Omaze

Omaze is a for-profit fundraising company that runs prize draws for life-changing prizes — most famously its Million Pound House Draws, which give away multi-million-pound UK homes, plus a Monthly Millionaire Draw with a £1 million tax-free cash prize. The UK arm, Omaze UK Limited (company number 12056935, registered in Altrincham, Cheshire), launched its house draws in 2020; the wider business started in the United States in 2012. How it works: you buy entries to a draw (bundles typically start around £10), or enter free by post — by law, free postal entries have exactly the same chance of winning as paid ones. Each house winner gets the property mortgage-free and tax-free, and Omaze now also hands over a cash sum (often £50,000–£250,000) to cover moving and running costs, since most winners choose to sell rather than move in. Where your money goes is the part worth understanding. Omaze guarantees each house-draw charity partner a minimum donation of £1 million regardless of sales, and says it has raised more than £100 million for UK charities since 2020, with a pledge of over £40 million a year from 2025. But it is a for-profit business: in practice only around 17% of ticket sales reach the charity, with the rest covering the prize, marketing, running costs and profit. If your main aim is to support the cause, donating to it directly gives it far more of your money. The odds are long. Exact figures vary by draw and aren't always published, but independent estimates put a typical £10 bundle somewhere around 1 in 2 million or worse on the big house draws. Winners are real and verifiable, though — Omaze publishes winning entry codes after each draw, and more than twenty grand-prize house winners have been confirmed and interviewed in the national press. Charity partners have included the British Heart Foundation, Marie Curie and Alzheimer's Research UK, among others. Entries are capped at £500 per person per month. Bottom line: Omaze is legitimate and well-run, with genuine winners and a real free route. Treat it as a charity flutter with a small chance of a life-changing prize — not an investment, and not an efficient way to give to charity.

Yes — Omaze is a registered UK company (Omaze UK Limited, company number 12056935) with verified, named winners and a legally required free entry route, so it is not a scam. The fair criticisms are about value: very long odds and only around 17% of ticket sales reaching the charity. For the full breakdown, see our guide: [Is Omaze Legit?](/guides/is-omaze-legit).