB is best for people who see it as entertainment.
If you like cars, enjoy competitions, and want something a bit more interactive than a standard lottery ticket, you’ll probably enjoy it. The Spot the Ball format gives you a reason to come back each week, and the prizes are genuinely exciting.
It’s also a good fit for people who like the idea of a small flutter but want to feel like there’s at least some skill involved.
It’s not for anyone who thinks they can use it as a way to make money. That’s the wrong mindset. BOTB should be treated as a bit of fun with the possibility of a big upside, not a financial plan.
The happiest players seem to be the ones who enjoy the process, follow the winners, enter within their means, and don’t take it too seriously.
Final Verdict
BOTB is one of the most established and credible competition platforms in the UK.
It has been around since 1999, has awarded a huge amount in prizes, publishes winner stories, uses independent judging and verification, and offers a much more transparent setup than many of the competition sites online today.
That doesn’t mean you should throw loads of money at it. You still need realistic expectations. Big prizes are hard to win, and it’s important to set a budget before you start.
But as long as you treat BOTB as entertainment rather than an investment, it’s easy to see the appeal. The prizes are exciting, the entry costs can be low, and the Spot the Ball format makes it more engaging than a simple raffle.
Legitimate, fun, and definitely worth a look — just play sensibly.