Check Age and Location Requirements Before You Play

Legitimate sweepstakes sites are conducted under strict laws which govern the sweeps games and require clear rules set in place by the company conducting the games. This means you should check to make sure you are eligible to play. Usually there is an age restriction of 18 years or older. If you are not above the age of 18, or whatever their age restriction is, this will disqualify you from playing or entering on the site.

The other factor to consider is where you live. Each site you visit will have country restrictions which will be listed clearly, usually at the bottom of the pages and within the rules. This means if you do not reside in, or are not a legal resident of, the country(s) listed, you are ineligible to enter or play the sweepstakes games.

Typically, sweepstakes sites which are based in the United States are open to legal residents of the U.S. and can also be available to those living in Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and possibly other countries or territories such as Puerto Rico or US Military bases overseas. Unfortunately, again, if you do not meet the resident location qualifications, you will be ineligible to enter or play the sweepstakes games or contests and if you do try to play, you will not be able to collect the prize if you win. In other words, you will be disqualified and could also be banned from access to the site. If that’s the case, the best advice we can give is to do some research to find sites which are legal to play within the country you live in and the age you are and are truly legitimate free sweepstakes games.

Ways to know if a site is legit are simple. It should be free to play and free to collect your prize if you win. Marks of a legitimate site will have no purchase necessary in order to enter for your chance to win, show a winner’s list and will be easy to collect your prize or payment free of charge if you do win. If any site asks you to pay, provide sensitive data like personal identification or banking info, or tries to get you to do anything you are not comfortable with or doesn’t sound right, go with your instincts, close your browser and don’t look back! There are plenty of real sites which operate legit free sweeps games and contests and pay their winners with real money and prizes. You’ll want to find those sites to invest your time in and have fun playing those sweeps.

Other things to look for include rules clearly outlined so you will know exactly how the site operates. Check the pages with titles like: About, How the Sweeps Games Work, Terms and Conditions, Privacy Notice, and make sure there is a clear and simple way to get in touch with those behind the scenes running the sweepstakes. There should be a Contact Us link somewhere on the site which is easy to find, and you should be able to message them if you have questions.

You can also check out social media pages of the sites you may be interested in so you can connect with others who may have experience playing and winning. Just keep in mind, social media is full of scammers so make sure you are following the official page of the site you want to know more about, not a scammer who may be impersonating the site to take advantage of people trying to win. The best way to do that is to click on the social media links from the official site itself. That way you'll know for sure you're on the right page and following the sweepstakes you are interested in.