How to Prevent Duplicate Entries in a Reddit Giveaway
We built RDT Picker, a Reddit comment picker, and wrote these guides by watching how organizers run real giveaways with it.
To prevent duplicate entries in a Reddit giveaway, decide that each person gets one entry, say so in your rules, and switch on the remove duplicate users filter when you draw. A person who commented five times then counts once. That handles the common case. It does not catch one person using two accounts, and it cannot exclude a specific named user, so those two jobs stay manual.
Why Duplicate Entries Happen
Most duplicates are not cheating. Some people comment again to bump their entry, hoping it improves their odds. Others comment twice by accident, or reply to a question you asked in the thread. If you count replies, one person can easily show up three times without meaning to.
Left alone, duplicates skew the draw. The most persistent commenter, not the luckiest, becomes the most likely winner, and everyone who entered once has a good reason to complain.
Step 1: Write the One-Entry Rule in Your Post
A filter only helps if your rules match it. Put the rule in the post before anyone enters:
One entry per person. Extra comments won't improve your chances, and each person can win only once.
State it next to the entry instructions, not buried at the bottom. If you are still drafting your rules, the Reddit giveaway rules guide has a copy-and-paste template that includes this line.
Step 2: Remove Duplicate Users When You Draw
Once the deadline has passed:
- Copy your Reddit post's link.
- Paste it into the Reddit comment picker and sign in. The organizer needs an RDT Picker account to run a draw. Entrants never do. They only comment on your Reddit post.
- Switch on remove duplicate users.
- Set the number of winners and any other filters that match your posted rules.
- Run the draw and share the result link.
With the filter on, each person counts once no matter how many comments they left. It also means no user can be drawn as a winner twice in the same draw, which matters when you pick several winners at once. A free account includes 3 draws in total, and Creator ($5 per month) and Growth ($50 per year) both include unlimited draws.
For the full click-by-click process, see how to pick a random winner from Reddit comments.
What the Duplicate Filter Does Not Do
Knowing the limits stops you promising something the tool cannot deliver.
- It does not detect alt accounts. The filter works on users. If one person enters from two accounts, they count as two people. RDT Picker also does not check account age or karma, so before you announce a winner, open their profile on Reddit and look at their history yourself.
- It cannot exclude a specific named user. There is no field for that. If you want to keep your own comments, a co-host's, or a moderator's out of the draw, you need a workaround.
A Workaround for Excluding Your Own Comments
The simplest workaround is the include words filter. Ask entrants to include a specific word, such as "entering," and require it in the draw. Comments without it, including your replies and any moderator comments, are filtered out. The exclude words filter does the same job in reverse if your own comments always contain a phrase entrants would not write. These are workarounds, not a dedicated feature. The easiest habit is to avoid leaving entry-style comments on your own giveaway at all.
Should You Ever Allow Extra Entries?
Some organizers reward extra entries for sharing the post or following an account. On Reddit, avoid anything that ties entries to votes. Reddit's Disrupting Communities policy prohibits vote manipulation, and "upvote for a bonus entry" is exactly that. RDT Picker also has no extra-entries field, so a bonus system would have to be handled outside the tool. That makes it harder to explain and harder to prove fair. One entry per person is the simplest rule to defend.
Edge Cases to Plan For
- Replies. If you switch on include replies, a person who posts a top-level comment and then a reply still counts once with the duplicate filter on. Say in your rules whether replies count at all.
- Edited comments. If someone edits their entry after the deadline, check it against your rules before you contact them.
- Deleted comments. A deleted comment cannot be verified or contacted, so skip to a backup winner.
- Several winners. The filter keeps one person from taking two prizes. If you want to draw backups or give different prizes, read how to pick multiple winners from one Reddit post.
Key Takeaways
- Decide on one entry per person and write it in your post before anyone enters.
- Switch on remove duplicate users so each person counts once and cannot win twice in the same draw.
- The filter does not catch alt accounts, so check the winner's profile on Reddit.
- There is no named-user exclusion. Use include words, or simply do not comment on your own giveaway.
- Never offer bonus entries for upvotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, when you switch on the remove duplicate users filter. Each person then counts once however many comments they left, and no user can be drawn twice in the same draw. If the filter is off, duplicates are not removed.
Not with a dedicated field. A workaround is to require an entry word with the include words filter, since your own comments will not contain it. Otherwise, avoid leaving entry-style comments on your own giveaway.
No. It works on users, so two accounts count as two people. Check the winner's profile and history on Reddit before you announce them.
RDT Picker has no extra-entries field, and Reddit prohibits vote manipulation, so never tie bonus entries to upvotes. One entry per person is the simplest and fairest rule.