South Carolina Sweepstakes Laws: Rules & Requirements

South Carolina online contests: make prize and selection claims accurate, disclose material conditions and distinguish free forms from gambling devices.

Planning a free giveaway or photo/video competition open to South Carolina residents? This guide focuses on ordinary commercial promotions with free entry, including random drawings and submission contests using judges or public voting. Paid entries or votes, purchase-linked promotions, charitable raffles and regulated prizes need separate analysis.

Editorial review: September 11, 2026. Sources are linked beside the guidance they support. This is an informational overview, not legal advice for a particular campaign.

South Carolina’s consumer-protection standard

South Carolina §39-5-20 prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce. The statute includes scope and exemption provisions; it is not an automatic approval of any promotion described as free.

For an ordinary brand giveaway, explain the real prize and material conditions. As practical drafting guidance, identify the sponsor and avoid an invitation that misleadingly tells every recipient they have already won.

Sources: South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Define judging or public voting before entry

Publish the criteria for a judged photo/video contest or explain how votes determine the outcome. State the submission and voting windows, eligibility and tie handling, and follow the advertised process.

South Carolina’s gambling chapter separately addresses prohibited gaming activity. A free submission form is a different question from a paid gambling device; neither a marketing label nor a generic disclaimer settles the classification of an unusual game.

Sources: South Carolina gambling chapter.

Registration and campaigns open to other states

For ordinary free commercial sweepstakes, the familiar prize-value filing regimes are in New York, Florida and Rhode Island. That does not remove South Carolina's disclosure and conduct rules described above, or special rules for a different industry or format. See the registration guide and its sources for that distinction.

The state-law directory links to all 50 states and DC. A “void where prohibited” line does not itself define your eligible audience or complete a required filing.

Before opening entries

Use these practical drafting and administration steps alongside the applicable state rules:

• Identify the sponsor, eligible entrants, entry period and advertised prize.
• Explain the free entry method and how winners are selected. For submissions, describe judging criteria or voting stages and tie handling.
• Make advertisements, the form and full rules agree; do not imply an entrant has already won.
• Plan verification, notification and fulfillment, and retain the rules and selection records.

Federal advertising standards also apply. The FTC warns against misleading purchase prompts and prize claims; see its advertising guidance. Tax reporting and channel-specific rules are covered in the national sweepstakes guide.