Consideration

Something of value an entrant gives up in order to enter — money, a purchase, or in some jurisdictions substantial time and effort.

Consideration is the element that turns a prize-and-chance promotion into a lottery. Monetary consideration is straightforward: a purchase, an entry fee, a donation, a paid subscription, or indirect spending such as buying a ticket to the event where entries are collected.

Some US states also recognise non-monetary consideration, where an entrant is asked for substantial time, effort, or personal information rather than money. Treatment varies by state and the boundary is genuinely unsettled: a comment or a follow is ordinarily trivial, while a filmed submission, a long application, or mandatory daily activity is worth asking a lawyer about.

Removing consideration is the entire reason free entry exists.

Guides that use this term