How the wheel picks a winner
The moment you click spin, the tool asks your browser's cryptographic random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues, the same machinery used to create encryption keys) to choose one name, giving every entry exactly the same chance. The wheel animation then plays out over about four seconds and slows to a stop on the chosen segment. That order matters: the result is decided by strong randomness before the wheel starts turning, not by the timing of your click, the speed of the animation or where the wheel stopped last time, so it cannot drift and cannot be nudged.
Everything happens on your device. The names are never uploaded, no one else can see the list, and refreshing the page clears it. The wheel redraws live as you type, so you can add or delete names right up until the moment you spin, and the odds always reflect exactly what is on screen.
Worked examples
What people use it for
- Raffles and giveaways: paste the entrants, spin in front of everyone, remove the winner and spin again for the runner-up prizes.
- Classrooms: pick who answers next without the same hands going up every time.
- Offices: whose turn to make the tea, run the stand-up or take the awkward meeting.
- Indecision: put the dinner options or film choices on the wheel and let it settle the argument.
- Random order: keep spinning with remove winner turned into a habit and you get the whole list in a random order, one name at a time.
Tips for a fair draw
Agree the list before anyone spins, and check it for duplicates: a name entered twice gets two segments and double the chance. (You can use that deliberately, for example one entry per raffle ticket bought.) For anything with prizes attached, spin where people can see the screen, or share it on a video call, and take a screenshot of the result panel as a record. If you are drawing several winners, use the remove winner and spin again button between prizes so nobody can win twice. And if you need everyone to end up matched with someone else rather than picked one at a time, the Secret Santa generator does that in a single click.
Frequently asked questions
Is the wheel fair?
Yes. The winner is chosen by your browser's cryptographic random number generator, the same machinery used to create encryption keys, and every name gets exactly the same chance. The animation then lands on the chosen segment, so timing your click makes no difference.
How many names can I add?
Up to 100. The labels get small once you pass about 20 names, but the draw stays perfectly fair however many segments there are, because the winner is picked by the random number generator rather than read off the drawing.
Can the same name win twice?
Yes, if you spin again without removing it, exactly like spinning a real wheel twice. Use the remove winner button after each spin to draw several different winners, for example for first, second and third prizes.
What happens if I add the same name twice?
It gets two segments and therefore twice the chance of winning. Usually that is a mistake worth fixing, but you can also use it deliberately to weight the wheel, for example giving one entry per raffle ticket bought.
Are the names uploaded anywhere?
No. The wheel is drawn and spun entirely in your browser, the names never leave your device, and refreshing the page clears them.