Contest & sweepstakes compliance

For Aclamos and Ballotis Customers running fan votes, people's-choice awards, sweepstakes, or paid-entry contests. This is general information, not legal advice — engage local counsel before launch.

US prize-promotion law treats three categories of promotion differently:

Sweepstakes — chance + prize, no purchase / no consideration required to enter. Generally legal.
Contest — skill + prize. Generally legal; in a few states (e.g. AZ, MD), specific gambling-style contests are restricted.
Lottery — chance + prize + consideration. Illegal when run by anyone other than a state-authorized operator.

If your award charges nomination fees and winners are chosen by random or public vote without merit-based judging, you are at risk of being a lottery. Either (a) ensure entry is free and gated by skill/judging, or (b) provide a free Alternative Method of Entry (AMOE).

State-specific registration / bonding

Florida — § 849.094 Fla. Stat.: any sweepstakes or game promotion with a prize value > USD 5,000 must be registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at least 7 days before the drawing date, and a trust fund or surety bond equal to the total prize value posted. Annual reports required after the drawing.
New York — General Business Law §§ 369-e, 369-f: registration with the NY Department of State and bonding for prize values > USD 5,000.
Rhode Island — § 11-50-1 R.I.G.L.: registration with the RI Secretary of State for retail sweepstakes > USD 500.
California / Maryland: trust account or bond required at certain prize thresholds; consult counsel.
Several states (e.g. Tennessee, Arizona) have additional restrictions on game-promotion formats; review applicable laws before launching nationally.

Required disclosures (every promotion)

Make these visible on the entry page and in any marketing copy:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
Eligibility: jurisdiction, age, residency. Must explicitly exclude void states (e.g. Quebec for Canadian promotions).
Start and end dates with the time zone.
Prize description and approximate retail value.
Odds of winning (or how the winner will be selected).
Sponsor name + Florida principal office (or wherever your entity is registered).
Where to obtain the official rules (free copy) and a winners' list after the promotion ends.

Aclamos / Ballotis platform features that help

Public dashboards with embedded rules & eligibility text per show.
AMOE flags on entry forms — let entrants pick “free entry / mail-in” without paying.
Audit log + cryptographic vote receipts you can show to a regulator.
Geofencing per Ballotis ballot to exclude void jurisdictions.
Independent observer accounts for Studio + Elections tier.

EU / UK promotional law

EU consumer-protection (Directive 2005/29/EC) prohibits creating false impression that a consumer has won when no prize exists. UK CAP Code Section 8 requires a full set of rules and prominent “significant conditions.” Quebec has a parallel regime under La Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ).

Templates

We provide an official-rules templateon request. The template is general-purpose — your counsel must adapt it to the prize, territory, and audience.

Fan vote integrity

Even when not a regulated sweepstakes, your fan vote should comply with the FTC's endorsement guidance. If a sponsor pays for inclusion, disclose. If a celebrity nominee promotes the vote on social, disclose the sponsor relationship. Ballotis's sponsor portal makes these relationships visible by default.

Aclamos provides the technical platform; we do not act as your sponsor, contest administrator, or registered agent. Compliance with state & federal prize-promotion law remains your responsibility.