Sweepstakes

popular type of sales promotion where lavish prizes are offered to entrants who have only to submit entries with their name and address by return mail or at a location determined by the sweepstakes sponsor, usually in a retail outlet where the sponsor's products are sold. Winners are chosen at random from among the entries, and no purchase is required in order to enter (a legal condition of a sweepstakes, allowing it to avoid the laws regulating state lotteries). The idea of a sweepstakes is to create consumer involvement with a brand or product and thus encourage consumption of the product.