Lottery Tools for Microsoft Teams Meetings [2026 Guide]

When you're asked to run a prize drawing or decide the presentation order during a Teams meeting, what method do you use? Microsoft Teams is widely adopted in businesses, but its built-in features don't include any lottery or random selection mechanism.

This article compares five lottery methods you can use in Teams meetings and recommends the best option from the perspectives of transparency and fairness.

What Microsoft Teams Can and Cannot Do

What Teams Can Do

The Poll feature allows the following:

• Simple majority votes
• Anonymous or named voting
• Real-time tallying

Example use cases:

• "Option A or Option B?" majority votes
• Scheduling the next meeting
• Deciding where to eat for lunch

What Teams Cannot Do

On the other hand, Teams does not support these random selection tasks:

• Prize drawings
• Randomizing presentation order
• Automatic group assignment
• Fair role distribution

Microsoft focuses on polling functionality, and since guaranteeing the fairness of randomness is inherently difficult, the platform assumes external tools will handle lottery needs.

Five Lottery Methods for Teams Meetings

Method 1: Excel RAND Function

Steps:

1. Create a participant list in Excel
2. Generate random numbers with =RAND()
3. Sort to determine order
4. Share the screen in the Teams meeting

Pros:

• Stays within the Microsoft ecosystem
• No additional cost
• Easy to operate

Cons:

• Suspicion that "the formula could be manipulated"
• Hard to see via screen sharing
• Results change when recalculated

This is only suitable for small groups (10 or fewer) where internal trust already exists.

Method 2: PowerShell/Python Scripts

Steps:

1. Export the participant list as CSV
2. Randomly sort with a script
3. Share results via screen sharing

Pros:

• Technically reliable
• Customizable
• Handles large groups

Cons:

• Requires technical expertise
• Takes time to prepare
• Requires explaining whether the code is correct

This method is suited for engineering teams or technically-oriented organizations.

Method 3: Online Roulette and Lottery Sites

Steps:

1. Access a free lottery website
2. Enter participant names
3. Spin the roulette
4. Share results via screen sharing

Pros:

• Visually intuitive
• High entertainment value
• Easy to set up

Cons:

• Lingering doubts about whether it's truly random
• Only the organizer operates it (low transparency)
• Ads may be displayed

This works well for casual events where entertainment value is the priority.

Method 4: Chat Number Input

Ask everyone to "think of a number between 1 and 10," then post simultaneously in chat on the count of three. No tools are needed and it can be done on the spot, but numbers may overlap and proving fairness is difficult, so this is limited to impromptu decisions with a small group.

Method 5: Using Amida-san

Steps:

1. Create an event on Amida-san
2. Share the URL in Teams chat
3. All participants add rungs
4. Run the lottery and display results
5. Share results via screen sharing in the Teams meeting

Pros:

• All participants are involved in the lottery process
• No one can manipulate the results
• Mathematically proven fairness
• Results stored and verifiable via URL for 180 days
• Supports up to 299 participants
• No registration required, completely free

Cons:

• May need to explain the ghost leg mechanism to those unfamiliar with it
• Takes a bit more time the first time around

This is ideal for organizations that value transparency, large-scale drawings, and situations requiring fair role assignment.

Comparison Table of the Five Methods

Method	Transparency	Prep Time	Participant Involvement	Large Group Support
Excel RAND	2/5	5 min	Organizer only	2/5
Scripts	3/5	15 min	Organizer only	3/5
Roulette sites	2/5	3 min	Organizer only	2/5
Chat numbers	1/5	1 min	Everyone participates	1/5
Amida-san	5/5	5 min	Everyone participates	5/5

Practical Example: Prize Drawing in a Teams Meeting

Quarterly Kickoff Meeting (50 participants)

Preparation (one day before the meeting):

1. Create an event on Amida-san
2. Enter the prize list (1st through 5th place)
3. Share the URL in the Teams meeting pre-chat
4. Announce: "Please register your name before the meeting"

Day of the meeting (10-minute drawing time):

Host: "Now let's begin the prize drawing."
Host: "Everyone, please open the Amida-san URL."
Host: "I'll re-share the link in the chat."

(Participants add rungs one by one)

Host: "Yamada-san, please go first."
Yamada: "Done!"
Host: "Thank you. Next is Sato-san."

(All participants complete)

Host: "Everyone's done! Let's see the results."
Host: "Pressing the start button now..."

(Results displayed via screen sharing)

Host: "First place goes to Tanaka-san! Congratulations!"

After the meeting:

• Results stored via URL for 180 days
• If disputes arise, the transparency of the process can be explained

Use Cases for Teams Meetings

1. Regular Meetings

Deciding presentation order:

• Weekly report order
• Presentation sequence
• How to fairly decide presentation order

Role assignment:

• Meeting minutes duty
• Timekeeper
• Next meeting's facilitator

2. Training and Workshops

Group assignment:

• Breakout room allocation
• Project team formation
• Group assignments that enhance training effectiveness

3. Company Events

Prize drawings:

• Quarterly award ceremonies
• Anniversary events
• Lottery ideas for company parties

4. Remote Work

Task assignment:

• Duty rotation
• Assigning new project leads
• Methods for fair role assignment

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is there a Teams app integration?

There is currently no official Teams app integration. However, participants can easily access it simply by pasting the URL in chat.

Q2: What if more participants join during the meeting?

As long as the lottery hasn't started yet, participants can be added at any time. Latecomers can also add their rungs.

Q3: Can mobile participants use it?

Yes. Simply open the URL in a browser on a smartphone or tablet to participate.

Q4: Can results be saved as records?

By saving the URL, you can check the results at any time. Taking a screenshot to paste into meeting minutes is also recommended.

Achieving Fair Lotteries in Teams Meetings

While Microsoft Teams doesn't have a built-in lottery feature, leveraging external tools makes highly transparent drawings possible.

Key considerations when choosing a lottery tool for Teams meetings:

1. Transparency: Can all participants accept the result?
2. Participation: Can everyone be involved?
3. Simplicity: Does it require minimal preparation time?
4. Record-keeping: Can results be verified afterward?

In particular, Amida-san offers:

• All participants involved in the lottery process
• Mathematically guaranteed fairness
• Results stored and verifiable via URL for 180 days
• Support for up to 299 participants

Give it a try at your next Teams meeting.

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Related articles:

• How to energize remote meetings
• Best practices for online prize drawings
• Methods for fair role assignment
• What is Amidakuji? How it works