How to Give Someone More Entries, Fairly
To give someone more entries, give their name a weight instead of typing it several times: Anna *3 on a wheel, Anna 3 in a raffle generator, or a tickets column in a spreadsheet. Each extra entry is one more equal chance. Before you hand out bonus entries, publish the rule, check the platform’s promotion policy, and remember that some bonus entries, such as ones for sharing on Facebook, aren’t allowed.
The Quick Version
- Use weights, not duplicates, so the list stays readable and checkable.
- Write down what earns an extra entry, and how many, before entries open.
- Set a cap per person so a few people can’t swamp the draw.
- On Facebook, don’t reward sharing or tagging. On Instagram, tagging friends is allowed if tags are accurate.
- In a US sweepstakes, people who buy can’t get more entries than people who enter for free.
How Extra Entries Change the Odds
Each person’s chance is their entries divided by all entries. That means one person’s bonus entries lower everyone else’s chances a little. Here’s what happens in a group of 10 people:
| Entries | Person with extra entries | Each other person |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone has 1 | 10% | 10% |
| One person has 3, others 1 | 25% (3 of 12) | 8.3% (1 of 12) |
| One person has 5, others 1 | 35.7% (5 of 14) | 7.1% (1 of 14) |
| 5 people have 3, 5 have 1 | 15% each (3 of 20) | 5% each (1 of 20) |
Bonus entries make a big difference in a small group. In the last row, earning the bonus triples your chances. Want to work out your own numbers? Our wheel probability guide explains the maths.
Three Ways to Add Extra Entries
On a spinning wheel
Type the name once and add a star and the number of entries: Anna *3. Anna’s slice becomes three times the size of a plain name, and she has three chances. Turn on “Show each entry’s chance” to see everyone’s real odds. To give a fixed share of the wheel instead, use a percentage like Anna *25%, explained on the wheel with percentages page.
In a raffle or prize draw
In the raffle generator, write each person with their entry count, like Anna 3. They get three numbered tickets, each a separate chance, and you can choose one prize per person so nobody wins twice. For comment giveaways, the giveaway picker can count every comment as an entry if you turn off “One entry per person”.
In Excel or Google Sheets
Put names in column A and entries in column B, then use the weighted formula in our Excel and Google Sheets guide. Someone with 5 entries is five times as likely to win as someone with 1.
Weights vs. Duplicates
Pasting a name three times gives the same odds as a weight of 3, but it causes problems:
- A long list with repeated names is hard to check, and entrants may think it’s a mistake.
- Deduplication tools will quietly remove the extras.
- With “remove winner” on, only one copy is removed, so the same person can win again.
A single line with a weight shows everyone exactly what you did. That openness is what makes weighted draws fair rather than rigged, as our guide to rigged wheels explains.
What Can Fairly Earn Extra Entries?
- More tickets bought in a raffle, where buying is allowed. Each ticket is one entry. Read how to run a fair raffle for the legal side.
- Entering on more days, such as one entry per day of a week-long giveaway.
- Doing something for your own channel, such as answering a question, joining a newsletter or attending an event, where the platform allows it.
- In class, tickets earned for effort or homework, added as a weight on the name picker.
Whatever the action, say exactly what earns an entry and how many, and apply it the same way to everyone.
Platform Rules for Bonus Entries
Meta’s Pages, groups and events policy says a promotion run on Facebook “must not require or incentivise participants to share, repost, tag others or in any other way publicise your promotion”. So “share this post for an extra entry” or “tag 3 friends for a bonus entry” breaks Facebook’s rules. The same policy also requires a full release of Meta and an acknowledgement that Meta doesn’t sponsor the promotion.
Instagram’s Promotion Guidelines are different. They say you must not inaccurately tag content or encourage people to inaccurately tag content, for example tagging themselves in a photo they aren’t in. Asking people to tag friends in the comments isn’t banned by those guidelines, but you still need official rules, a release of Instagram, and a statement that Instagram isn’t involved.
Other platforms
TikTok, YouTube, X and Discord each have their own rules for contests. Read them before offering bonus entries for actions on their platform.
The Law: Bonus Entries for Purchases
In the US, a sweepstakes with three elements, a prize, chance and a payment to enter, is usually treated as a lottery, which only certain organisations can run. That’s why sweepstakes offer a free way to enter. According to the sweepstakes law firm Klein Moynihan Turco, sponsors are not permitted to give paying entrants the chance to get more entries than people who enter the free way. In practice, if buying earns entries, the free method must be able to earn the same number.
Raffles, where people buy tickets on purpose, are a different category with their own permits and rules. Laws vary by country and state, so check with your regulator or a lawyer. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Cap Entries and Show Your Work
- Set a maximum per person, such as 5 entries, and publish it.
- Keep a list of each entrant and their entry count until the draw.
- Before the draw, post the list or its fingerprint. Our wheels show a SHA-256 fingerprint in the Fairness tab.
- After the draw, share the draw record so anyone can check the list on the draw checker.
Common Mistakes
- Adding extra entries after seeing who entered.
- Giving friends or staff bonus entries that weren’t in the rules.
- Rewarding shares or tags on Facebook.
- Letting buyers get more entries than free entrants in a sweepstakes.
- Pasting names many times so nobody can tell how many entries each person had.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it fair to give someone more entries?
Yes, if the rule is announced in advance, applies to everyone the same way, and each entry is an equal chance. It’s unfair when extra entries are hidden or added after the fact.
How do I add multiple entries for the same name on a wheel?
Add a star and a number after the name, like Anna *3. That gives three chances without repeating the name.
Can I give extra entries for sharing a Facebook post?
No. Meta’s policy says promotions must not require or reward sharing, reposting or tagging others.
Can I give extra entries for tagging friends on Instagram?
Instagram’s Promotion Guidelines only ban inaccurate tagging, so tagging friends in comments isn’t banned there. You still need official rules and the required release and disclaimer.
Can people buy extra entries?
In a raffle, buying more tickets is the point, but raffles are regulated. In a US sweepstakes, buyers can’t get more entries than people who enter for free.
Should I limit how many entries one person can have?
Usually, yes. A published cap keeps a few very active entrants from crowding everyone else out.