Giveaway rules template: what to put in your official rules

Updated 8 November 2026 · By the Vast team

Giveaway official rules name the sponsor, say who can enter and when, explain how to enter for free, list each prize and its value, state the odds, and explain how winners are picked and contacted. Below is a checklist, the laws behind it in the US, Canada and the UK, and a free fill-in template.

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.

Why "no purchase necessary" comes first

In the US, a giveaway that makes people pay to enter can become an illegal lottery. A lottery combines a prize, chance and consideration (paying something of value to take part). New York's Penal Law, for example, describes a lottery as one where players "pay or agree to pay something of value for chances," winners are picked by chance, and they receive something of value.

A giveaway has a prize and a random draw, so the element you remove is payment. The FTC says: "It's illegal to ask you to pay or buy something to enter or to increase your odds of winning." In 2023 it charged Publishers Clearing House with making people believe a purchase was necessary to win or would improve their chances.

Federal mail law (39 U.S.C. § 3001(k)) defines a sweepstakes as "a game of chance for which no consideration is required to enter." Mailed sweepstakes must say that no purchase is necessary and that a purchase won't improve your chances, and must give the odds and each prize's estimated retail value. It covers mail, but it's a good model for any rules.

So:

New York and Florida: filings over $5,000

Two states add paperwork for bigger prize pools. Both laws apply to chance-based promotions connected with consumer products or services: New York's to their "promotion, advertising or sale," Florida's to promotions "incidental to the sale" of them. Ask a lawyer whether yours is covered.

LawTotal announced prize valueFilingBond or trust accountWinners list
New York GBL § 369-e"in excess of five thousand dollars"Secretary of State, at least 30 days before start, $100 feeCovers the total value of prizesPrizes over $25, within 90 days after it ends
Florida Stat. § 849.094"greater than $5,000"Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, at least 7 days before start, $100 feeCovers the total value of prizesPrizes over $25, within 60 days after winners are final

Both laws also require the rules in advertising for the promotion. Florida lets an ad give the material terms plus a website, toll-free number or mailing address for the full rules.

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.

Canada: the skill-testing question

Section 206(1)(a) of Canada's Criminal Code makes it an offence to publish a scheme for giving away property "by lots, cards, tickets or any mode of chance whatever," with no mention of payment. Paragraph (f) covers games of chance or "mixed chance and skill" where the contestant "pays money or other valuable consideration."

Canadian contests often pair free entry with a skill-testing question that a selected entrant must answer correctly before winning. As CBC News explains, the question can turn a contest of pure chance into one of "mixed chance and skill." The Code doesn't mention the question, so ask a Canadian lawyer how to word yours.

For contests that promote a product or business interest, Competition Act section 74.06 requires "adequate and fair disclosure" of the number and approximate value of prizes, the areas they cover, and anything that materially affects the chances of winning.

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.

UK: free prize draws and the CAP Code

Under the Gambling Act 2005 (England, Wales and Scotland), a "simple lottery" is one where people "are required to pay in order to participate" and prizes are allocated by "a process which relies wholly on chance." Schedule 2 says normal-rate post or phone costs don't count as payment. A draw with a paid route isn't treated as paid if everyone can instead enter by ordinary post or a method "neither more expensive nor less convenient than entering the lottery by paying," the free route is publicized, and free and paid entries are treated the same.

The CAP Code, section 8, adds advertising rules for prize promotions:

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.

Platform rules

Platforms add their own promotion rules on top of the law:

Official rules checklist

  1. Sponsor: your legal name and a contact address.
  2. Eligibility: minimum age, locations, who's excluded, and "void where prohibited."
  3. Entry period: start and end date and time, with the time zone.
  4. How to enter: every method, what each is worth, entry limits, and the free route.
  5. Prizes: what each is, how many, and the approximate retail value.
  6. Odds: what they depend on.
  7. Winner selection: how, by whom, and when.
  8. Notification: how and when winners are contacted.
  9. Claim deadline: how long winners have to reply, and what happens to unclaimed prizes.
  10. Skill-testing question, if Canadians can enter.
  11. Taxes and delivery: who pays taxes and when prizes arrive.
  12. Publicity and privacy: how you use winners' names, plus your privacy policy link.
  13. Platform release: not sponsored by X, Twitch, Discord or any other platform you use.
  14. Conduct and changes: no bots or duplicate accounts, and when you can cancel.
  15. Liability release and governing law.

Free giveaway rules template

Copy this, replace every [BRACKETED] item, and delete what doesn't apply. It's based on the rules Vast generates, made neutral. Using it doesn't make a giveaway legal.

This isn't legal advice; check with a lawyer for your country and prize.
OFFICIAL RULES: [GIVEAWAY NAME]

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. SPONSOR
[GIVEAWAY NAME] (the "Giveaway") is run by [SPONSOR LEGAL NAME], [MAILING ADDRESS] ("Sponsor"). Contact: [EMAIL].

2. ELIGIBILITY
Open to individuals who are at least [MINIMUM AGE] and the age of majority where they live, and who reside in [ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES/STATES]. Void where prohibited. Employees and agents of Sponsor [and PARTNERS], and their immediate family and household members, are not eligible.

3. AGREEMENT
By entering, you agree to these Official Rules and to Sponsor's decisions, which are final.

4. ENTRY PERIOD
Starts [TIME] [TIME ZONE] on [START DATE] and ends [TIME] [TIME ZONE] on [END DATE]. Entries outside this period don't count.

5. HOW TO ENTER
Visit [GIVEAWAY URL] and [ENTRY STEPS]. Each action earns the entries shown next to it. Limit: [ENTRY LIMIT, e.g. one account per person]. Entering is free.
[ONLY IF A LAWYER HAS APPROVED A PAID OPTION: To enter free, [FREE METHOD, e.g. mail your name and email to ADDRESS]. Each free entry earns [NUMBER] entries, the same as [PAID OPTION].]
No multiple accounts, identities or devices, and no bots or scripts. Incomplete or fraudulent entries may be disqualified.

6. PRIZES
[NUMBER] winner(s) will receive:
- [QUANTITY] x [PRIZE] (approximate retail value: [AMOUNT AND CURRENCY])
Total approximate retail value: [TOTAL]. No cash alternative or transfer. Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Winners pay all taxes. Prizes are delivered within [NUMBER] days of confirming the winner.

7. ODDS
Odds depend on the number of eligible entries received and the entries each entrant earns.

8. WINNER SELECTION
Winners are picked at random from eligible entries by [METHOD] within [NUMBER] days after the Giveaway ends.
[IF OPEN TO CANADA: A selected entrant in Canada must correctly answer a skill-testing question, without help, before being confirmed as a winner.]

9. NOTIFICATION AND CLAIMING
Potential winners are contacted by [METHOD] within [NUMBER] days of selection and must reply with [DETAILS NEEDED] within [NUMBER] days. If a winner can't be reached, doesn't reply in time or is ineligible, the prize is forfeited and Sponsor may pick an alternate winner.

10. PUBLICITY
Except where prohibited by law, winners agree that Sponsor may use their [USERNAME/NAME] and [REGION] to announce the result, without further payment.

11. PRIVACY
Entry information is used to run the Giveaway and as described in Sponsor's privacy policy: [URL].

12. CHANGES
Sponsor may cancel, suspend or modify the Giveaway if fraud, technical failure or other causes beyond its control affect its fairness, and may disqualify anyone who tampers with entry or breaks these rules.

13. RELEASE
To the extent permitted by law, you release Sponsor and its affiliates, employees and agents from claims arising from the Giveaway or any prize, including technical failures, unauthorized human intervention, administrative errors, and injury or damage to persons or property.

14. PLATFORM DISCLAIMER
This Giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with [PLATFORMS, e.g. X, Twitch, Discord, YouTube, Meta]. You are giving your information to Sponsor, not to these platforms, and you release them from any liability related to the Giveaway.
[IF PROMOTED ON TWITCH: This is a promotion by [YOUR NAME]. Twitch does not sponsor or endorse this promotion and is not responsible for it.]

15. GOVERNING LAW
These rules are governed by the laws of [STATE/COUNTRY], without regard to conflict of law principles. Disputes will be resolved individually in the courts of [LOCATION].

16. WINNERS LIST
For the winners' names, email [CONTACT] within [NUMBER] weeks after the Giveaway ends.

How Vast handles official rules

Vast is our product, so weigh that. Vast writes official rules for every giveaway as a starting point, in the builder's Description and rules step. Players open them from Official rules in the entry panel.

The generated rules cover the no-purchase statement, sponsor, eligibility, the entry period in your time zone, how to enter (with a ban on multiple identities and bots), prizes and winner counts, odds, winner selection with contact and claim windows, governing law, a privacy policy link if you set one, the winners list and a platform disclaimer.

Before you publish, add your minimum age and where people can enter from, each prize's approximate value, a skill-testing question if you accept entrants in Canada, and any wording the platforms you use require (Twitch's Terms of Service require a specific disclaimer for promotions on Twitch). You can edit the details in the builder or use your own rules. The rules also say you, as the host, run the giveaway and deliver the prizes, so filings like New York's or Florida's are yours.

Start a giveaway on Vast with official rules drafted for you to review and edit. Start a giveaway

FAQ

Do I need official rules for a small giveaway? Yes, in practice. Twitch and YouTube both expect official rules, and rules settle questions like who's eligible and what happens if a winner doesn't reply.

What does "no purchase necessary" mean? Anyone can enter and win without paying, and paying doesn't improve their odds. Don't sell entries or extra entries.

Do I have to register my giveaway? Sometimes. New York requires a filing and a bond or trust account when total announced prizes are "in excess of five thousand dollars," and Florida when they're "greater than $5,000." Both laws cover promotions connected with consumer products or services, so talk to a lawyer before you go over that amount.

What is a skill-testing question? It's a question a selected Canadian entrant must answer correctly before winning. It adds an element of skill, because section 206 of Canada's Criminal Code targets giving away property by "any mode of chance whatever." Ask a Canadian lawyer how to word yours.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by country, state and prize value; check with a lawyer before you launch.

Sources

More guides