Letting AI Write Your Prize Draw Ads? The Seven Checks It Won't Do For You

This week another AI app builder started running ads for its users. On 14 October Lovable launched "growth tools" that plan your SEO, write the ad copy, make the images and set up campaigns on Google Search, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, all from the same chat. Google and Meta have offered automated ad creation for a while. It's now normal for a club volunteer to type "promote our Christmas draw" and get a finished campaign back in ten minutes.

That's useful, and it's also a trap. These tools are built to get clicks. They don't know the UK advertising rules for prize promotions, and the Advertising Standards Authority has been clear that this doesn't get you off the hook. In June 2026 it said the CAP Code is "media-neutral", so the rules apply however the ad was made. It also pointed to a ruling where an ad built with Google's automated tools broke the Code: "the advertiser was still primarily responsible for ensuring compliance."

For a club, "the advertiser" means you. Here are the seven checks to run before you press approve.

Why prize draw ads are riskier than most

Most club ads are low-stakes: a quiz night, a kit appeal, a sponsor shout-out. Prize draw ads are different, because Section 8 of the CAP Code (promotional marketing) has specific rules for them, and the ASA has a long record of ruling against draws that got the details wrong. Draws also depend on trust. If one supporter thinks the ad misled them, they'll say so in the club WhatsApp group long before any regulator hears about it.

AI tools tend to get the same few things wrong: they leave out conditions to keep the copy punchy, they hype the odds, and they bury the boring parts. Those boring parts are exactly where the rules are.

The seven checks

1. Are the significant conditions in the ad itself?

CAP rule 8.17 says promotional marketing must communicate all applicable significant conditions. The ASA's list includes how to take part, any free entry route, the closing date, the nature and number of prizes, and restrictions such as age or location. On social media the ASA's guidance is blunt: significant information "must be included in the initial post." It rarely accepts that a post was too short to fit it in.

An AI-written line like "Win a signed shirt! Enter now 👇" with no closing date, no age limit and no prize detail fails this check. Fix it before it goes out, not after a complaint.

2. Is the free entry route as easy to see as the paid one?

If your draw relies on a free entry route, rule 8.17.2 says that route must be "explained clearly and prominently." The ASA says a mention in small print at the bottom of a page is not enough. The best-known example is the 2020 Omaze ruling: the free postal entry sat behind a "More info" link while the paid options were big and bold, and the ASA found a breach.

AI ad tools are tuned for conversions, so they will naturally push the paid button and drop the free route. This is the check most likely to fail. A free entry route also has to cost no more than the normal rate for that way of getting in touch, so don't let a tool invent a premium-rate text line.

3. Does the ad oversell the odds?

Rule 8.20 says marketers must not mislead by exaggerating the chance of winning. "Loads of winners!", "you could be next!" and "great odds" are exactly what an AI copywriter will add to make an ad pop. If you draw one winner a month from 600 entries, say so or say nothing. Rule 8.21 also bans language that makes people think they're luckier than they are, so no "you've been selected" or "finalist" wording.

4. Is the prize exactly what you'll hand over?

Rule 8.15 says prizes must be awarded as described, or as a reasonable equivalent of roughly equal value. The ASA has found that offering 70% of ticket sales in place of an advertised prize was not a reasonable equivalent. Image generators make this worse: ask for "a signed football shirt" and you might get a picture of a different kit, a different club or a famous signature you don't have. If the picture isn't your actual prize, don't use it.

5. Are the full terms one tap away, and will they stay put?

Rule 8.28 says the full terms must be available before or at the point of entry, for example on a linked page, and must stay easy to find for the whole promotion. Those terms should cover how and when winners are told, any cash alternative, and when prizes will arrive if that's more than 30 days after the close. Rule 8.23 says conditions should only change in exceptional circumstances, so if an AI tool rewrites your landing page halfway through the draw, check it hasn't quietly changed the rules.

6. Can you prove how the winner was picked?

This one isn't about the ad copy, but AI-run campaigns often point people to entry methods you then have to honour. Rule 8.24 says winners must be chosen at random, using a verifiably random computer process with evidence kept, or under the supervision of a demonstrably independent observer. A committee member picking a name from Facebook comments doesn't count. If a tool suggests "like, share and tag a friend to enter", only use it if you can track every valid entry. The ASA has ruled against promoters who couldn't.

7. Have you told entrants you'll publish the winner?

Rule 8.28.5 says promoters must publish or make available information showing a valid award took place, usually the surname and county of major winners. Entrants must be told this at or before entry and be able to object or limit what's shared. AI tools never add this line. Put it in your terms and on your winners' page, then actually publish your winners. It's also the best proof you can give supporters that the draw is real.

A five-minute review routine

You don't need a lawyer for every Facebook post. You need one person on the committee who owns sign-off and a routine they stick to:

• Read the ad as a stranger would. Could someone who's never heard of your club tell how to enter, the free way to enter, when it closes, what they could win and who can take part?
• Compare the picture with the real prize. If they don't match, swap the image.
• Delete every odds-hyping phrase. If you can't back it up with a number, cut it.
• Tap the link. Make sure it lands on the full terms, not just a payment page.
• Keep a copy. Screenshot the approved ad and save it with the draw records. If someone complains, you'll want to show what actually ran.

Lovable's own launch says no campaign goes live until you approve it, and Meta reviews ads before they run. That approval click is your compliance step. Treat it that way.

For more on promoting draws without the AI, our guides to promoting a club fundraiser on social media and selling more prize draw tickets cover the basics. If you're weighing up where the rules on free-entry prize draws are heading, read our piece on the Fundraising Regulator's free prize draw registration slipping to 2027.

Where AI does help

None of this means you should stop using AI tools. They're good at first drafts, resizing images for each platform, writing five versions of a headline and spotting which one gets clicks. They save volunteers hours. Just think of them as a keen junior who's never read the rulebook: let them draft, and keep the sign-off with a person.

Being honest in your ads also pays off in the long run. The clubs whose draws keep growing season after season are the ones supporters trust: clear terms, published winners and honest totals for what reached the cause.

This article is general guidance on the UK advertising rules, not legal advice. For anything unusual, check the ASA's AdviceOnline pages or take advice before you launch.

The short version

• The ASA says you are responsible for AI-made ads, just as if you'd written them
• Put significant conditions, including the free entry route, in the first post
• Give the free route the same prominence as the paid one
• Don't hype the odds and don't show a prize you won't hand over
• Link to full terms, pick winners verifiably at random, and publish them

Play Fund Win has helped 2,500+ organisations raise £1M+ with draws built around clear entry routes, random selection and published results, so the hard parts are in place before the first ad goes out. Start fundraising with PlayFundWin.