Learn how sweepstakes actually work, in about an hour.
A short lesson path, a glossary you can search, the mistakes that cost people prizes, and the messages that are never real. Written for people who enter promotions, not for the people who run them.
The lesson path
Nine short lessons in the order they make sense. Each one is a few minutes and ends with the thing to look for in a real rules page.
Glossary
The words that appear in official rules, in plain language. Type to filter, or jump by letter.
Common mistakes
Four things that cost readers a prize they had already won.
Entering from the wrong country
Entry forms rarely check eligibility. Verification does, after you have been told you won.
Fix: read the "open to residents of" clause first.Missing the claim window
Seven to fourteen days is normal, and a missed reply usually means a redraw to someone else.
Fix: write the claim window on your list, not just the closing date.Using an address you never check
Notifications land in promotions folders and sit there until the window closes.
Fix: one address, one folder, checked twice a week.Assuming the free route does not exist
Where rules mention a free entry method, it carries the same chance as any other route.
Fix: search the rules page for the word "free" before you decide.Scam awareness
Fake prize messages all ask for one of three things. Nothing else about them matters, and no legitimate promoter asks for any of them.
Money
A fee, a tax, a delivery charge or a card verification to release a prize. Always fake, whatever the amount.
Access
A password, a code from your phone, or a sign-in through a link in the message. That is account theft, not verification.
Speed
A deadline of hours instead of days. Urgency exists to stop you checking the official rules.
How this site makes money
Short version: the weekly email carries paid placements.
Free to read
Everything on this site and in the weekly email is free. There is no account, no paywall, and no charge for anything we link to.
Paid placements
Operators pay to appear in the weekly email and in placement slots on the site. Anything paid for is labelled as a placement so you can tell it apart from what we wrote.
Paid for the slot, not the words
Our explainers and summaries are written by us. Payment buys a place in the email, never a different conclusion.
One lesson a week, by email.
A new lesson, one glossary term explained properly, and promotions that are currently open to enter. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Stuck on a clause?
Send us the rules page you are reading and the part that makes no sense. Every message gets an answer within 48 hours, and the good questions end up in the glossary.