What Does Void Where Prohibited Mean in Sweepstakes Rules?
Check your state's eligibility in seconds and skip void sweepstakes that cannot pay you before you enter.
"Void where prohibited" means the sweepstakes is not offered where the law bars it. A sweepstakes is a prize drawing where winners are picked by chance, and that line saves space instead of listing each barred place. If you live in a barred place, your entry cannot win.
The posted rules control who may enter, so check the eligibility and void areas before you spend time. That quick check saves effort on drawings you cannot claim.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 06, 2026.
Who cannot enter?
Excluded residents are the people this line affects most. Travel Weekly explains in its sweepstakes primer that a drawn winning entry from such a place still loses. The promotion simply has no legal effect there.
Barred places can be states, countries, or smaller local areas. Read the eligibility section for your own address, not a neighbor's address.
Why do some states get left out?
Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP notes in its sweepstakes law basics that Florida, New York, and Rhode Island require registration over $5,000, with a $500 retail line in Rhode Island and a bond in Florida and New York. Registration takes time and money, so many sponsors skip those states. NVIDIA shows this in its posted sweepstakes rules, which state void where prohibited and exclude Quebec, New York, Florida, Puerto Rico, and other territories.
That choice lowers cost and keeps the drawing within filing rules.
Does the line make other entries valid?
No. The line does not open entry everywhere else. You must still meet age, residency, start and end dates, and entry limits.
A missing requirement can disqualify an entry from an allowed state. The sponsor-posted rules act as the entry terms. Read them as a short contract before you enter.
What should you check before you enter?
Use this quick scan on every drawing. It takes less than a minute with the rules page open. The Federal Trade Commission explains in its 2024 sweepstakes enforcement release that lawful drawings separate prize, chance, and payment with a no-purchase entry route and clear disclosures.
If your place is listed as void, skip that drawing.
- your state, province, or country in the eligibility and void lines
- minimum age and residency proof
- start date, end date, and one-entry or daily-entry limit
- no-purchase entry method and prize-draw dates