Sweepstakes - A New Popularity?

Remember the old sweepstakes commercials? Some middle class suburbanite would hear the door bell ring. When she opened the door there would be Ed McMahon standing with the largest million dollar check you'd ever seen. He'd smile and say something like, "You've just won the American Family Sweepstakes" or something similar to that, and then the person opening the door would shriek and say, "I never believed it could happen to me!"

When most of America thinks of sweepstakes, that scenario comes to mind. However, the types of sweepstakes available are much more varied than that. The term sweepstakes originated with horse racing. All of those in the contest would put up a stake and the winner would sweep (win all) all of the stakes. This type of sweepstakes was much like gambling.

These days, sweepstakes is a more general term that means anything from a traditional sweepstakes where the contestants put up the stakes to almost any type of contest that can be entered and won. Those who enter a sweepstakes are not required to purchase anything or put in any money. Requiring them to do so would constitute a lottery, and most organizations that hold sweepstakes contest do not have the authority to hold lotteries.

The number of sweepstakes that can be entered is staggering. The prizes range from small and practical - a year's supply of a new cleaning product, perhaps, to the extravagant - a luxury home by the sea, from different sweepstakes. Those who run the sweepstakes often use the contest as an advertising ploy. The contests drive people to their website or to an ad in a magazine and the product being promoted gets viewed by many more people than it would without the sweepstakes.

The widespread popularity of the Internet has changed the way that people enter sweepstakes. Finding and entering sweepstakes is now easier than it has ever been in the past. Before the ease of entering online, individuals wishing to enter sweepstakes contests would need to: find information on a sweepstakes contest, fill out an entry form, address and envelope, and pay to mail the entry form to whomever was running the sweepstakes.

Now there are entire websites dedicated to gathering sweepstakes information. Many of them charge a small fee for a list of sweepstakes that can be entered on the Internet (very few sweepstakes are mail only at this point). A person wishing to become a winner can enter as many sweepstakes as he wishes quickly and efficiently by filling out the entry forms online. These websites also give tips and hints on how to better your chances at winning a sweepstakes.