Sweepstakes are promotions where prizes are given away for free. They differ from a lottery or most contests because you are not required to purchase anything to enter. However, you are required to fill out a registration form and in many cases answer survey or poll questions.

To publicize the sweepstakes, companies use various modes of distribution to the consumer including direct mail, the internet and the telephone. These are all costly forms of marketing and when you add an expensive sweepstakes prize, one might wonder what the company gets in return. Usually, the sponsoring company is so successful in their marketing tactics that substantial revenue is earned no matter what the expense.

Of course, when entering any form of sweepstakes, be prepared to be put on a number of opt-in email lists. You dont always have to buy anything, but usually you must be sent email advertising of some kind. On the other hand, the ads may simply take the form of pop-ups or banners at the sites where you register.

If you are skeptical of a particular sweepstakes, there are protective measures in place that protect customers from any kind of fraudulence. To protect against deceptive mail, "The Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act" was founded on April 12, 2000. E-mail (Internet) sweepstakes must comply with the "CAN-SPAM" act that became effective on January 1, 2004. So what are you waiting for? Start playing sweepstakes now and you might win huge prizes. Who knows - "lady luck" might just smile on you.