Sweeps Winners
Sweeps Corner

Why Email is Used for Entry and Membership

You may be wondering why many, if not all, of the sweepstakes sites you visit ask for your email address. While some do have free membership sign up requirements in order to play or enter their sweeps, others simply have an enter button or a fast game to play, both of which usually require you to enter a valid email address in order to confirm your entry into any of their contests.

Email is a safe way to ensure it is you entering the sweeps. Unless you’ve given someone else access to use your email, it’s generally the best way to communicate messages directly with the sweeps player, such as prize drawings ending, announce new winners and, of course, let you know if you’ve won a sweepstakes contest.


Sweepstakes companies also use the email address you enter with to track your entry data and it is often the criteria used to select winners in the prize drawings. In general, it is less prone to scammers who can easily pose as someone else on platforms such as social media. It is unfortunate, but all too true, that scammers are out there trying to take advantage of honest sweeps sites by posing as them in order to gain some monetary advantage from an unsuspecting sweeps player. This is one of the primary reasons legitimate sweeps sites never communicate prize wins or pay winners through social media and the associated messaging apps. Scammers are also known to set up fake accounts in which they pose as the legit sweeps site in order to try to get personal or financial data which could harm an innocent sweeps player.

You can always be certain the emails you are receiving are coming from the sweeps site you are playing simply by looking at the URL extension after the email. For example, the email address for this site will be [email protected] so you know you are receiving an email from the party you assume it to be and not being mislead by someone trying to take advantage of you.

It is also important to keep your contact information private on social media for this reason. Scammers are out there waiting to pounce, so it’s advisable to never divulge your personal contact info or any sensitive information such as your phone number, email address, mailing address and so on, and certainly never post your bank info or private message it to anyone asking.

Legitimate sweeps sites will notify you by email when you win and that’s also precisely how they will arrange to send your prize payment. It’s a pretty fail-safe way to ensure your personal data is protected and you are able to collect your prize if you win. The sweeps site will never ask you to pay to collect your prize if they are truly legit. It’s illegal to do so. They will also never ask for your bank account information. If you choose to receive your payment by check in the mail, obviously they will need your postal mailing address but, again, you can be sure it’s the sweeps site asking you by looking at the email address the message was sent from.

The only other personal information you will be required to provide is a tax form if you win over $600. This is required by law and one of the rules legit sweeps sites must follow in order to conduct their contests. This is a federal law and non-negotiable. If you choose not to provide the completed tax form, you will forfeit your winnings or be forced to accept an amount below the threshold which requires the form to be submitted.


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