Category: Consumer protection

  • How to Spot a Fake ‘You’ve Won!’ Scam

    How to Spot a Fake ‘You’ve Won!’ Scam

    How to Spot a Fake “You’ve Won!” Scam A text, email, or call arrives out of nowhere: “Congratulations! You’ve won a prize!” For a second, it’s exciting. Then something feels slightly off. That instinct is worth trusting — prize scams are one of the most common and consistent tactics used to steal money and personal…

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  • How to Verify a Giveaway or Company Is Legitimate Before Entering

    How to Verify a Giveaway or Company Is Legitimate Before Entering

    Suggested Meta Description: Target keywords: is this giveaway legit, how to verify a company before entering, is this sweepstakes real, giveaway legitimacy checklist, how to check if a contest is real How to Verify a Giveaway or Company Is Legitimate Before Entering The best time to catch a fake giveaway isn’t after you’ve won something…

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  • What to Do If You’re Asked to Pay to Claim a Prize

    What to Do If You’re Asked to Pay to Claim a Prize

    What to Do If You’re Asked to Pay to Claim a Prize Here’s the single most important rule in this entire topic, stated plainly: a legitimate prize never requires you to pay money to receive it. Not a “processing fee.” Not “shipping costs.” Not “taxes” paid directly to whoever contacted you. If a payment request…

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  • Red Flags in Prize-Claim Emails and Texts (What to Check Before You Respond)

    Red Flags in Prize-Claim Emails and Texts (What to Check Before You Respond)

    Red Flags in Prize-Claim Emails and Texts Getting notified you’ve won something is one thing — actually claiming it is where a lot of scams do their real work. Even if a prize notification seems plausible, the claim email or text that follows is worth examining closely on its own, because that’s usually the exact…

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Glossary

Lottery

Pay to enter, winner picked by chance, prize awarded. This combination is what makes a lottery — and why it’s tightly regulated, usually only legal when run by a government or licensed operator.

Raffle

A type of lottery: tickets are sold and a winner is drawn at random. Typically only legal when run by a licensed charity or nonprofit.

Sweepstakes

Same as a lottery, minus the “pay to enter” part. Free entry is what makes sweepstakes legal without a gambling license — look for “no purchase necessary.”

Competition

Winner is chosen by skill or judgment, not chance — a question to answer, an entry to be judged. Removing chance is what lets some competitions legally charge an entry fee.

Definitions and legal treatment vary by country. This glossary is educational, not legal advice.

How Odds Work

Your odds of winning come down to one ratio:

Your entries ÷ total entries = your odds

Example: A raffle sells 500 tickets total. You buy 5. Your odds are 5 ÷ 500 = 1 in 100.

What changes your odds:

  • Fewer total entries = better odds for everyone. A raffle capped at 200 tickets gives better odds than one with no cap.
  • Buying more entries improves your odds relative to the pool — it doesn’t guarantee a win.
  • Odds are usually only final once entries close, since most organizers don’t cap sales in advance. Look for one that publishes the total entry count when the draw happens.

More entries mean better odds, not a sure thing — and more spending. Set a budget before you enter, and treat any prize as a bonus, not an expectation.

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Independent Educational Resource

FairEntry.net is an independent educational publication covering how raffles, sweepstakes, and competition-based games work. We are not a raffle operator, promoter, ticket seller, or gaming company, and we have no role in running, judging, or fulfilling any raffle or competition mentioned on this site.

Nothing on this site constitutes an offer to sell tickets or entries, and no purchase or entry can be made through us. Where we reference specific operators, platforms, or competitions, this is for illustrative or informational purposes only — always verify current rules, eligibility, and legality directly with the operator and your local regulations before participating.

Self Assessment

Wondering if gambling might be a problem for you or someone you care about?

We don’t run our own quiz — instead, we point you to validated screening tools developed and hosted by recognized gambling-support organizations. Most use the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a peer-reviewed 9-question measure developed by researchers Ferris and Wynne as part of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index. It takes about two minutes and gives you a sense of your risk level — it’s not a diagnosis, just a starting point.

Your answers stay with the organization hosting the tool — this site doesn’t see or store them.

Take a self-assessment

Get Help

If gambling is affecting you or someone you care about, free and confidential help is available.