Ladder lottery (amidakuji)
Type the names and the prizes, then follow a line down the ladder.
Click a name to follow its line down the ladder.
Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
How it works
- Type the names along the top, one per line.
- Type the prizes, or leave the box empty and set how many winners there are.
- Press New ladder, then click a name to follow its line down.
- Show every line when everyone has had their turn.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a hand-drawn ladder fair?
- Not quite — scattering rungs at random favours some pairings over others. This works the other way round: the pairing is drawn first, fairly, with the browser’s cryptographic random numbers, and then a ladder is built that carries out exactly that pairing. Every outcome is equally likely.
- How does an amidakuji work?
- Start at a name and go down. Every time a rung touches your line, take it sideways, then carry on down. Where you come out is your prize.
- How many names can it take?
- Up to twenty, which is as many as fit on a screen and stay readable.
- Is my list kept?
- On this device for next time, and nowhere else.
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