What are instant win sweepstakes?
You’ve likely already heard of sweepstakes before, a type of competition where prizes are given away to participants who opt in by completing a specific action. In the United States, it’s illegal for any company to require any sort of purchase to enter, so you can enter sweepstakes for free for the chance to win prizes.
Instant win sweepstakes differ from traditional sweepstakes because there is no need to wait to find out if you’ve won. In a traditional sweepstakes competition, you would need to receive an email, phone call or letter to confirm that you have won – but you’re told right away when you take part in the instant win variation. A pop-up will appear on your screen to let you know if you’ve won instantly!
You’ll be able to find these types of giveaways all across the web. Clothing stores, appliance makers and food manufacturers are just a few of the companies that are known for providing sweepstakes with instant prizes online. So always keep your eyes peeled.
How does it work?
Since winners are notified immediately if they’ve won, it’s not a case of the organizers randomly selecting an entry. Instead, they have to decide ahead of time which entry will be the winner based on the time of entry. It is normally down to the second and, if you’re the lucky player that enters at that predetermined time, the prize is yours.
There are a few different ways an organizer will ask participants to enter. The most common is requiring you to fill out an email form, as instant win prizes are often provided alongside a traditional sweepstakes competition. So after you’ve submitted your entry for the main draw (where you’ll have to wait for a response if you’ve won), a pop-up will appear to let you know if you’ve won an instant prize.
Another option is requesting participants play a short game. It’s usually a very simple activity like a coin toss or selecting from a number of treasure chests – similar to the kind of games that you’d play as part of a sweepstakes casino no deposit bonus. This type of entry is normally reserved for instant win sweepstakes that are not attached to a more traditional type of giveaway competition.
What you can win
There really is no limit on what you can win from these types of sweepstakes. There are instant win cash sweepstakes where money is available as prizes, and competitions where the winners receive appliances, gadgets, accessories and other special items.
Because sweepstakes are normally held by brands promoting themselves, the prize will most likely be associated with the service that company offers or will be a product from the company itself. So for example, a health food brand might give away a smoothie maker, while a fashion house would award winners with a watch or a bottle of perfume.
All sorts of great prizes are on offer. No matter what your interests or hobbies are, you’re sure to find plenty of sweepstakes offering the kind of items you’d like to have around the house. You should even keep an eye on your favorite brands and sign up to their mailing lists to make sure you’re always in the know if they should ever launch a giveaway competition.
A history of sweepstakes
The concept of sweepstakes goes back a long, long way. The first instance of a sweepstake is believed to have taken place in Italy during the 1400s, and we’ve seen the popularity of this type of competition continue to grow ever since.
In terms of modern sweepstakes, brands like Publishers Clearing House and Reader’s Digest began hosting sweepstakes in the 1960s. In order to enter these competitions, individuals were required to buy magazines. Over the years, many other retail brands hopped on board with one of the most common examples being prizes offered under the caps of soda bottles. Mcdonald's Monopoly is an example of another well-known form of sweepstake.
Eventually, the FTC began enforcing a law that made it illegal for any brands to require the purchase of any items in order to enter a sweepstakes draw. So for example, even if the entries are hidden under a bottle cap, you don’t have to buy a soda; you can send away for a free entry directly from the company.
Instant win sweepstakes were eventually created as a supplement to traditional sweepstakes once they started to become popular online. They were established as a way to get participants to enter on a daily basis, offering participants the chance to win an immediate prize when they submitted an email form to win a larger sweepstakes competition. Nowadays, many companies skip the larger competition altogether, opting instead to simply offer the instant win draw.
Instant win sweepstakes vs sweepstakes casinos
In the gaming world, you’ll find a number of sweepstakes casino sites. While they use the term “sweepstakes” to describe themselves, they are actually quite different to traditional sweepstake competitions. So we’re here to give you a rundown of what they are all about.
Firstly, a sweepstake casino is a type of social gambling site where you can play slots, poker and table games to win various prizes. However, unlike a traditional casino, cash is not available directly as prizes. The way to win cash is by redeeming a special type of coin.
At these sites, there are normally two types of coins. The sweeps coins casinos offers have a cash value which can be redeemed, and there are also regular coins that can be purchased. When you purchase the regular coins, a number of sweeps coins will be awarded along with them. Each type of coin can be used to play a different type of game where only coins of that specific type can be won.
Are you still following? We know, it’s pretty complicated.
After you have collected enough sweeps coins, you can cash them in. At most sites, you get to redeem your sweeps coins for cash once you have $10 worth of coins. So while cash prizes are not directly available from the site, they can be earned through the sweeps coins redemption process.
Now, the reason they are called “sweepstakes casinos” is because there actually is no purchase necessary. Even though sweeps coins come along with the purchase of regular coins, there are ways for players to earn them for free. In many cases, you can write in to have a small number of redeemable sweeps coins credited to your account. Alternatively, these sites often run social media promotions which provide sweeps casino promo codes that can be redeemed for coins.
Sweepstakes casino sites are becoming increasingly popular across the United States. If this type of gaming model sounds appealing to you, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for new sweepstake casino brands popping up across the web.
What makes a great instant win sweepstake
Not all sweepstakes are made equal. There are definitely some out there that are much better than others, and a few key features are what really make them stand out. This is what we think makes the best type of instant sweepstake competitions.
A bit of creativity
Filling out email form after email form can get pretty boring, especially if you’re using the best sweepstake app or site that gives you information about all sorts of draws you can enter all at once. So we always appreciate when a company adds a bit of flair to their online instant win sweepstakes. Adding a little mini game, like a coin flip or a sweepstakes casino slots game, can go a long way to making a sweepstakes competition more fun and engaging.
Multiple entries
A one-and-done instant sweepstake is never a good thing, as your opportunities to win are incredibly limited. It’s always best to join up to a sweepstake that allows you to enter daily or weekly so you can try multiple times to land a prize. In some instances, sweepstakes will run for months and allow you to enter on a daily basis so you could end up with dozens of entries!
Quick entry
We prefer instant win sweepstakes that have a very simple entry process – a form submission that requires a name, address, phone number and email is perfect. Additional fields just prolong the process and will just deter players from entering. This is particularly crucial for sweepstakes that allow for daily reentry; filling out the same long form will get incredibly tiresome after a few days – so quick entry requirements are a must.
Easy prize claim
It’s not uncommon for winners to opt out of claiming their prizes if the process to do so is too complicated. As we mentioned above, all the sweepstakes organizer should need is your address and your email address, and it should be as simple as confirming these details rather than having to enter them all over again. Organizers should make it as easy as possible, so it looks like they genuinely want to reward the winners.
Great prizes, of course
No one’s going to enter a sweepstakes competition if the prizes on offer aren’t enticing. So it’s important for brands to think up prizes that winners will actually want. This is why you’ll find so many instant win cash sweepstakes – because even a small cash prize is better than a more expensive gift that you’ll never use.
Conclusion
When it comes to fast and fun ways to win prizes, instant win sweepstakes can’t be beat. They’re super easy to enter and there are many different ways to win. Cash, appliances, gadgets and accessories are available to win from these quick competitions, and they are well worth joining.
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Instant Win Sweepstakes FAQs
🤔What’s the difference between a sweeps casino and a sweepstakes competition?
While they sound like they could very well be interchangeable terms, there are a number of differences between the two entities. Read our Strafe.com overview to find out how sweeps casinos differ from sweepstakes so you can decide which one is right for you, and we’ll keep you abreast of new sweepstakes casino sites that have fun activities on offer.
🏆What kind of prizes can I win from an instant win sweepstakes?
The types of prizes available from Instant Win sweepstakes vary significantly, depending on the company hosting the competition. At Strafe.com, we’ll review instant win sweepstakes and let you know what is on offer so you can find out which competitions provide prizes that you’d be interested in vying for.
💰Do I need to buy anything to enter an instant win cash sweepstakes draw?
Around the world, the laws vary regarding whether you have to pay an entry fee or buy an item in order to enter a sweepstakes competition. In this guide, our experts will let you know exactly what the requirements are for joining an instant win sweepstakes in the United States.
🎰How many times can I enter the same instant win sweepstakes?
Every sweepstakes competition has different rules regarding how often you can enter. Some allow you to play every day while others have more restrictions. At Strafe.com, we will let you know which sweepstakes allow you to enter multiple times and which ones limit participants to a single entry.
💲How do I enter instant win sweepstakes online?
There are numerous types of instant win sweepstakes competitions in the online world. Strafe.com will cover the different options, as there are varying entry requirements and prizes available to those who enter.
