Elite Competitions Review: Is It Actually Worth It?
If you’ve been on social media lately, there’s a good chance you’ve seen an Elite Competitions advert. You know the kind — someone standing next to a Lamborghini, someone collecting the keys to a dream home, or someone looking slightly stunned after winning a huge cash prize.
It’s easy to be sceptical. I was too. These competition sites always raise the same question: is this actually real, or is it just clever marketing?
After looking through their website, Trustpilot reviews, social media draws and a few competition forums, the answer seems pretty clear: yes, Elite Competitions is real. They’re based in Blackpool, they’ve been running since 2016, and they’ve built up a fairly serious reputation in the online prize draw space.
The idea is simple. You buy low-cost tickets for the chance to win big prizes — cars, houses, watches, cash, holidays and more. Elite says it has given away more than £100 million in prizes since launching, and with over 15,000 Trustpilot reviews, there’s clearly a big audience behind it.
But whether it’s worth spending your money on is a different question.
What Competitions Do They Run?
One of the first things you notice about Elite Competitions is how much is going on. It isn’t just one big weekly draw. There are several formats running at the same time, which gives the site more variety than some of its competitors.
InstaWins are probably the biggest part of the site now. You choose your tickets, pay, and find out straight away if you’ve won. There’s no waiting for a draw date and no sitting around refreshing your emails. Some people love that instant result. Others find it a bit brutal when they don’t win, because it’s over in seconds.
The prize pots can be huge too, with some InstaWin competitions advertising multi-million-pound totals. It’s easy to see why this format has become so popular.
Jackpot Draws are the big headline competitions. These are the ones with prizes like a Lamborghini Urus, a Land Rover Defender, a dream home bundle, or luxury watches. Most of the physical prizes also come with a cash alternative, which is useful if you’d rather take the money than suddenly own a supercar.
Daily Draws run every night at 10pm. These are smaller, regular competitions that keep things ticking over between the bigger draws.
The Rolling Jackpot is another ongoing feature, with a large prize pot and instant wins running alongside it.
Spin To Win is more game-like. Think prize wheels for watches, cash or other rewards. It’s a bit more playful than a standard draw and probably appeals to people who like the entertainment side of it.
There’s also The Elite Club, which is their subscription option. Members get access to exclusive draws, daily giveaways and bonus entries, depending on the tier they choose.
Free entry is available too, although you’ll usually need to look through the terms and conditions to find the details. That’s pretty standard for UK prize draw sites, but it’s still worth knowing before you enter.
What Are Customers Saying?
The Trustpilot reviews are probably the best place to get a feel for how Elite actually operates. They have more than 15,000 reviews and an overall 4-star rating, with a high number of customers giving them five stars.
A lot of the positive reviews come from people who have won decent prizes and say the process was smooth. Some mention winning cash and receiving it quickly. Others talk about winning cars or choosing the cash alternative instead. What comes up again and again is that winners say they were contacted quickly and guided through the process properly.
That matters, because with a site like this, the real test is not just whether people win. It’s what happens after they win.
Several reviewers mention the team being friendly, helpful and clear about the next steps. One reviewer even singled out a staff member called Katie for making the whole experience easy.
The negative reviews are worth reading too. A lot of them come down to people spending money and not winning, which is frustrating but also part of how these competitions work. One reviewer basically said they had spent loads and won nothing, and would change their review if they won. That probably sums up the emotional side of these sites quite well.
There are also some complaints about InstaWins. I can understand that. With an instant win, you pay, click, and immediately get told whether you’ve won or not. If the answer is no, it can feel like your money disappeared very quickly.
One criticism that does seem fair is around results communication. A few people said they had to go looking for results rather than being clearly notified. Elite does say winners are contacted within 24 hours and results are available on the winners podium, but clearer communication would probably help.
What did stand out to me is that Elite replies to negative reviews quickly. Not every company in this space bothers doing that. Even when the customer is clearly just annoyed about not winning, Elite still tends to respond and explain how things work. That gives the impression there are real people behind the business, not just a faceless website taking payments.
Who’s Behind Elite Competitions?
Another thing that helps Elite feel more trustworthy is that they present themselves like a proper company, not just a random prize draw site.
They have a visible team, a physical base in Blackpool, and they’ve been around for years. They’ve also sponsored local clubs and teams, including Blackpool FC, Fleetwood Town, Blackpool Cricket Club and youth sports teams in the North West.
They were also on Dragons’ Den back in 2018. They didn’t end up taking a deal, but both Touker Suleyman and Tej Lalvani made offers, which at least shows the business was taken seriously enough to get interest.
The live draws are another big plus. Elite streams its draws on social media, so people can watch winners being selected in real time. In this industry, transparency is a big deal, and live-streaming the draws definitely helps.
The Good Points
There’s a lot Elite gets right.
The ticket prices are low, so you can enter without spending a huge amount. Some competitions cost just pennies to enter, which makes them feel accessible.
The prizes are also genuinely impressive. These aren’t small giveaways. We’re talking life-changing amounts of money, high-end cars, luxury watches and homes.
Live-streamed draws give the site a level of transparency that people clearly appreciate.
Customer service also seems to be one of Elite’s strengths, especially once someone has won. Reviews regularly mention fast contact, helpful staff and smooth prize fulfilment.
Another nice touch is that big prizes are delivered across the UK, including Northern Ireland, and the team often delivers major prizes in person.
The amount of Trustpilot feedback also helps. No company is perfect, but 15,000-plus reviews gives you a decent amount of information to judge from.
Things To Watch Out For
That said, there are a few things to keep in mind.
The InstaWin format is fun, but it can be very easy to keep clicking. Because the result is instant, it doesn’t feel the same as waiting for a normal draw. That can make it easier to spend more than you planned.
Cash alternatives are also worth checking carefully. They can be lower than the advertised value of the physical prize, so don’t assume the cash option will match the headline figure.
Not winning on an instant competition can feel flat. You pay, get your result, and that’s it. Some people will enjoy the quick format. Others might prefer the build-up of a live draw.
It’s also worth remembering that prize competition sites in the UK are not regulated by the Gambling Commission in the same way as gambling operators. That doesn’t mean Elite is doing anything wrong, but it is something players should understand.
And most importantly, you need to treat this as entertainment. It is not a way to make money. Most people who enter will not win more than they spend.
Final Verdict
Overall, Elite Competitions comes across as one of the stronger and more established names in the prize draw space.
They’ve been running for years, they have a visible team, they stream their draws, they respond to customers, and there are plenty of verified winners. That all points to a legitimate business that does actually give away the prizes it advertises.
But it’s still a competition site. The odds are the odds, and most people are going to lose more often than they win.
The best way to approach Elite is to see it as a bit of fun. Set yourself a budget, don’t chase losses, and don’t enter expecting a guaranteed return. If you’re comfortable with that, there’s nothing here that feels dodgy.
And if your number does come up, the reviews suggest Elite will make the winning experience feel pretty special.
Worth a look — just decide what you’re happy to spend before you start.