Texas Contest and Sweepstakes Laws
Yes, a free-to-enter giveaway is generally fine in Texas. Texas only treats a promotion as a lottery when people pay for the chance to win.
- Texas Penal Code § 47.01 defines a lottery as prizes distributed by chance among people who paid or promised consideration, whatever it's called.
- Paid raffles are only for qualified nonprofit organisations under the Charitable Raffle Enabling Act, so a business can't sell raffle tickets.
- Texas has no special sweepstakes registration or bonding rule in the statutes we checked.
Beyond these points, the general US rules on free entry and clear official rules likely apply.
Gleam generates Terms & Conditions for every Competition. Tick A Purchase or Donation is Required to Complete This Action on any paid Action and Gleam adds a free entry alternative. On the Pro Plan and above, Restrict Entries by Location can limit entry to the US, but it works by country, not state. To leave out a state, add the State field on the Pre-Entry tab and name the excluded states in your terms.
This isn't legal advice. Check your promotion with a lawyer licensed in Texas before you launch.
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Can I Use User-Generated Content From the Giveaway in Future Marketing?
Yes, if entrants agree to it. Add the permission to your Terms & Conditions and a consent checkbox to your entry form, and keep a record.