About Random Picker Wheels
A random picker wheel — sometimes called a spin wheel, decision wheel or prize wheel — is a circular graphic divided into coloured segments, each labelled with an entry. Spin it, and it slows down and stops with a pointer on one segment: the winner. It is the most visual form of random selection, and that visibility is exactly what makes it useful for public draws, classroom activities, giveaways and settling disputes.
This tool builds a fair wheel entirely in your browser. Every entry has an equal chance of being selected, the animation is purely cosmetic, and no data leaves your device.
How the spin works
Every spin does three things:
- Picks a random final angle using
Math.random()— a uniform random number across the full 360° of the wheel. - Computes the winner from that angle — the segment whose arc contains the pointer position when the wheel stops.
- Animates the wheel from its current rotation to the target angle using an ease-out easing function, so it visibly slows down as it approaches the finish.
Because the final angle is generated before the animation starts, the spin is fair regardless of how the wheel decelerates. The animation is a display of the outcome, not a cause of it.
Equal vs weighted segments
In this tool every entry gets an equal-sized segment. With N entries, each has a 1/N chance of winning. For a 6-entry wheel that is 16.67% each; for a 50-entry wheel it is 2% each.
Weighted wheels, where some segments are larger than others, give different probabilities. They are useful for raffles where some people bought more tickets, or for handicapping games. If you need weighted probability, combine the wheel with our Random Number Generator — roll a number 1–100 and map ranges to entries.
Remove-winner mode
By default, the wheel keeps every entry after a spin — the same entry can win again. This is called sampling with replacement, and it matches what you expect from a real physical prize wheel.
Turn on Remove winner after spin for sampling without replacement: each winner is removed from the wheel so that subsequent spins pick from the remaining entries. This is the right mode for:
- Raffle draws where each winner must be distinct
- Calling on each student or team member exactly once
- Drawing prize winners for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place
- Assigning tasks or roles to different people
When you have drawn all entries, the wheel empties. Add entries again or turn the mode off to continue.
Common use cases
Giveaways & raffles
Draw live winners on stream or video call.
Classroom
Pick students to answer or form teams.
Deciding where to eat
Add restaurants — let the wheel choose.
Group decisions
Turn chores, tasks or roles into a spin.
Games
Random turns, truth or dare, challenges.
Streaming
Subscriber picks, giveaway draws, chat games.
Tips for a good spin
- Keep entries short. Two to four words fit best on a segment. Long entries get truncated.
- Limit entry count. Above about 20 entries, the segments become too thin to read. 6–12 is the sweet spot.
- Shuffle before an important spin. Not required for fairness, but it makes the visual order feel less predictable.
- Use fullscreen for events. Projecting the wheel on a big screen makes draws feel more dramatic and transparent.
- Record the spin. For high-stakes draws, record the screen so there is a record of the outcome.
Privacy
This random picker wheel runs entirely in your browser. Every spin uses Math.random() locally, and your entries and winner history are stored only in your browser's localStorage. Nothing is transmitted, stored or logged on any server.