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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.consumers,net.legal
Subject: Contest Rules
Message-ID: <4137@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 21-Aug-84 10:54:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.4137
Posted: Tue Aug 21 10:54:45 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 22-Aug-84 05:53:33 EDT
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 23

Anytime you see a sweepstakes or contest advertised, whether by little
cards handed out in McDonalds or in a magazine or newspaper ad, there
is a mass of legalese in fine print regarding the rules and operation
of the contest. Most of these include a listing of the odds against
your winning any one of the prizes. Are there some federal laws or
regulations that control what information is presented to the
participants, or is this just subject to various state statutes
regarding gambling?

What inspires this inquiry is my realization that I have been entering
contests for some time now in which I have no idea of the odds. Several
of the gun magazines have "giveaways", in which you can win a gun or
knife, and, to enter, you send in a postcard with your name & address.
None of these magazines have ever published any statement regarding the
number of entries received for past drawings, or the odds against your
winning one of the prizes. Are these magazines in violation of some
federal law by not doing this? (I have never written them requesting
this information, however; if they only have to make it available upon
request, they may be entirely in the right.)

Regards, Will Martin

seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin        or       wmartin@almsa-1