22 Oct 2026
The short version is timing. A main draw makes you wait until it closes. An instant win tells you the moment your purchase completes. The detail underneath differs too, so we'll take them one at a time. Avoid the hype: either format is a chance to win, nothing more.
A main draw is the traditional raffle. You buy a ticket (or several), the competition runs for a set period, and a winner is picked once it closes. Until then, you wait.
At OLBG Prizes, every main prize draw launches on a Thursday and closes on a Thursday at 7:30pm. It's a regular rhythm, so you always know when a draw is coming to an end.
Nothing is revealed when you buy. Your ticket goes into the draw and that's that. Whether you hold the winning ticket is only settled after the closing time.
You can see who has won previously on the winners page.
Instant wins turn that around. The prizes are pre-allocated to specific ticket numbers before you buy, and ticket numbers are then handed out randomly at the point of purchase.
So when your purchase completes, you're told straight away whether your ticket carries an instant prize. Hence the name. No waiting for a closing date.
Two things are worth being clear about. You can't pick the number, so there's no choosing a "lucky" one. And most tickets won't carry a prize (not easy to hear, but it's the reality). The sensible way to judge any instant win competition is to know how many instant prizes sit among how many tickets, and we've covered that in how to check the odds on an instant win competition before you enter. For the full background, see our instant wins explained guide.
Plenty of competitions run both formats side by side. The instant wins give an immediate result on each purchase, while the main draw keeps a bigger prize in play until closing time. One ticket can do two jobs: it might reveal an instant prize on purchase, and it still counts towards the main draw.
The two prize pools are separate, though. An instant win doesn't make a main draw win more or less likely, so read the odds for each on their own terms.
Want to see how this looks in practice? Our sibling guides cover the themed instant prizes: football instants explained and racing instants explained.
It's not an exact science, and there's no "better" format, only what fits how you like to play.
Whichever you pick, set a budget you're comfortable with and stick to it. Competitions should be a bit of fun, never a way to make money. Any prize is a bonus, not an expectation.
Main draws launch every Thursday and close the following Thursday at 7:30pm. Instant wins are pre-allocated to ticket numbers, ticket numbers are assigned randomly on purchase, and you're told straight away if you've won.
You can browse what's currently open on our live competitions page, and check previous results on the winners page. Read each competition's details and odds before you buy.
18+ only. Please play responsibly. You can also enter without paying: see how to enter UK prize competitions without paying for the free entry route.
