How to use it
- Type or paste names into the box, one per line. Commas also separate names, so a list copied from a spreadsheet row works too.
- Wheel: press Spin. The wheel slows down and stops on the winner. Tick Remove the winner to take them off the list for the next spin.
- Draw: choose how many names to draw and whether repeats are allowed.
- Shuffle: put the whole list in a random order — for presentation slots, a rota or a reading order.
- Teams: choose the number of teams; everyone is shuffled and dealt out so team sizes differ by at most one.
- Use Full screen to project the wheel, and History to see earlier results.
How the randomness works
The result is decided before the wheel turns
Pressing Spin draws the winner immediately from the random source. The animation then turns the wheel so that the winner's segment ends up under the pointer. The spin looks physical, but nothing about the speed of your click or the animation influences who wins — which also means the result is exactly as fair on a slow phone as on a fast computer.
A fair source
Numbers come from crypto.getRandomValues, the browser's cryptographically secure generator, rather than Math.random. Turning a random 32-bit number into a choice among n names uses rejection sampling, so that no name is even slightly favoured by rounding. Shuffling uses the Fisher–Yates algorithm, which produces each of the n! possible orders with equal probability.
Fairness is tested, not assumed: shuffling three names 60,000 times gives each of the six possible orders close to 10,000 times, and the chi-squared statistic stays below the critical value for a 0.1% significance level.
Teams
For teams, the list is shuffled and then dealt like cards: first person to team 1, second to team 2, and so on. With 11 people and 3 teams, the result is teams of 4, 4 and 3.
Examples
- A classroom: paste the class list, spin the wheel for who answers next, and tick Remove so nobody is picked twice until everyone has had a turn.
- A raffle: paste ticket numbers, choose Draw, set How many to the number of prizes and keep No repeats ticked.
- Meeting order: Shuffle the team list to decide who presents first.
- Sports or group work: 11 people in 3 teams come out as 4 + 4 + 3.
Drawing more names than the list holds with No repeats switched on is refused with a clear message rather than silently repeating names.
Limits
- No weighting. Every name has the same chance. To give someone two chances, add their name twice and switch off No repeats.
- Results are not recorded anywhere but this page. For a public draw, show the screen or copy the history before closing the tab.
- Duplicate names count separately. Two entries called "Sam" are two chances.
- The wheel shows up to a few dozen names legibly. Longer lists still work, but labels get small; Draw is clearer for hundreds of entries.
Frequently asked questions
Is the wheel really random?
Yes. The winner is drawn from a cryptographic random source before the animation starts; the animation only shows the result.
Can I stop the same person from being picked twice?
Tick Remove the winner from the list. Each winner is taken off, so the next spin chooses from the rest.
How are teams balanced?
The list is shuffled and dealt out in turn, so team sizes never differ by more than one.
Can I use it on a projector?
Yes. Full screen enlarges the wheel and the result for the room.
Are the names I enter saved?
No. They stay in this page only and are gone when you close it.