sweepstakes

Sweepstakes, Contests and Lotteries with the Least Ridiculous Odds of Winning

December 20, 2017 By Jackie Cohen Leave a Comment

Should you bother with sweepstakes, contests and lotteries? Not all sweepstakes, contests, and lotteries, were created equal, but some have less ridiculous odds of winning than others.

The ones that tempt you the most — with the biggest grand prizes — probably have the worst odds of winning, whereas contests with lots of small prizes may give you better chance.

Perhaps for similar reasons, the contests that receive fewer entries give you better chances of winning. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure how many there are but you can try to guess based on a close read of the sweepstakes’ rules. In other words, read the fine print, even if you have to get magnifying glass to do so.

Read the Fine Print

Some clues to look for in the fine print: you’re allowed to enter more than once; the prizes only appeal to a limited audience (such as people who live in a certain area or who are already customers of a certain business); the process of entering is complicated; and some kind of skill is required to enter.

Conversely, you might expect tough odds from contests that don’t guarantee that all prizes will be awarded; allow unlimited entries; have very long deadlines for entry; or only offer a few prizes.

As soon as you spot any of these things in a contest, stop yourself from entering so you can save your energy for something with better odds. Instead, consider any of the following contests, sweepstakes and lotteries with 2018 deadlines (listed in order of their deadlines). Keep coming back to this post for regular updates of the listing below.

Sweepstakes, Contests and Lotteries with the Least Ridiculous Odds of Winning

Cameron Hughes: Wine Movie Win Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 5,000
Prize(s): Every single prize is a $5 gift card to Fandango
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person, based on unique email address
End Date: Jan. 3, 2018
Eligibility: 21 years old and a resident of either Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming

Disney Movie Rewards: Olaf’s Frozen Adventure Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 331
Grand Prize(s): Family vacation for four at a Disney resort in Hawaii
Entry Frequency: Once per person
Deadline: Jan. 3, 2018
Eligibility: U.S. mainland and Canada, age 13 and up

Tito’s Vodka: Give Back Text to Enter Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 1,000
Prize(s): Every winner receives a $25 ugly sweater for a human or pet
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person, based on unique email address and phone number
Deadline: Jan. 3, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., of legal drinking age in your state

Cracker Barrel: Rockin’ & Rollin’ Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 100
Grand Prize(s): 2018 Ford F-150 XLT full-size pickup truck with chrome package, valued at $37,000.
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person, based on having a unique email address
Deadline: Jan. 5, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Moet Hennessy: Greatest Showman Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 2,500
Prize(s): Each winner receives a $13 credit in Fandango to go see The Greatest Showman by Jan. 31, 2018
Entry Frequency: Once per person
Deadline: Jan. 15, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Anheuser-Busch: Bud Light Super Bowl Tickets for Life Sweepstakes
Number of prizes: 2,001
Grand Prize(s): Winner receives four tickets to each Super Bowl for up to 30 years, or cash equivalent
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person
Deadline: Jan. 22, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., legal drinking age

Walmart: November-January Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 755
Grand Prize(s): Five different awards of a $1,000 Walmart gift card
Entry Frequency: 78 times per person
End Date: Jan. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Musselman’s: My Little Pony Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 601
Grand Prize(s): $2,500 gift card for a Carnival Cruise
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person or household, based on email address
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., except for California; age 18 and up

Kools: Kool Kash Instant-Win Game
Number of Prizes: 120
Grand Prize(s): $100,000
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person, based on having a unique email address
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., except Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, and Puerto Rico; age 21 and up

NBC’s The Wall: Win at Home Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: six
Grand Prize(s): $25,000
Entry Frequency: once daily per person
End Date: Feb. 5, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Litter Genie: Cat Scratch Game Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 112
Grand Prize(s): $1,000 American Express gift card plus a donation of $1,000 to the winner’s favorite cat shelter
Entry Frequency: 125 total per person, based on a unique email address
Deadline: Feb. 14, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up (19 and up for Alabama and Nebraska, and 21 for Mississippi)

Coca Cola: Beats & Buckets Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 201
Grand Prize(s): a four-night trip for two people to the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas on March 30, 2018, plus airfare and acommodations at the winner’s choice of hotel and $250 in spending money, for a total value of $8,700
Entry Frequency: once daily per person, based on a unique email address
End Date: Feb. 21, 2018
Eligibility: U.S. (except Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico), age 18 and up, students who are students in good standing at their college or university

Pernod Ricard: Chivas Regal Fight Club Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 2,873
Grand Prize(s): 23 people each win a pair of tickets to attend a boxing match, including round-trip air travel, hotel accomodations and $100 spending money, for a total value of $3,950 per package
Entry Frequency: once daily per person
End Date: Feb. 22, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., legal drinking age

Snickers and Skittles: Super Bowl LII Rivalry Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 25,351
Grand Prize(s): A pair of season tickets to the 2018 home games of an NFL team of winner’s choice, worth up to $10,000
Entry Frequency: once daily per person, based on a unique email address
Deadline: Feb.28, 2018
Eligibility: U.S. (except Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico) and Canada, age 13 and up

Spinrite: Stitch ‘n’ Win Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 735,314
Grand Prize(s): Two people will each win a pair of Caribbean cruise tickets for four nights and departing from Hawaii, worth $4,954 apiece
Entry Frequency: Up to six times per person
Deadline: Feb. 28, 2018
Eligibility: U.S. and Canada, adults

Red Heart: Cash for Stash Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 101
Grand Prize(s): $5,000
Entry Frequency: Once per person, based on a unique email address
Deadline: Mar. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S. (except Puerto Rico) and Canada

Jack Links: Wild Xbox Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 2,710
Grand Prize(s): 10 people will receive an Xbox One X game console and a one year Xbox Game Pass membership, each package worth $619
Entry Frequency: once daily per person based on a unique email address
Deadline: Mar. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Post: Nintendo Switch Instant-Win Game
Number of Prizes: 500
Prize(s): all winners receive a Nintendo Switch game system plus a Super Mario Odyssey game, a package worth $359.98 apiece
Entry Frequency: Thrice daily per person
End Date: Mar. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Lehigh Outfitters: Outfit My Aussie Adventure Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 12
Grand Prize(s): five-night trip for two people to Sydney, Australia, including airfare and $1,000 in spending money, worth $6,100 total
Entry Frequency: once monthly per person
End Date: Mar. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S. (except Hawaii and Alaska), age 18 and up

Totino’s: Middle-Earth Shadow of War Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 280
Grand Prize(s): 30 winners receive a package consisting of an Xbox One S console; Xbox controller; tee-shirt; and Shadow of War Xbox One digital game code
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person
Deadline: Mar. 31, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Similac Strong Moms: Baby’s First Milestones Giveaway
Number of Prizes: 301
Grand Prize(s): $5,000
Entry Frequency: Up to six times daily per person, based on a unique email address
Deadline: Apr. 1, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Totino’s: Forza Motorsport 7 Xbox One X Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 560
Grand Prize(s): 20 winners each get a package consisting of an Xbox One X, Xbox wireless controller, Forza Motorsport 7 tee-shirt, and Forza Motorsport 7 full-game download, together worth $650
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person via unique email address
Deadline: Apr. 30, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Treasury Wine Estates: BV Coastal Cruise a Week Sweepstakes
Number of Prizes: 52 pairs of cruise tickets
Entry Frequency: Once daily per person, based on unique email address
Deadline: Jun. 30, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., legal drinking age in your state

Chattanooga Bakery: MoonPie Memories Contest
Number of Prizes: 102
Grand Prize(s): 100-year supply of Moon Pies
Entry Frequency: Once per person or household, based on a unique email address
Deadline: Jun. 30, 2018
Eligibility: U.S., age 18 and up

Which Sweepstakes, Contests or Lotteries?

If you’ve made it all the way to the bottom of this article without clicking on the links to any of the contests mentioned above, well, what are you waiting for?

And if none of the ones listed here strike your fancy, come back to this post later on because we’re going to be continuing to update the article with more sweepstakes, contests and lotteries as we learn of them.

If you learn about any sweepstakes, contests or lotteries that we haven’t yet included in this article — and they seem to have better than average odds of winning, could you please tell us about them in the comments section below and we’ll update this post? Thanks!

Quicken Loans Hole-in-One Sweepstakes 2016

March 30, 2016 By Amanda Blankenship 3 Comments

Sweepstakes programs often get many people excited. It is a chance to win a (usually) large sum of money for little or no money spent. Companies like Albertsons and McDonald’s have games each year to give their customers a chance at winning up to $1 million. Quicken Loans is another company that offers a sweepstakes program during the PGA golf tour each year called the “Quicken Loans Hole-in-One Sweepstakes.” However, it is a little different than some of the other games, contests and sweepstakes out there.

Quicken Loans’ sweepstakes is based on the ability of the golfers playing in this year’s PGA tour. One swing of the club could change a person’s life (for a year).

A hole-in-one is definitely something that is rather rare and should be celebrated. So, this year, Quicken Loans has decided to celebrate holes-in-one at the PGA tour by giving who register for the sweepstakes a chance to win big. They have done this sweepstakes for years, however, this year they have made the chances of winning even greater. Both holes-in-one and aces will provide people with the chance to win big. The prize? Quicken Loans will pay one lucky person’s mortgage payment for an entire year if their name is selected after the hole-in-one (or the ace).

In addition to adding in the ace as a way to win a mortgage-free year, they have also added in a chance for one lucky person to win $1 million. If a player is lucky enough to make a hole-in-one on the 175-yard, par-3, 16th hole at the Quicken Loans National, Quicken Loans will give one sweepstakes contestant $1 million.

How to Enter the Quicken Loans Sweepstakes

To enter the sweepstakes program, simply go to the website and enter your email address for a chance to win. You have to have a minimum amount of $6,000 in mortgage payments for the year and a maximum of $24,000 in mortgage payments for the year to enter into the contest.

Although you aren’t “technically” winning any money, someone taking over your mortgage payment for a year will save you a ton of money. You can also act like you still have to pay your mortgage throughout the year and pay it off a year early (if you choose to do things that way).

It works like this: A PGA golf player scores a hole-in-one or an ace, then Quicken Loans rewards a lucky person with a year free of mortgage payments. The company plans to do this for every hole-in-one and ace scored during the PGA tour tournaments. Also, keep an eye out for the Quicken Loans National and see if one lucky golf player will be able to land a sweepstakes contestant $1 million.

You can track the holes-in-one and aces as well as the winners of the sweepstakes on Quicken Loans’ website and, of course, if you win, the company will contact you and provide information about how to proceed. As the tour continues, Quicken Loans is continuing to take entrees for the contest, so go and register! There’s nothing to lose!

Photo: Flickr: Michael Lehet

McDonald’s Introduces New Super Bowl-Sized Game

November 2, 2015 By Amanda Blankenship 1 Comment

McDonald’s has been known for their burger, fries and milkshakes for decades. However, in the most recent years the company has also become known for its sweepstakes games and “free days.” The company’s most recent sweepstakes will be one for the books and it is completely free to win, no purchase necessary.

Are you a Super Bowl fan and 13 years or older? Living in the United States? Then you may want to enter into the McDonald’s Gold Sweepstakes. By entering and playing the sweepstakes game, you could win the top prize: a four night trip to San Francisco, where the Super Bowl is going to be held next year, and tickets for the game in February 2016.

How to play:

There is no purchase necessary to enter the contest. You can a sweepstakes “game piece” by sending your full name and address to McDonald’s Game Time Gold GamePiece Request, P.O. Box 49268, Strongsville, OH 44149.

You can also participate by going to any McDonald’s location and purchasing one of the following:
• Biscuit or McMuffin Sandwiches
• Hash Browns
• Large Fries
• Filet-O-Fish or Big Mac Sandwiches
• 10 or 20-piece Chicken McNuggets
• Medium Fountain Beverages

Ways to win:

Once you’ve gotten a “game piece” through the mail or at a McDonald’s location, peel to reveal your prize. What you see there will determine your prize. You can instantly win a food prize to $50 cash. If you reveal an NFL helmet, there will be a 10-digit code. The code can be submitted by texting 84567 or entering it online at playatmcd.com.

Each week during the game, a team will be named during the NBC Sunday night pre-game show. If the NFL team helmet on your game piece matches the team they name, you’ll be entered into the weekly draw which could win you one of more than 200 prizes. Top prizes include winnings of $500,000 or a trip to the Super Bowl 50.

How long will it last?

The promotion will take place from Nov. 3 until Dec. 21. The grand prize winner announcement will be made on Jan. 4, 2016. If you just so happen to win the grand prize of tickets the Super Bowl, make sure you are free to travel for four night in February for the big game.

McDonalds Monopoly Board Winners

September 22, 2015 By Alexa Mason 1 Comment

It goes without saying that most people at one point or another have played McDonalds Monopoly game. In fact, people are so enthusiastic about the game you now can find websites, Facebook groups, and other types of social media dedicated to the game. Games are usually introduced with great fanfare, and the playing time is usually around 2 months. Players receive game pieces as they make their normal purchases.

Why is the McDonalds Monopoly game so popular? Perhaps it’s so popular because it’s so easy to play. Or, it’s so popular because Monopoly taps into our competitive spirit and reminds us of nights playing Monopoly with our friends? The long-standing joke is that Monopoly creates enemies. Fortunately, McDonald’s Monopoly doesn’t!

Some of the reasons why McDonalds Monopoly is so popular is that it’s the game we grew up with, without creating enemies. Last year’s prizes included: meeting Lebron James, trips for 2 to the Super Bowl, and $10,000 towards utility bill payments. Also, Monopoly is the best game ever for competitive people.

There is also the ultimate McDonalds Monopoly game prize which is a cash prize of 1 million dollars. The prize is paid in small increments over time, typically around $50,000 a year. If you’re hoping to win, it’s not that odds are forever in your favor-but that it’s difficult to win the big cash prize. It’s part of the thrill of playing.

In 2010 John Kehoe became the only million dollar prize winner in the U.S. and Canada. Interestingly enough, of all the items chose to order, he ordered the oft maligned McRib sandwich. The McRib is also a cult favorite for numerous fans and was brought back more than once. At the time that John won, he was jobless so winning the million dollars happened at the right moment for him.

But, John’s winning the grand prize is, in fact, an unusual event because there are very few winners of the million-dollar prize. Most people who play and win will likely win food related prizes according to businessinsider.com Given that there are so few cash prize winners, how is it that the McDonalds Monopoly game continues to be so popular with its patrons? My guess is that most people DO experience winning in some fashion while playing the game. As mentioned before, most people will win food related prizes. This is nice because patrons are awarded instantly and everyone loves to experience that feeling!

Other prizes that patrons can win include a number of in-store items such as:

• French Fries

• Quarter Pounder with cheese

• McCafe drinks

It’s safe to say that most of us most likely won’t be winning the big bucks, but it’s a lot of fun and super easy to play. In terms of marketing, McDonalds Monopoly game connects with its core clientele in a fun and interactive way that places very little pressure on its customers. I’m looking forward to playing the next time the game starts up. Who knows, maybe I’ll win the million dollar prize.

Chiquita Bananas Minion Sweepstakes Extended for Today Only! Tons of Prizes Left!

July 31, 2015 By Will Lipovsky Leave a Comment

Extended for today only (July 31st, 2015) is the Chiquita Bananas Minion Sweepstakes! You can win tons of prizes – up to 4 prizes per hour. They include trips, towels, water bottles, and more. To get started, simply go to the minions sweepstakes page. If you’re not ready to get started just yet, read this post to learn about the many ways to win.

My favorite way to win is just by clicking ‘Instant Win‘ at the top of the page. From there, you click the big ‘instant win’ button on the page. To claim your prize, you just need to login or signup. I’ve been subscribed to Chiquita emails for months now and I’ve never be spammed by them. The emails are so infrequent, I hope they haven’t forgotten about me.

Besides the instant win button, there are 5 other fun ways to play. Note: Just click on each image to go to the website:

This game is super easy but requires you to have some Chiquita bananas in your possession. Who doesn’t need bananas? They are cheap and healthy. I like to use them for nice cream. Definitely go get a few bunches today. Anyway, all you do is scan the sticker with your phone and text CHIQUITA to 44844. There are 32 stickers you can scan to win prizes. Thus, there are many ways to win in a hurry. Text STOP to the same number to stop receiving text messages from Chiquita.

This way to win isn’t as simple but it’s definitely more fun. It’s a fun memory test game. You complete all 7 levels to win a prize. If you do well, you even get your name on the official top score list on the right of the page. Thousands of people around the world will see your name up in lights! They are really fun, really simple games. They feel like the games being played in the Lumosity TV commercials.

This is by far the most fun game to play for me. Who doesn’t like to shoot stuff at targets?! It’s like a fun carnival game you can play from home. You simply toss bananas at moving targets. If you get a good score, you earn a good prize! Right now it only takes 10,000 points to get on the high scores list! Prop tip: lead your shots – but not by much.

Sticker showdown is another easy way to win a prize! You simply vote for your favorite Chiquita minion stickers. I voted on 4 stickers before being asked to login to claim my prize. It’s also cool because you can see how others voted – 60% for one sticker, 40% for the other, etc. It was kind of fun to see if my selections matched everyone else’s preferences.

The FINAL way to win (method 6 of 6) is to share a digital Minion greeting card from the Minion Cardmaker. Have your child send one to a friend or family member. Or send one to a kid you know. It’s fun to send cards – plus you have a chance to win a prize. It’s like be rewarded for being kind. Pretty great if you ask me!

Click here to get started playing and winning!

Win Competitions and Sweepstakes: Ways to Make Money

August 25, 2010 By Jennifer Derrick 2 Comments

Contests and sweepstakes can be fun to enter and the prizes can be great. You can win everything from a few bucks in cash all the way up to new cars or houses. Contests are easily found. You can find them on product packaging, advertised on TV or in magazines, and through associations to which you belong. They’re also all over the Internet. Some people are quite successful and win many of the contests that they enter. Do they have some super-secret method for winning? No, but they do enter a lot of contests (increasing their odds of winning something, somewhere) and they do use some of the tricks listed below to increase their odds.

Find competitions that require you to do something: Maybe you have to write an essay about your favorite vacation destination. Maybe it’s a talent or skill based competition like a photography contest. Contests that require you to put forth some effort are a better bet than random draw contests. Why? First, these contests usually have fewer entrants (either people don’t have the required skill or they aren’t willing to put forth the effort), increasing your odds of winning. Second, you have some control over the outcome. Unlike a random draw, you have some control over the quality of your entry. If you write the best essay or take the best picture, you will win.

Enter local contests and sweepstakes: Contests sponsored by local merchants (or limited to certain geographical regions) have a much smaller entry pool than national or worldwide contests sponsored by huge corporations. Your odds of winning at the local level are greater.

Follow the rules exactly: Make sure you do everything exactly as the rules state. You don’t want your entry disqualified because you didn’t use the right sized postcard, or you entered multiple times when only one was allowed.

Look for contests that offer multiple prizes: Contests that only offer one prize aren’t a great bet because every entrant is competing for that one prize. Contests that offer multiple placings give you a better chance at winning something.

Don’t pay to enter a contest: The exception to this rule is if it is a talent based/judged competition. Sometimes legitimate contests in fields like photography, writing, and agriculture charge an entry fee. This is to keep out those who are not serious about the craft or talent being judged and the money usually goes into covering the overhead for the organization running the contest. If it’s a reputable contest sponsored by a reputable organization and you are skilled in the craft, go ahead and pay the fee. For most run of the mill contests and sweepstakes, however, don’t pay fees to enter. Similarly, don’t enter contests that require you to buy something to enter or to listen to a presentation, unless you are really interested in that thing to begin with. Some contests are simply marketing ploys to get you to cough up money or buy the product. Beware.

Use a disposable email address: You’ll probably generate a lot of spam from your contest efforts. Set up a disposable, free email address to keep your primary email clean. If you’re really into contests, you might want to think about a disposable cell phone, too, since you might end up getting a lot of telemarketing calls from contests that require your phone number.

Look for contests that allow multiple entries: Or not. Many online contests allow you to enter once per day. If you’re diligent about entering, you can increase your odds. However, contests that restrict you to only one entry can also increase your odds because you’re not competing against such a large field. It’s probably a crap shoot, but if the rules say you can enter more than once, do it.

Keep to a schedule: Contest entering can become a time consuming hobby if you’re not careful. While it’s fun to win, you have to be realistic that it will not replace a full time income. Allot yourself fifteen to thirty minutes every day as your “contest time.” Use only this time for your contest hobby and then forget about it.

Organize: Keep a list of currently active contests so you remember to enter every day if it’s allowed. Track due dates for submissions and make sure that any talent based entries are submitted on time. If you’re doing a lot of contests it’s easy to lose track, so devise a system to stay organized.

Use a form filling program: This can greatly increase the number of online contests that you can enter in a short period of time. These programs enter repetitive information like name, address, email, and phone number for you, saving you tons of time. There are several paid software programs available, but there are free alternatives available from Google and Mozilla.

You may never win a new car or a house entering contests. And even if you did, the taxes due on those prizes might mean you couldn’t keep them anyway. (No winner has ever kept the HGTV Dream House, for example, because the tax burden is too great.) However, you can win some cash, concert tickets, vacations, movie tickets, gift certificates, or other items just by entering your name. You might not always win “money” but there’s a lot of fun stuff out there to be had and anything you win is something you won’t have to buy.