Spin the Wheel

How to spin the wheel

Spin the wheel picks one entry at random from a list you type: a name for a prize draw, who goes first, what to eat tonight or which task to do next. It’s fair, it’s quick, and it runs in your browser.

1. Type your entries in the box, one per line. Blank lines and extra spaces are ignored, and the counter shows how many entries are on the wheel (up to 500).
2. Tidy the list if you like: Shuffle mixes the order, Sort A–Z puts it in alphabetical order and Clear starts again.
3. Press Spin. The wheel turns, slows down and stops with the pointer on the winner, which is also shown in large text with its odds, for example “1 in 8”.
4. Spin again for a second pick. Tick Take the winner off the wheel after each spin if nobody should win twice; earlier picks are listed so you keep a record.

Is it really random?

Yes, and here is exactly how. The winner is chosen before the animation starts, using your browser’s cryptographic random number generator (crypto.getRandomValues), the same source browsers use for security keys. The number is drawn with a method called rejection sampling, which avoids the small bias you get from a simple remainder, so every entry has exactly the same chance. The wheel then animates to stop inside the winner’s slice, away from the edges, so the result you see always matches the result that was drawn.

Because the pick doesn’t depend on how hard or when you press the button, nobody can “time” a spin to land on a favorite.

Odds and repeated spins

With n entries, each one has a 1 in n chance on every spin. Each spin is independent: if Alex won the last spin, Alex is exactly as likely to win the next one, unless you remove winners from the wheel.

Want one option to be twice as likely? Add it to the list twice; it then gets two slices. When Take the winner off the wheel is on, only the slice that won is removed, so a duplicated entry stays on the wheel once more.

Ways to use the wheel

Running a fair online giveaway

1. Collect the entries in one list, one entry per person (or one per valid entry, if the rules allow several).
2. Remove duplicates you don’t want, then Sort A–Z so anyone can check their name is there.
3. Record the draw. Share your screen or record it, so people can see the list and the spin.
4. Spin once per prize with winners taken off the wheel, and copy the earlier picks for your announcement.

If a giveaway has legal rules where you live, follow them; the wheel only does the random pick.

Wheel, hat or coin: which is fairer?

Drawing names from a hat feels fair, but folded papers aren’t all the same size, they stick together, and the person drawing can feel the paper they pick. A coin is fair only for two options, and dice only for six. A digital wheel avoids these problems: every entry gets exactly the same chance whatever the list length, and the draw is the same for the first spin and the hundredth.

What a wheel adds over a plain “random number” is that everyone can see the list and the result at the same time, which is why it’s popular for classrooms, streams and team meetings. The animation is only there to make the moment fun; the result was already decided, fairly, when you pressed the button.

Keeping a record of picks

Every spin is added to Earlier picks under the wheel, newest first, and the list shows the last 20 picks. It’s a simple way to keep track of winners in order during a draw, or to check who already had a turn in a class. The record stays on the page until you reload it; if you need a permanent record, copy the list or take a screenshot when you finish.

Long lists

The wheel takes up to 500 entries. With many entries the slices get thin, so the names are drawn smaller, but the pick stays exactly as fair, and the winner is always shown in full under the wheel. For more than 500 names, split the list into groups and spin a first round per group.

Numbers, yes or no, and other quick picks

The wheel works with any text, so you can type numbers (1 to 20), “Yes” and “No”, or letters. For numbers from a range, such as 1 to 1,000, or several numbers without repeats, the random number generator is quicker than typing them all. For a two-way choice with equal odds, two entries are all you need. For percentages and odds calculations, the percentage calculator helps, and for dates such as “how many days until the draw?” there’s the date calculator.

Ask in plain words

• “Pick a random winner from these 40 names.”
• “Choose 3 winners, nobody twice.”
• “Put these 6 teams in a random order.”

Type a request under the wheel or in the AI workspace. To make a QR code people can scan to enter a draw, use the QR code generator.

Privacy

The names you type stay in your browser. They’re not uploaded, stored or used to train AI. More in Trust and privacy.

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