Spin the Wheel

A fair draw, with a little suspense

Every slice of the wheel is exactly the same size, so every option has exactly the same chance of winning: with 5 entries, that's 20% each. The final spin is decided by your browser's random number generator before the wheel even starts moving; the slow-down at the end is pure theater and never changes the outcome. Think of it as pulling a name out of a hat, just a lot more fun to watch.

Ways to use the wheel

Who does the dishes tonight, what to order for dinner, who presents first, turn order in a board game, or the winner of a small giveaway among friends. Check "remove the winner" to run elimination-style draws: once a name has been picked it drops out of the wheel, which is ideal for assigning turns to a whole group one after another.

Why a visible draw convinces more than a number

A generator that prints a name is mathematically identical to a spinning wheel, but it does not have the same effect on people: the wheel shows the process, and whoever watches sees that all the slices were there and that none was removed. It is the same reason public draws are held in front of a notary rather than with a spreadsheet.

In a group this counts for more than the mathematics: an accepted draw is one nobody suspects, and the two seconds of suspense are exactly what make it acceptable. Anyone organising something with friends knows it: the method has to be visible before the result, not explained afterwards.

The options are written beforehand, not after

The rule that makes a draw fair is that the list is closed before spinning. Adding an entry after seeing the result, or spinning again because «it came out badly», cancels everything: what is left is not a draw but a disguised choice, and in a group everyone notices.

The same goes for the opposite case: if an option is not genuinely acceptable, it must not go on the wheel. Putting something among the choices that you hope will not come up is the fastest way to end up having to do it, or having to cheat in front of everyone.

When to spin again and when not to

If the wheel is deciding a single thing, the result is the result. If it is establishing an order — who starts, then who goes second — the drawn entry has to be removed and the wheel spun again, otherwise the same person can come up twice and no order forms.

Then there is the case of the weekly repeat: who does the dishes tonight. With an independent draw each time, it is entirely normal for the same person to come up three times in a row, and the feeling of injustice is strong even though the method is correct. In those cases a rotation is better, that is a list you work through: less fun and far more peaceful.

The case where the slices should not be equal

Every entry here has the same probability, and that is nearly always the right thing. But there are situations where it is not: if one person has already done the dishes three times and another never, a fair draw does not produce a fair result, because it treats two different situations as the same.

The simple way to weight the probabilities is repeating an entry: whoever has fewer turns behind them appears twice and has double the chance. It is a trick as old as lotteries, and it solves ninety per cent of the cases where a uniform draw feels unjust.

Nearby tools

For a choice between two there is Heads or tails, for dice Roll the dice and for numbers Random number generator. To split a group Random team maker, and to organise a tournament Tournament bracket.