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How to run a giveaway that's actually legal

We love giving money away. We also don't love lawsuits. So every giveaway we run — and every one the challenge builder will let you run — follows real US sweepstakes structure. Not "looks legit." Actually legit.

The three ingredients that make a lottery

A lottery (which you, a normal person, cannot legally run) needs three things: a prize, chance, and consideration (people paying to play). Remove any one and it's legal. Prizes and chance are the fun part, so you remove consideration — by offering a genuine free way to enter.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. That line, plus a real free entry route, is what turns your prize draw from an illegal lottery into a lawful sweepstakes.

What every one of our rules pages has to state

  • Sponsor — the legal name and a real mailing address.
  • Entry period — exact open and close date/time, and whose clock is official.
  • Eligibility — age, residency, and employee/household exclusions.
  • Free entry route (AMOE) — a mail-in or free online method, weighted equally to any paid path.
  • Prize + ARV — a clear description and the approximate retail value.
  • Odds language — "odds depend on the number of eligible entries."
  • Winner selection + notification — random draw, a date, and a response deadline with forfeiture terms.
  • Void where prohibited — plus a flag to register/bond in states like NY and FL when the prize is large.

Our builder refuses to launch a prize draw without a free-entry route and published rules. A giveaway with no rules, no draw, or no intent to pay isn't marketing — it's engagement bait, and it's the fastest way to torch the one thing that matters: people believing you actually pay out.

That's why the winners archive stays up forever. The archive is the trust engine.

Run your own drop.

Every idea here is built into the hub — challenges, the A/B lab, the studio, the store.

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