Organising Competitions

Gambling Commission clarifies position on house competitions

Following the news that the Oldborough Retreat Devon competition draw would be allowed to proceed a few days ago, the Gambling Commission has published a new paper warning other competition organisers that this does not necessarily mean it considers other similar competitions to be legal. It also clarifies that its role is not to approve house competitions under any circumstances, but...

Dream Home Competition takes off

Local property developer Jon Sammon is running a Dream Home Competition giving away a brand new luxury family home valued at half a million pounds. The five-bedroom house, which is located near Leeds half-way between London and Edinburgh, features all the latest modern fittings and appliances and is finished to the highest standard.

PayPal shy away from win a house competitions

Not only have house competition organisers had to contend with challenges from the UK's Gambling Commission in recent months, with the most notable case being the postponed Oldborough Retreat competition; they have also had to deal with technical complications relating to processing payments online. It seems that the regulatory uncertainty surrounding win a house...

Postponed Oldborough Retreat competition closely followed by others

After selling out in September and then being suddenly halted just before picking a winner due to an investigation by the UK's Gambling Commission, the Oldborough Retreat Devon property competition has yet to be resolved. Unfortunately, it seems these problems are affecting a large number of other similar house competitions across the UK and Ireland.

Assessing how players compare win a house competitions

Today Win a House published a new article today providing guidance for organisers of win a house competitions. It provides an overview of some of the key issues that players consider when assessing which ones to enter, including the odds of winning, the price of tickets, the property prize and the potential involvement of a reputable...

Oldborough Retreat Devon competition still not concluded

Brian and Wendy Wilshaw successfully sold out all 46,000 tickets two months early in their win a house competition back in September. In the process, they raised £1.15 million in the hope of giving away their £1 million Devon property, Oldborough Retreat. Despite a very successful marketing campaign and being just about to carry out the final draw to pick a winner, the...

Costs of running a win a house competition explained

In current market conditions, a number of homeowners wonder whether it is worthwhile to run a win a house competition, versus selling their property in the conventional manner. There are obviously a number of factors to consider when evaluating the costs of running a house competition, and one should assess the possible scenarios well in advance before launching a competition of this type.

Gambling Commission tightens grip on house competitions

Today Win a House reported that after writing to the British couple organising the Oldborough Retreat competition warning them that it may not be legal, today the...

Oldborough Retreat competition postponed

After successfully selling out all 46,000 tickets two months early and raising £1.15 million for their Devon property with fishing win a house competition, the Wilshaws have been forced to postpone the final draw. The winner was supposed to be drawn today at random amongst all the correct competition entries, ...

Win a house competitions take off

One of the consequences of the slowdown in the property market has been the emergence of various win a house competitions across the UK, Europe and the US. A number of homeowners have turned to this innovative way of selling a home in an attempt to preserve the market value of their property.