A number generator gives you an index. A wheel gives you a name and something to watch. The randomness underneath can be identical — Spinnza uses your browser's cryptographic generator either way.
When a number generator is enough
You are picking for yourself, the list is numbered already, and nobody needs convincing. Pick a number between 1 and 482 and count down the spreadsheet.
When a wheel is better
- Other people are watching, in a classroom or on a stream.
- Your entries are names or usernames, not row numbers — counting to row 482 by hand is where mistakes happen.
- Some entries have more chances than others, and mapping bonus entries onto a number range by hand is fiddly and easy to get wrong.
- You may have to show the draw later.
The part that matters either way
Neither is fair if the list changed between the draw and the announcement. That is why Spinnza fingerprints the list rather than only the result.