Can You Get Better Odds of Winning Sweepstakes by Making Purchases?
Can You Get Better Odds of Winning Sweepstakes by Making Purchases? Friday April 9, 2010One question I’ve been hearing a lot recently, both from sweepers and from people who are interested in running contests on their blog or for their company, is whether it is legal to give people who make purchases or make donations to a cause, better odds of winning. The short answer is “no.” For a longer answer, see my article, Are Sweepstakes Allowed to Offer Better Prizes to People Who Make Purchases?. While I am glad that sweepstakes must offer a non-purchase method of entry, I don’t feel like the law has kept up with the times. Why? Because companies can still offer an online method of entry for people who make a purchase while having only a mail-in method of entry for people who don’t. While the odd
One question I’ve been hearing a lot recently, both from sweepers and from people who are interested in running contests on their blog or for their company, is whether it is legal to give people who make purchases or make donations to a cause, better odds of winning. The short answer is “no.” For a longer answer, see my article, Are Sweepstakes Allowed to Offer Better Prizes to People Who Make Purchases?. While I am glad that sweepstakes must offer a non-purchase method of entry, I don’t feel like the law has kept up with the times. Why? Because companies can still offer an online method of entry for people who make a purchase while having only a mail-in method of entry for people who don’t. While the odds are still exactly the same whether you enter with purchase online or send in a postcard to enter, the amount of effort and money to send in an entry by mail is much higher. But the laws
