Sweepstakes & prize draws
Dream-home giveaways, car raffles and charity prize draws are sweepstakes, not lotteries. Under US law a sweepstakes must offer a free way to enter. The best ones make that obvious; the worst bury it.
12 reviewed · ranked by overall score · how we score
Coca-Cola America 250 Drink in Adventure Sweepstakes
A clear free sweepstakes: $80,000 Jeep credit as the top prize, ARV stated for all six prizes, and a mail-in route; odds depend on entries and winners pay tax.
All sweepstakes & prize draws
Coca-Cola America 250 Drink in Adventure Sweepstakes
Free sweepstakes with an $80,000 Jeep Wrangler credit and five trip pools; mail-in entry gives 10 bonus entries; 18+.
Best for: Adults 18+ who want a free daily entry for a large vehicle credit or a trip prize pool.
HGTV Dream Home Giveaway
Free-entry sweepstakes for a $2.45M Charlotte lakeside home; two entries a day; 21+; winner pays the taxes.
Best for: Anyone 21+ who wants a no-cost shot at a major prize.
Giving Back Raffle (Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego)
California-only registered charity raffle: $150 tickets, 70,000 cap, Del Mar house (ARV $7M) or cash; no free entry.
Best for: California adults happy to treat a $150 ticket as a gift to RMHC with a chance at a large prize.
Mile High Raffle (Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver)
Colorado-only licensed charity raffle: $50 tickets, 30,000 cap, 1 in 30,000 grand prize odds; no free entry.
Best for: Colorado adults who treat a $50 ticket as a gift to Boys & Girls Clubs with a chance to win.
PrizeWave
Monthly $50,000 cash draw with a free mail-in entry; memberships from $19.99 a month; 18+ in 48 states and DC.
Best for: Adults in eligible states who want a cash-prize draw every month and like a straightforward membership.
MONOPOLY Game at McDonald's (2026)
Free-to-play (mail-in) instant-win game, 6 Oct to 1 Nov 2026; $100,000 cash and Jeep Cherokee tops; overall odds 1 in 5.
Best for: McDonald's customers who want small instant prizes and accept near-zero odds at the large ones.
Dream Giveaway
Charity car giveaways with free entry by mail; odds are one divided by tickets issued; partly pays prize tax.
Best for: Car-prize fans who value stated odds and are willing to mail a free entry.
Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation 25 Years of Heroes Car Raffle
Arizona-only charity raffle: $50 entries, Ford Bronco or Mustang Mach-E grand prize (max $65,700) plus 68 daily prizes.
Best for: Arizona fans who want to support the Foundation and accept a pure paid-entry raffle.
St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway
A $100-ticket charity raffle for a new house in 40+ markets; no free entry stated; all proceeds go to St. Jude.
Best for: Donors who want to support St. Jude and are happy to treat the $100 ticket as a gift with a chance to win.
HGTV Smart Home Giveaway
Free daily-entry sweepstakes for an Orlando smart home plus $100,000 cash (over $1.3M); rules page blocked.
Best for: Fans wanting a free daily entry for a home prize; check the official rules for eligibility first.
Charitybuzz Sweepstakes (Prizeo)
Celebrity-experience sweepstakes on Prizeo: no donation necessary, donations earn bonus entries.
Best for: Fans of celebrity experiences who enter free or give to a cause.
Publishers Clearing House
Free-entry sweepstakes with optional paid entry packs; FTC settlement in 2023 and a 2025 bankruptcy sale.
Best for: Casual players who enter for free and ignore the paid Quick Packs and memberships.
Sweepstakes versus lottery
A lottery has three elements: a prize, chance, and consideration (you pay). A private company cannot legally run one. A sweepstakes removes consideration by offering a free alternative method of entry, which is why every legitimate promotion has an "AMOE" clause in its official rules. Charity raffles are the exception: states license nonprofits to sell paid tickets under raffle laws.
What we score
Transparency rewards official rules that state the odds, the prize's approximate retail value, the draw date and the free-entry method in plain language. Player protection rewards age limits, bonding and registration in states that require it, and a clear tax statement (the winner pays income tax on the prize's value). Reputation covers FTC and state attorney-general actions. Odds and value weigh what a paid entry or donation buys against the stated odds.
The free-entry test
If you cannot find the free way to enter within a minute of opening the rules, treat that as a warning sign. We note the AMOE method on every sweepstakes review.
How we rate. Scored on a published six-criterion rubric. Every figure links to an official source and shows the date it was checked. We sell nothing. Methodology