Pick a random name. Prove it was fair.
Giveaways, raffles, chore assignments, team captains: any time a name has to come out of a hat, this is the hat. Paste your list, spin the wheel, and get a winner with a proof attached.
Most random pickers ask you to trust them. Draw Straws records the exact random bytes behind every saved draw so the result can be replayed and checked by anyone you share it with. That matters when something real is on the line.
It scales from a coffee run of three names to a giveaway with two hundred entrants, and because the result carries a proof, it holds up whether the stakes are a chore or a real prize.
Spin the wheel →
How it works
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1
Paste your names
One per line or comma separated, up to 200.
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2
Spin
Or draw straws, or roll dice. Same fairness, different theater.
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Share the receipt
Every saved result has a link with a Verify button.
Running a giveaway people actually trust
If you are drawing for something real, a prize, a raffle, a grant, the winner is only half the job; convincing everyone else it was fair is the other half. Publish the result link so entrants can open it and recompute the draw themselves. That is stronger proof than a screen recording, which anyone assumes is staged.
A clean process: announce the entry cutoff, paste the final list once entries close, draw, then post the verify link next to the winner. Anyone who doubts it can replay the exact draw in their own browser without taking your word for anything.
Everyday picks, not just prizes
Most draws are smaller and just as contested: who takes the on-call shift, which kid unloads the dishwasher, who presents first, the order a team does standup, secret santa pairings. The wheel turns any of these into a five-second decision nobody can call rigged.
Remove a name after it is picked when you want everyone chosen once, or leave the full list in when each pick is independent. Both are a single tap.
What 'fair' means under the hood
The pick uses crypto.getRandomValues, the cryptographic random source built into your browser, not the predictable Math.random that most toy pickers reach for. It also uses rejection sampling instead of a plain modulo, which quietly biases the first few names in naive implementations. The result: every name has an identical chance, and the recorded bytes prove which one came up.
Drawing more than one winner
Need a first, second, and third, or five winners out of five hundred? Draw, remove the name, and draw again; each pick comes from the names still in, so you get distinct winners and a separate receipt for each. For a ranked result, the draw order is the ranking.
Keep the original entry list saved or screenshotted before you start removing names, so the full pool is still on record when you publish the proofs.
Questions
How random is it really?
Picks use crypto.getRandomValues, the cryptographic randomness in your browser, with rejection sampling so every name has exactly the same chance. No modulo bias, no server tricks.
Can I save my lists?
Yes. A free account adds saved groups and draw history; the picker itself never requires one.
Is it fair for giveaways?
Yes, and you can publish the result link so entrants verify the draw themselves. That is more than most giveaway tools offer.
How many names can I add?
Up to 200, pasted one per line or comma separated. Bulk paste handles the whole list at once.
What about duplicate names?
Two people named Sam? Add them both; the picker treats each line as its own entry, so duplicates keep their own separate chances.
Can I stop a name repeating?
Yes. Remove a name after it is drawn and the next spin is over the remaining list. Leave it in if you want every pick independent.