Sweepstakes Laws by State: Map & Guides
Explore sourced guides to free sweepstakes and submission contests for all 50 states and DC, including prize-value filings and state-specific rules.
Choose a state for guidance on free promotional drawings and photo/video contests. The colors highlight selected filing regimes, not overall legal risk. Each guide links its sources and explains the scope of the rules.
Prize-value filing & security
Retail-promotion filing
See state guidance
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Tap a state to see its requirements, or browse the list below.
All 50 States + DC
AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
DC
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY
Alabama
Alabama free promotions: disclose material conditions, make free-entry advertising accurate and avoid false winner or prize-release claims.
Alaska
Alaska online sweepstakes and submission contests: truthful terms, clear prize conditions and separate disclosure rules for telephone promotions.
Arizona
Arizona free sweepstakes and photo/video contests: clear sponsor information, genuinely free entry and an accurate winner-selection method.
Arkansas
Arkansas distinguishes entirely free promotions from payment-linked prize schemes. Keep the entry and prize-collection process clear.
California
California sweepstakes guidance for free online giveaways: no purchase advantage, clear prize notices and separate rules for judged submissions.
Colorado
Colorado promotions: show prize retail value clearly and have the ability to supply the prize. Mailed prize notices have separate rules.
Connecticut
Connecticut covered sweepstakes advertisements: prize-value and odds disclosures, eligibility information and restrictions on prize-claim payments.
Delaware
Delaware online promotions: avoid false prize promises and hidden material conditions, and explain judging or public voting before entry.
District of Columbia
DC sweepstakes and submission contests: avoid misleading material omissions, inaccurate sponsorship claims and hidden prize conditions.
Florida
Florida game-promotion filings: prizes over $5,000, seven-day advance filing, $100 fee, full-value security and winner reporting.
Georgia
Georgia promotional offers: disclose sales-presentation conditions where applicable and make the prize, sponsor and selection method clear.
Hawaii
Hawaii free-entry promotions: understand the prize, chance and consideration distinction before choosing a drawing or submission contest.
Idaho
Idaho expressly excludes qualifying merchant promotional drawings without participant consideration from its gambling definition. Keep the conditions clear.
Illinois
Illinois written chance-promotion offers need clear sponsor, prize, odds and free-entry disclosures. Distinguish these from purely judged contests.
Indiana
Indiana prize promotions: distinguish an entry invitation from a real win, disclose redemption conditions and avoid hidden sales-presentation costs.
Iowa
Iowa prize-notice rules cover disclosures, misleading representations and fulfillment. Check the notice’s scope before applying a generic checklist.
Kansas
Kansas promotions: avoid misleading prize and sponsorship claims, disclose material terms, and distinguish a free contest from regulated fundraising.
Kentucky
Kentucky free contests: consider the actual chance, skill and consideration mechanics; paid or electronic gaming formats require a different analysis.
Louisiana
Louisiana prize promotions: disclose sales-presentation conditions where applicable and distinguish free online contests from electronic gambling devices.
Maine
Maine sweepstakes and submission contests: keep participation free and distinguish chance-based outcomes from genuinely merit-based selection.
Maryland
Maryland prize promotions have specific rules for purchase conditions, written disclosures and chance versus nonchance offers.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts promotion claims are subject to Chapter 93A. Use truthful prize descriptions and clear entry, selection and redemption conditions.
Michigan
Michigan sweepstakes guidance: genuinely free entry, no purchase advantage and no payment to collect a prize. Telephone promotions need separate review.
Minnesota
Minnesota prize notices have a payment-related statutory scope. Explain prize value, odds and conditions accurately without assuming every web form is covered.
Mississippi
Mississippi free promotions: truthful prize claims, clear entry and winner-selection terms, and attention to consumer privacy and follow-up marketing.
Missouri
Missouri sweepstakes: purchases must not improve chances, and the rules should explain free entry, eligibility and meaningful prize restrictions.
Montana
Montana promotions: maintain free entry throughout, avoid purchase or donation advantages and check the defined promotional-game conditions.
Nebraska
Nebraska gift-enterprise rules require honest terms, promised prizes and fair handling of entries. Certain game and device formats are excluded.
Nevada
Nevada prize promotions: distinguish an actual win from a chance to win and disclose the conditions of covered prize offers.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire free contests: keep prize and sponsorship claims truthful, publish the selection method and distinguish paid fundraising formats.
New Jersey
New Jersey free promotions: distinguish chance from skill and avoid imposing purchase-linked gambling conditions on ordinary free submission contests.
New Mexico
New Mexico free promotions: truthful prize and sponsorship claims, clear winner selection and separation from licensed charitable gaming.
New York
New York sweepstakes rules: covered prizes over $5,000 require filing 30 days before launch, a $100 fee and prize security.
North Carolina
North Carolina free submission contests need clear selection rules. Electronic sweepstakes display restrictions depend on the actual device and mechanics.
North Dakota
North Dakota contest-prize notices have a payment-related scope. Keep free-entry claims, prize conditions and judging or voting terms accurate.
Ohio
Ohio prize offers: avoid misleading win notices, undisclosed claim conditions and hidden sales presentations. Explain the real selection process.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma free promotions: avoid misleading sponsorship and prize descriptions, disclose conditions and review telephone sales offers separately.
Oregon
Oregon expressly prohibits misleading prize, contest and promotion statements. Additional rules apply to covered contests and sweepstakes communications.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania free promotions: truthful prize descriptions and sponsorship claims, with separate requirements for telephone sales and regulated sponsors.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island requires a $150 filing for covered retail-business chance promotions over $500. Review online eligibility against state instructions.
South Carolina
South Carolina online contests: make prize and selection claims accurate, disclose material conditions and distinguish free forms from gambling devices.
South Dakota
South Dakota sweepstakes: use genuine winner notices, keep prize collection free and give participants enough information to verify the offer.
Tennessee
Tennessee prize offers: identify the business, state a verifiable prize value and explain costs or restrictions before people accept the offer.
Texas
Texas sweepstakes: keep prize claims truthful and distinguish free online contests from the specific mail-promotion rules in chapter 622.
Utah
Utah promotional activities have specific free-entry and mechanics conditions. Review the current definitions before adding paid or simulated-gambling features.
Vermont
Vermont expressly permits chance contests without required stakes of money or valuable things. Promotion claims and winner notices must be truthful.
Virginia
Virginia’s Prizes and Gifts Act sets disclosures for covered prize offers. Apply its exceptions and distinguish prize notices from ordinary free entry.
Washington
Washington authorizes qualifying business promotional contests and excludes them from gambling, subject to statutory conditions and prize-advertising rules.
West Virginia
West Virginia’s Prizes and Gifts Act covers prize representations, material conditions and delivery. Keep winner messages separate from entry invitations.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin prize-offer rules address unsolicited prize notices and their disclosures. Explain the prize and selection method accurately.
Wyoming
Wyoming brand promotions: truthful prize and sponsorship claims, clear eligibility and an accurately described judging, voting or drawing process.
Prize-value filing reference
| State | Covered prize value | Timing | Fee | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | More than $5,000 | At least 7 days before launch | $100 | Full-value trust or bond; qualifying waiver may apply |
| New York | More than $5,000 | At least 30 days before launch | $100 | Trust/CD or surety bond under state instructions |
| Rhode Island | More than $500 for covered retail promotions | Address filing before launch; confirm applicability | $150 | No bond specified in the cited retail filing law |
Rhode Island's agency instructions use broader language than the retail-business statute. Do not assume an online-only campaign is exempt; review the Rhode Island guide before launch.