How to use the Rules Generator

What it does and who it's for

Official rules are what make a promotion defensible: who can enter, how, what the prize is worth, how the winner is picked, and the disclaimers that limit your liability. Writing them from scratch means juggling lottery law, tax thresholds and platform policies. The Rules Generator asks eight sets of questions in plain language and assembles the document from your answers.

Before you start

• You don't need an account. The tool runs in your browser with JavaScript turned on.
• Have ready: your sponsor's legal name and full street address, a monitored contact email, exact start and end dates and times, prize descriptions with retail values, and the URL where your entry form will live.
• Set aside about five minutes.

What it covers

• Prizes of $500 or less. The tool is built for simple promotions with a total prize value of $500 or less. If you tick the acknowledgment you can continue above $500, and at that point an attorney's advice is worth having, because states including New York and Florida require registration and bonding for larger prizes.
• Where entrants live. Eligibility covers US states, or the US plus Canada excluding Quebec, because Quebec has its own registration and language requirements. For entrants elsewhere, ask an attorney.
• Entry actions a platform can collect. The tool offers the actions a platform's API can actually collect. To plan other actions, use the Campaign Checker.
• Your progress. It saves automatically in the browser you used, and the generated document lives on your device. Save the PDF when you generate it, because a different device, a private window or cleared site data starts you fresh.
• Filing and review. The tool assembles the rules. Registering a promotion or reviewing the text is work for you and your attorney.

How to generate your rules

1. Choose your promotion type. A sweepstakes picks the winner at random, and you can't require a purchase. A contest judges the winner on skill or merit against criteria you publish. This choice shapes the whole legal structure of the document, and most giveaways are legally sweepstakes.
2. Say how people enter. Pick your entry mechanics. If your entry path involves a purchase, the tool adds a free alternate method of entry.
3. Enter sponsor information. Give the legal name and full street address of whoever is running the promotion, plus a contact email. Winner-list requests and any mail-in entries go to this address, so make it real and complete. If your ZIP and state disagree, the tool flags it; correct whichever is wrong.
4. Add promotion details and dates. Promotion name, start and end dates and times, timezone, and your entry page URL. Start and end times are legally binding. The tool warns you if the end date falls before the start, if the start is in the past, or if the promotion runs more than a year.
5. Set eligibility. Minimum age, where entrants can live, and who's excluded. Including Canada adds a mandatory skill-testing question for Canadian winners.
6. Describe the prize. Give the prize description, retail value each, and number of winners. Be specific: "$250 Visa prepaid card" is better than "gift card". The tool totals the approximate retail value and warns you above $500.
7. Choose winner selection and notification. Say how the winner is determined, when, how they're contacted, and how long they have to respond. Sweepstakes winners are chosen by chance, so judging and voting belong to contests. For contests, list what you'll judge entries on — originality, creativity, how well it fits the theme — and how much each one counts. The weightings add up to 100%, so entrants can see how the winner will be chosen. A public vote counts as judging, so it needs stated criteria too.
8. Review and generate. Check the summary, work through the quick-check list, accept the disclaimer, and generate. You get the full official rules plus a short-form version for social captions, ready to copy, print or save as a PDF.

If something goes wrong

I closed the tab and lost my rules

Reopen the tool in the same browser and your progress usually comes back. If you used a private window, another device, or cleared your site data, re-enter your answers, and save the PDF as soon as you generate it.

I need to change something after generating

Use Back to Editor to change your answers and generate again, or edit the document you saved.

The tool won't let me continue

Look for a blocking warning: an end date before the start date, an incomplete sponsor address, or a prize left unfinished. Warnings marked with an exclamation are advisory and let you continue.

Privacy and what happens to your data

Everything runs in your browser, so sponsor details, prize values and dates stay on your own device.

FAQs

Is the Rules Generator really free?

Yes — no signup, no account, no credit card.

What's the difference between a sweepstakes and a contest?

A sweepstakes picks a winner at random, and you can't require a purchase. A contest picks a winner on skill or merit against published criteria. Most giveaways are legally sweepstakes.

Do I really need official rules?

Yes. Rules define eligibility, entry, prizes and winner selection, and they carry the disclaimers that limit your liability. Most platforms require them.

What does "no purchase necessary" mean?

A prize plus chance plus a required purchase is legally a lottery, which you can't run without a license. Removing the purchase requirement is what keeps a sweepstakes legal.

What is an alternate method of entry?

A free way to enter that doesn't involve a purchase — usually a mail-in card or a free online entry. It's required whenever a purchase is otherwise involved, and it has to give the same chance of winning. The generator adds the language automatically when it applies.

Can I use this for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or YouTube?

Yes. The rules include the platform release language each one requires, stating that the promotion isn't sponsored or endorsed by the platform.

Do I have to register my sweepstakes or pay tax on the prize?

Prizes of $600 or more trigger IRS 1099 reporting, and some states require registration and bonding above certain thresholds. This tool is built to keep you under those lines. The winner is responsible for tax on their prize.

Is the output legal advice?

It's a starting-point template. Have a licensed attorney review it before publishing.

Related resources

Sweepstakes and Contest Rules Guide (Help Doc)

How to use the Campaign Checker (Help Doc)

How to use Winner Reveal (Help Doc)

How to use the Marketing Calendar (Help Doc)