1. What this site is
SOBO Competitions Ltd runs prize competitions of skill, not gambling. Every paid competition requires the correct answer to a question of skill or judgement, and every competition has a genuine free entry route, so no purchase is necessary. We are not licensed by the Gambling Commission because we do not run lotteries or betting.
Even so, entering competitions costs money and can become a habit that is hard to control. The tools on this page are real, they are built into your account, and they are enforced by our systems — not just promises.
2. Tools available in your account
Open the Responsible play section of your account to use any of the following. All of them take effect immediately.
Monthly spending limit
Set the maximum you can spend on tickets in a calendar month. The limit is checked at the moment tickets are reserved, so a purchase that would take you over it is blocked outright. A reduction applies straight away. Raising or removing a limit also applies immediately, so please set it at a level you are comfortable with.
Cooling-off break
Pause entry for 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. You can still sign in, view your tickets and claim prizes, but you cannot buy. A cooling-off period cannot be shortened or cancelled once started — that is the point of it.
Self-exclusion
Exclude yourself for 6 months, 12 months, 5 years or permanently. While excluded you cannot purchase entries, and we remove you from all marketing. A fixed period cannot be shortened. Lifting a permanent exclusion requires you to contact hello@sobocompetitions.com, and we will not do so immediately or without a conversation.
Account closure
Request closure at any time from the Privacy section of your account. We settle any live entries first, and we must keep financial records for 6 years for tax purposes — see our Privacy Policy.
3. What we commit to
- A free entry route on every competition, given equal weight in the rules.
- A per-person ticket cap on every draw, enforced in the database at the point of reservation.
- Clear pricing, closing dates, draw dates, total tickets and remaining tickets shown before you pay.
- Odds explained in plain terms on every competition page.
- No credit. We do not lend, offer instalments or accept credit-based payment methods designed to defer cost.
- No marketing to anyone who is self-excluded, in a cooling-off period, or under 18.
- No advertising that suggests entering solves financial problems or that a win is likely.
- Staff escalate any account showing signs of harm for manual review.
4. Warning signs
- Spending more than you planned, or more than you can comfortably afford to lose.
- Entering to try to win back money you have already spent.
- Hiding how much you spend from family or friends.
- Borrowing, using credit or missing bills to fund entries.
- Feeling anxious, low or irritable when you cannot enter.
- Entering more often when stressed, or losing interest in other things.
If any of these sound familiar, set a limit or take a break today.
5. Free, confidential UK support
- GamCare — 0808 8020 133, free 24/7 National Gambling Helpline, gamcare.org.uk
- BeGambleAware — advice, self-assessment and local treatment services, begambleaware.org
- Gamblers Anonymous UK — peer support meetings, gamblersanonymous.org.uk
- GamBan — software that blocks gambling and competition sites across your devices, gamban.com
- National Debtline — 0808 808 4000, free debt advice, nationaldebtline.org
- StepChange — 0800 138 1111, free debt charity, stepchange.org
- Samaritans — 116 123, free 24/7 emotional support, samaritans.org
Many UK banks also let you block gambling and competition transactions from their app. It is worth turning on alongside self-exclusion.
6. Protecting under-18s
Entry is restricted to those aged 18 and over, resident in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). You must confirm your age when registering and again at checkout. We void entries and close accounts where we find the age declaration was false, and we refund genuine mistakes. If you share a device with a young person, keep your password private and consider parental control software.
7. Talk to us
If you are worried about your own or someone else's entering, email hello@sobocompetitions.com. We will act on a self-exclusion request without asking you to justify it, and we will never try to talk you out of it.