Sweepstakes: What You Need To Know
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I cannot tell you when the first sweepstakes was introduced. But I can tell you of the very first one I had ever heard of. Just after World War 2 ended in 1945, when I was 15. It was a promotion by Pepsi-Cola, offering as a grand prize, a surplus Army Jeep! Man! I wanted that Jeep really bad. This was in the days when soda pops were still $0.05 each and you bought them ice cold from an ice box with an opener on the side. A canister hung below the opener, allowed one to open the bottle and the cap dropped into the canister.
Pepsi had printed images underneath the cork in the bottle cap. The images were meaningless but never the less, in order to qualify an image had to be in it. Mail in one bottle cap with your name and address for an eligible entry, one per day allowed. Anyway I pilfered the canister at a local grocery store and took all the Pepsi caps and mailed in several entries. I thought that was probably enough to win any sweepstakes. It wasn't. So I learned early to accept disappointment. Nevertheless, I was smitten... enamored.
I determined I would enter as many of those things as I could find, so long as they were free. And, they really flourished after the war. There have been many changes since that time. The federal government has stepped in an placed various rules and regulations on them (don't they always?). States also have placed restrictions and regulations on them.
Some of those regulations are very good. In order to qualify as a legitimate sweepstakes, there has to be nothing that would show partiality to any individual or any group. There can be no requirement that one has to purchase any product. Even if the rules state that you must enclose a box top or anything which would require you to purchase something, they must offer an alternative method of entering. Usually, that will require one to mail a request for an entry coupon and when received, re-mail the entry. An extra postage stamp required in that arrangement.
Many people shrug off the idea saying they never give away those things. Wrong! They can be in very serious trouble unless all prizes are awarded as described, and on the level. There have been a number of lawsuits brought and won, where there was evidence of hanky panky. No, the prizes are awarded as advertised in 99.9% of the cases and the others wind up being prosecuted. So, can you win?
Absolutely, you can win as easily as the next fellow and someone is going to. Buuuuut...the odds are enormously against you winning anything big. Another requirement placed on those who hold these promotions, is they must list the approximate odds of winning each prize. Since it is seldom known how many will enter the sweeps, and the odds depend upon that, an estimate has to be given. When you enter a million dollar sweepstakes, you have to realize, your odds of being struck by lightning is greater than that you will win that first prize. And what good is 1M when you have been struck by lightning?
All kidding aside, the odds are enormous. But, normally they have one huge first prize, maybe 10 second prizes on down until they offer a couple of million men's handkerchiefs. And usually, the lower the first prize, the fewer entries will be received. So, if you see a sweeps with a $50. Grand prize, enter it. You have a fair chance of winning.
Sweeps had their heyday back during the 60's and 70's. I guess that is why I'm broke today, I entered dozens, hundreds of times for several years. I once bought a case of 3X5 note pads to meet the required size asked by most for your name and address. Foolish move, we still have some of the pads, yellowed over the years. But we have not run short of note paper. I once won a first prize! A local hardware's grand opening first prize was a nice radio with dual speakers...very rare back then.
At the peak of my entering, I won a number of of prizes, mostly in the 6th place category but I won a few nice ones. I won $100 cash in a national meat product company's promotion. I also won a his/hers sets of Gregory golf clubs complete with nice bags. I cannot find such clubs now, they must have merged with someone else, or, I have forgotten the true name. I won a number of tiny gifts such as books, a gold chain necklace, his/hers matching watches, decorative plate, and on and on. But I finally stopped spending money on postage without ever winning the biggie.
When entering any sweepstakes, read the rules very carefully. Not only are they regulated tightly for those who sponsor them, but they are also regulated for the ones who enter them. Any mistake or error you might make in following the rules will disqualify your entry and you have simply wasted your time. So go by the rules.
It is a good, clean hobby if a person has the time for it. And especially now when many can be entered online, for free. And there is no shortage of them. Perhaps a shortage of ones which you have an interest in sometimes. If you line yourself up with perhaps 10 which can be entered daily, then spend a few minutes each day submitting the entries and you will more than likely start seeing at least a small prize now and then, and who knows, you might even catch a big one someday. Someone does. Here are some starting places:
http://www.online-sweepstakes.com/
Webgazine Columnist.
Article submitted Saturday, March 28, 2009 & read 50 times.
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» left by Nancy Daniels (3 years 41 days ago.)
What an novel subject, Joel.I had a friend who spent several months just entering these sweepstakes and she won various things, the greatest of which was an above ground pool. Of course, once they built the deck and the other odds and ends, it ended up costing her $6,000!I have read about people who make a living from entering these contests. If you do it right, I guess the odds eventually fall in your favor.Thanks for a well-written piece,Nancy» left by Anonymous (3 years 17 days ago.)
Hi Nancy, thanks for the comment. Sorry to be so long in replying but I do not get notification of comments here so I just hadn't checked back lately.
