Twitch giveaways: a guide for streamers

Updated 11 November 2026 · By the Vast team

Twitch lets you run a giveaway on your channel, as long as you run it. Section 8(d) of its Terms of Service makes you the promoter, responsible for the rules, the winners and the prizes, and it requires a disclaimer that you show or read out. Most of the work beyond that is choosing how people enter, how you draw, and whether a chat bot is enough.

Vast is our product, so weigh that. We checked every source below on November 11, 2026. Twitch's Safety Center and help center build their pages with JavaScript, so we read the text versions they serve to search engines, at the same addresses.

Twitch's rules for giveaways

Terms of Service, section 8(d), "Promotions." The Terms (last modified August 12, 2026) let you run "a contest or sweepstakes" on Twitch if you follow four rules:

  1. You may run promotions "to the extent permitted by applicable law," and you alone make sure they comply.
  2. You are the promoter, responsible for "drafting and posting any official rules; selecting winners; issuing prizes," and any registrations and bonds.
  3. You may not say Twitch is a sponsor or co-sponsor.
  4. You must display or read out: "This is a promotion by [Your Name]. Twitch does not sponsor or endorse this promotion and is not responsible for it."

Twitch can remove a promotion it "reasonably believes" breaks the Terms or the law. Section 10 also bans spam, including bulk messages "related to promotional giveaways (such as raffles and contests)."

Branded Content, section 9. Twitch defines Branded Content as content promoting products or services "in exchange for something of value, such as being paid or provided with goods or services." A brand that supplies your prize in return for promotion fits that. You agree to use Twitch's Branded Content tool and follow the FTC's disclosure rules.

Community Guidelines. The Community Guidelines have no giveaway section, but four lines apply:

Channel Points. Twitch's Channel Points guide says the feature is "available to all monetized streamers." The Channel Points Acceptable Use Policy (last modified December 9, 2019) says: "Do not create Points redemption opportunities that constitute gambling." It also says points "cannot otherwise be exchanged for items that have value outside" Twitch. Twitch doesn't say how that applies to a redemption that earns a giveaway entry for an outside prize. If you use one, also offer a free way to earn the same entries, and read the policy first.

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.

Follow and sub entries

Follows are free, so a follow-to-enter giveaway is the simple case. Twitch bans inflating follow stats, so don't reward alt accounts, and remove obvious duplicates before you draw.

Subs cost money, and that changes the legal picture. In the US, the FTC's page on prize scams says: "It's illegal to ask you to pay or buy something to enter or to increase your odds of winning." Two common setups run into that line:

Both are built into the chat bots below, and Moobot pitches extra chances for subs as a way to "encourage viewers to subscribe." Being common doesn't make them safe where you live. Safer options:

Gleam's Twitch actions doc (archived February 19, 2026; the live site blocked us) describes a "Free Entry Alternative" it can add to a subscribe action, which it says "will only appear to entrants in countries where it is legally required." Vast has no such option. Our rules template covers free-entry routes in the US, Canada and the UK.

On-stream or off-stream draws

Draw on streamGiveaway page, off stream
Who can enterPeople watching nowAnyone with the link, any time zone
Proof of fairnessChat watches the drawYou post the result and how you drew it
Winner present?You can require itContacted by email or DM later
Fraud riskAlt accounts typing in chatDepends on what the tool checks
Best forHype, small prizes, regularsBigger prizes, entries from X, Steam or Discord

You can do both: collect entries on a page all week, then announce the winner live.

If you draw on stream:

Chat bots or a giveaway platform

A chat bot runs the giveaway inside Twitch chat. Viewers type a keyword or are picked from active chatters, with no sign-up. We checked three bots' own docs.

BotHow viewers enterSub extrasWorth knowing
NightbotActive chatter in a time window, a keyword, or first to type a random number"Extra Luck" sliders for subscribers and regularsLimits entry by user level; shows the winner's chat with an inactivity timer
StreamElementsTickets bought with its loyalty points, via !ticket or a giveaway pageSubscriber luck from 1x to 10x, or subs onlyTicket cost 0 makes entry free; spent points aren't returned unless you refund
MoobotA keyword in chat, or guessing a random numberSubs only, or extra chances for subsShows drawn entrants' follow status; you accept or re-draw

Sources: Nightbot's Giveaways docs, StreamElements' Giveaways module (updated November 3, 2026) and Moobot's giveaway guide. Moobot's page says your mods "can also fully manage your giveaways," and that a giveaway auto-archives after one month.

What a bot does well: speed, no sign-up, and an entry method everyone on Twitch already knows. What it can't see is anything off Twitch, such as X follows, Steam wishlists or Discord joins, and it doesn't write rules for you. It's the same split we found with Discord bots, covered in Discord giveaway bot vs giveaway platform.

Use a bot for quick drops during a stream. Use a platform when the prize is worth checking winners for, when people enter from off Twitch, or when you want entries from viewers who missed the stream.

Vast's checked Twitch actions

Vast is our product, so weigh this section as a vendor's description.

On Vast, Twitch is one of the few platforms where actions are checked, not taken on trust. A player connects their Twitch account once (see Connect your accounts), and Vast asks Twitch:

In the two-step launch flow, Twitch is under More, as a follow action. Subscribe and channel reward actions are in the advanced editor. Steam wishlists and ownership are checked the same way, through a connected Steam account.

Winners are drawn at random from everyone who entered when the giveaway ends, and actions worth more entries improve a player's odds. You can't win your own giveaway, nobody wins twice, and re-draws are logged. Official rules are drafted for you, and you can embed the giveaway on your site.

Where Vast is weaker for streamers:

Twitch actions work on the free plan, which runs one giveaway a month with one prize and one winner. As of November 11, 2026, Basic costs $15 a month or $108 a year. See our plans comparison.

A plan for your next Twitch giveaway

  1. Pick a prize your viewers want: a game you play, a key, gear you use on stream.
  2. Decide the entry: follow, plus one action off Twitch if you want reach.
  3. Make every paid route optional and equal to a free one.
  4. Write rules with the minimum age, countries, dates, prize values, the draw and the claim deadline. Add Twitch's disclaimer.
  5. Show the rules link in your panels and in chat, and read the disclaimer when you promote it.
  6. Draw on stream or announce live, and contact the winner privately.
  7. Check the winner, and re-draw if they don't qualify or don't claim in time.

Run a Twitch giveaway with follows and subs checked through Twitch, and official rules drafted for you. Start a giveaway

FAQ

Are giveaways allowed on Twitch? Yes. Section 8(d) of the Terms of Service allows contests and sweepstakes that comply with the law, with you as the promoter, and requires Twitch's disclaimer.

Can I run a subs-only giveaway? Twitch's Terms leave it to the law where you are. In the US, requiring a purchase to enter or to improve odds is the problem. Offer a free route and ask a lawyer.

Can a chat bot check follows? Moobot's docs say its management menu shows drawn entrants' follow status. Nightbot's and StreamElements' giveaway docs don't mention follows.

Does Vast check Twitch follows? Yes. With a connected Twitch account, Vast checks follows, subscriptions and channel reward redemptions before it gives the entries.

Sources

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