Spin the Wheel: Random Name Picker
Enter names, one per line, and press Spin: the wheel picks a winner at random with equal chances, 12.5% each for 8 names. Lucky draw mode picks several winners at once with no repeats. Cryptographic randomness, free, and your names are never sent anywhere.
The wheel
Winner
Earlier results
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Example: drawing 3 winners from 8 names
A class has 8 pupils: Aisyah, Ben, Chong, Devi, Farid, Grace, Hafiz and Imran. Choose Lucky draw, set 3 winners and press Spin. Each pupil has a 12.5% chance of being the first winner and a 3 ÷ 8 = 37.5% chance of being among the 3. Nobody can win twice in one draw.
If Farid bought three tickets, write Farid x3. The total weight becomes 10, so Farid's chance on a single spin rises to 3 ÷ 10 = 30% and every other name gets 10%.
How the wheel picks a winner
- Read the list: each line becomes an entry; "x3", "*3" or "(3)" at the end gives weight 3. Blank lines and lines starting with # are skipped.
- Draw at random: a 32-bit number comes from crypto.getRandomValues. Numbers in the biased tail are rejected and redrawn, so each entry gets exactly its weight ÷ the total.
- Spin to the winner: the stopping angle is worked out from the winner's slice, plus 5 full turns and a random point inside the slice, and the wheel eases out to it.
- Lucky draw: winners are drawn one at a time and taken out of the pool, so there are no repeats.
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Ways to use it
- Teachers: pick who answers next, split groups, or set presentation order.
- Events and family days: door-gift lucky draws in full screen on a projector.
- Social media: pick a giveaway winner from the commenters' names and screen-record the spin as proof.
- Everyday: the What to eat? button chooses between nasi lemak, roti canai, laksa and more.
Sources
- MDN: Crypto.getRandomValues() and W3C: Web Cryptography API
- Fisher–Yates shuffle and modulo bias and rejection sampling
Disclaimer: This tool only makes a fair random choice. For prize contests or draws run by a business, make sure the contest terms and any legal requirements are met.
Frequently asked questions
How do I spin the wheel to pick a random name?
Type or paste one name per line in the Names box and press Spin, or tap the wheel. The wheel slows down and stops on the winner, which is shown below it. With 8 names each has a 12.5% chance.
Is this wheel really random and fair?
Yes. The winner is chosen with crypto.getRandomValues, the browser's cryptographic random generator, with rejection sampling so no name is favoured. The animation only shows a result that has already been drawn fairly.
How do I pick several winners at once?
Choose Lucky draw mode, set the number of winners (for example 3) and press Spin. All winners are drawn together with no repeats and listed in order below the wheel.
How many names can I add?
Up to 500 entries. The wheel still spins with 500 names, but small labels are shortened; for long lists, Lucky draw mode is easier to read because the winners are listed in full.
Can I give someone more chances?
Yes. Write x and a number after the name, for example 'Ali x3'. Ali then has three times the chance of a single entry and a slice three times as large. Weights from 1 to 100 are allowed.
How do I stop the same person winning twice?
Tick Remove winners from the list. After every spin or draw, the winners are taken off the list and the wheel is redrawn for the next round.
Can I share my wheel or show it on a projector?
Press Copy link: the names and settings are saved in the page link, so anyone who opens it sees the same wheel. Press Full screen for a projector, choose Dramatic (8 s) speed and keep the tick sound on.
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