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Learning To Differentiate Between Sweepstakes And Competitions

November 26th, 2009

Many websites onthe internet offer great prize through sweepstakes, contests, instant games and lottos. That ‘s why it is straightforward to puzzle them and use these terms indistinguishably. But sweepstakes are n’t the same as contests. The difference is sort of easy.

Contests require an element of skill. You deliver the products, be it a poem, an essay or a recipe and you win if you ‘re ok. Of course, the product you deliver is generally employed by the promoter; failing which there may be an entry fee for collaboration.

Sweepstakes on the other hand give away prizes purely on chance. They are winnings of luck; no part of skill comes in. A random winner is picked from the entries and offered anything from a television set to a chance to tour a favored vacation destination or huge cash payments. Prizes rely on the promoter and the item they ‘re promoting and may change from basic items like t-shirts or scents to automobiles, homes, travel deals and huge cash rewards.

In the united states, sweepstakes are legal while lotteries are not. Three common elements define both sweepstakes and lotteries. They are : Prizes/Chance winners/Compensation

To avoid becoming an illegal lottery, a sweepstake must ensure that it doesn’t have all of the three elements. It can have any two, but not all of them. Obviously, the first two elements can’t be evaded so that the 3rd one is left out. That ‘s why bonafide sweepstakes NEVER ask for an entry fee or compensation. In brief free sweepstakes are legit, paid ones are fraudulent! Sweepstakes can’t even demand a little of your winnings.

So, what are some of the things you must keep an eye 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 can’t enter.

Secondly, find if your age fits the criteria of the particular sweepstake. Most sweepstakes are open to the over 18 and over 21 categories. However some promoters allow children over the age of 13 to participate under adult supervision.

Finally, see if there’s any restriction on the amount of entries you can send in. For instance, some promotions are single-entry contests; others allow you to enter once daily. Many allow unlimited entries. Frequency depends entirely on the sponsor. You can determine it by going through the Rules section.

Remember, before you enter any contest, it’s important to check out the guidelines governing 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 are not eligible for who knows what reason, isn’t it?

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