How Long Do Sweepstakes Sponsors Have to Notify Winners?
See what sets your prize notice deadline and which dates and contact details to save while you wait.
A sweepstakes, a free drawing where winners are picked by chance, must notify winners within the time stated in its Official Rules. No single federal law sets a universal notification deadline. That means the date varies by promotion.
Check the rules for the stated method and response window before you enter.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 05, 2026.
What do the rules promise?
The RevUp FTC Compliance Checklist explains that the sponsor's rules establish how and when each winner is selected and notified RevUp FTC compliance checklist. Look for the sections on drawing date, notification method, and claim period. Sponsors disclose that timing in advance.
The American Bankers Association promotion rules, for example, stated winners would be notified by email by May 8, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EDT American Bankers Association promotion rules. Save that date and the listed contact method with your entry confirmation.
Does any law set a fixed number of days?
Colorado provides a specific backstop for prize notices. Under Colorado Revised Statutes Section 6-1-803, a sponsor that tells someone they have won must notify that person at no expense within fifteen days of winning Colorado prize notice requirements. That protection applies to people told they won under that state law.
It does not replace the individual promotion timeline. The rules for each drawing still control selection order, contact attempts, and alternate winners.
What does a legitimate notice never require?
Entry is a chance to win, not a promised prize. Legitimate U.S. drawings do not require payment to enter or to improve odds, according to Federal Trade Commission consumer guidance FTC guidance on prize notices.
A request to pay, buy something, or send account funds to claim or speed delivery does not match that standard. Treat the message as separate from any entry you made. Compare the sender, prize name, and dates against the rules copy you saved.
What should you save before you enter?
Keep the parts that prove timing and contact. The rules page often disappears or changes after entries close. Use one entry email and keep it active through the claim period.
If the rules list no notification date, use the rules contact to ask where winners will be posted.
- promotion name, drawing date, and notification deadline
- notification method, such as email or phone, and reply window
- sponsor contact listed in the rules for prize questions