Online sweepstakes have become incredibly popular. This is because they provide the thrill of winning a reward or money without requiring participants to pay to enter or work to win the prize. It’s fun and effortless because entrants do not need any special skills to enter sweepstakes.
If offline sweepstakes are held at specific business locations, online sweepstakes are conducted on a specific website. This website will have a page detailing the sweepstakes, the rules, and the valuable prizes.
Sweepstakes vs. Contests: What's the difference?
Sweepstakes are not to be confused with skill-based events, which are contests. The winner of the sweepstakes is determined by a method of random drawing.
Ethical sweepstakes
Sweepstakes must be done ethically and lawfully. In the United States, sweepstakes are regulated by a combination of federal, state, and local authorities. There are ten simple rules that must be followed in order to run successful sweepstakes:
- There must be a clause in the sweepstakes specifying that no purchase is needed.
- The sweepstakes must have designated start and end dates.
- The qualifying conditions for the sweepstakes must be explicitly stated.
- There must be a clear explanation of how to enter the sweepstakes.
- The sweepstakes must state whether or not there is a limit to the number of persons who can participate.
- A statement explaining the odds of winning must be included in the sweepstakes.
- The sweepstakes must state what prizes are available and their value.
- The sweepstakes must specify how winners will be chosen and how they will be notified of their winning.
- Any restrictions on how to win must be stated in the sweepstakes.
- The name and address of those who are sponsoring the prize must be included in the sweepstakes.
How sweepstake winners are chosen
Understanding the methods used by sponsors to choose winners can be extremely beneficial if you want to win giveaways. You may be able to change the odds in your favor depending on how the giveaway works. Below are some of the most popular giveaway drawing methods, along with an overview of how they work:
Winners are chosen at random from a mailbag or a container.
Generally, the mail-in sweepstakes winner’s name is randomly picked by hand. Envelopes for mail-in sweepstakes are sorted into bags when they arrive. When it is time to choose the winner of the giveaway, a mailbag is picked at random. The sponsor's appointee then reaches into the bag, takes out an envelope, and opens it. The potential winner is the one whose envelope is chosen (subject to verification).
The winning entry is chosen by a random number.
This is the most popular method of selecting winners for giveaways. Regardless of whether the submission is made online, by mail, or by another form, each entry is assigned a number in the order in which it is received. A number from 1 to the last entry number is randomly selected on the drawing date. The giveaway's winner is the entry that matches the chosen number. This method of selecting winners is fair and flexible, as it can be used for web entries, mail-in sweepstakes, or sweepstakes with a variety of entry methods.
Drawings using a randomly chosen time.
Instant-win sweepstakes winners are often selected using this method. Prior to the start of the giveaway, the sponsor selects one particular time for each prize. The giveaway is won by the first submission sent after the winning moment.
Pro Tip: Enter a giveaway as soon as it starts.
People who enter early in a giveaway with multiple draws, such as those who give away prizes every day or every week, have an advantage over those that enter later. If you get started right away, you'll be in the running for every prize. You will not be able to miss any of the drawings. Also, you have a higher chance of winning if you enter before the word gets out and more people participate. In certain cases, the chances of winning are considerably greater in the first few days or weeks.
