Random name picker wheel: how to pick names fairly

What makes a name picker fair

A wheel feels fair because everyone can watch it. But a draw is only truly fair if four things hold:

• Equal slices. Each name takes the same share of the wheel. A name that appears twice has twice the chance.
• An unpredictable stop. Nobody, including the person spinning, can choose where it lands.
• A fixed list. Names are added before the draw starts, not halfway through.
• Rules agreed up front. Everyone knows whether winners leave the wheel and what happens if a name is drawn by mistake.

In Spin the Wheel, tapping Spin sets the wheel's speed so it travels a set distance plus a random extra turn, picked with your device's cryptographic random number generator. So every slice is equally likely to end under the pointer. You can also flick the wheel with your finger, which works like a real wheel: fun, but a practised flicker could in theory aim. For anything with a prize, use the Spin button.

How to run a draw, step by step

1. Gather the list. Paste names one per line, straight from a register, spreadsheet column or sign-up sheet.
2. Clean it. Remove accidental duplicates, and tell apart people who share a name ("Sam K" and "Sam P").
3. Set the rule. Decide whether each winner is removed after their spin. Say it out loud, or write it in the post.
4. Spin. Tap Spin, or press Space on a keyboard. Let it stop on its own.
5. Act on the result. If the rule is one win each, take the winner off. Spin the Wheel does this for you with Remove winner: on, and Put them all back resets the wheel.
6. Keep a record. For a prize draw, screen-record the spin or note each winner and the time.

Should you remove the winner?

It depends on what you are choosing. Removing winners means everyone gets a turn before anyone gets a second one. Keeping them in means every spin is independent, like rolling a die.

Tips for teachers

• Keep a wheel per class. Save each group once and switch between them, so you never retype a register.
• Use the big screen. Classroom mode fills a projector with the wheel and spins on Space, so you can stay at the front of the room.
• Use first names only. Pupils recognise themselves, and you share less. In Spin the Wheel, names stay on your device; nothing is uploaded.
• Build in a safe pass. Cold-calling works best when "pass, and I'll come back to you" or "ask a friend" is allowed. A random pick should share out turns, not catch people out.
• Never use it for punishments. Keep the wheel for questions, jobs, groups and treats.
• Make teams too. The same app has a random team generator, dice, a coin flip and random numbers with no repeats.

Raffles and social media giveaways

For a prize, being fair is not enough: it has to be seen to be fair.

• Publish the rules first: how to enter, the closing time, how many winners, and one entry per person or not.
• Close entries, then build the list. For comment giveaways, remove duplicate usernames unless extra entries were part of the rules.
• If people earned bonus entries, add their name once per entry, so their slice grows in fair proportion.
• Record the spin, or spin live, and share the result. In Spin the Wheel you can send the wheel as a link so entrants can see the list that was used.
• Decide in advance what happens if a winner does not reply, for example a redraw after 48 hours.

Common mistakes

• Re-spinning a result you don't like. Once people see that, the draw is no longer fair.
• Adding late names mid-draw. It changes everyone's odds. Finish the round, then add them.
• Accidental duplicates. A name pasted twice has double the chance. Sort the list A to Z to spot repeats.
• Leaving weights on. Last week's "pizza counts double" setting will skew this week's raffle.
• Forgetting to put names back. If you removed winners yesterday, reset the wheel before a new round.