Telling The Difference Between Sweepstakes And Contests
Sunday, January 24, 2010 12:40Many websites on the web offer great prize through sweepstakes, contests, instant games and lottos. That is why it is easy to confuse them and use these terms interchangeably. But sweepstakes are n’t the same as contests. The difference is quite easy.
Contests require afactor of skill. You deliver the goods, be it a poem, an essay or a recipe and you win if you are good enough. Naturally, the product you deliver is generally used by the promoter; failing which there could be an entry fee for participation.
Sweepstakes on the other hand give away prizes only on chance. They are winnings of luck; no component of talent comes in. A random winner is picked from the entries and offered anything from a TV set to an opportunity to tour a favored vacation destination or big money payments. Prizes depend on the promoter and the item they are promoting and may alter from basic items like t-shirts or perfumes to vehicles, homes, travel deals and enormous cash rewards.
In the united states, sweepstakes are legal while lotteries aren’t. Three common elements outline both sweepstakes and lotteries. They are : Prizes/Chance winners/Compensation
To avoid becoming an illegal lottery, a sweepstake must make sure that it doesn’t have all of the 3 elements. It can have any 2, but not every one of them. Obviously, the first 2 elements cannot be avoided so that the third one is left out. That is why bonafide sweepstakes NEVER ask for an entry fee or compensation. Briefly free sweepstakes are legitimate, paid ones are fraudulent! Sweepstakes cannot even demand a part of your winnings.
So, what are a selection of the things you want to watch out for while entering sweepstakes? First, check out if the sweepstake applies to your location. Some locations like Quebec, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Florida are considered void locations, meaning if you belong to this locality, you cannot enter.
Secondly, find if your age fits the factors of the particular sweepstake. Most sweepstakes are open to the over 18 and over 21 categories. Neverthless some promoters allow youngsters over the age of 13 to take part under adult supervision.
Finally, see if there’s any restriction on the quantity of entries you can send in. For example, some promotions are single-entry contests; others let you enter once daily. Many allow unlimited entries. Frequency depends entirely on the sponsor. You can ascertain it by going thru the Rules section.
Remember, before you enter any contest, it is vital to test out the rules ruling it. Why? It would be a pain to fill out all of the information and then discover at the bottom of the page ( or when you hit the submit button ) that you aren’t eligible for whatever reason, isn’t it?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!





