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It's ILLEGAL to run a contest where the prize is conditioned on a minimum number of entries. CA Bus & Prof Code § 17539.35 (2021)

Completed
Janna Morrison
Your contests requiring a minimum of 1,000 entries to be able to win the cash prize advertised are illegal. (They made them illegal because companies would make the number required impossible to be reached.) Also illegal to post claims of someone winning cash prizes without providing the full details of that winning (like exactly when were 20,000 submissions made in a single category in one week for that guy to win $400. In my 12 years on this site - no where near that many has ever been submitted in a week. Always less than 5,000 for all categories combined. For example: {This week has around 1,500 submissions for all categories combined.} Even the claims of several $150 winners = 7,500 entries in a category?. When did those happen? Maybe this is why your contest rules are hidden on the main site. I found them in a reply to someone else.  Anyhow - can't run contests the way you have been. It's not just illegal in California. That's the rules nation wide. I believe in Canada as well.

 

2021 California Code
Business and Professions Code - BPC
DIVISION 7 - GENERAL BUSINESS REGULATIONS
PART 3 - REPRESENTATIONS TO THE PUBLIC
CHAPTER 1 - Advertising
ARTICLE 2 - Particular Offenses
Section 17539.35.

17539.35.  

No person shall advertise, offer, or operate any contest, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 17539.3, in which any prize, including any money, property, service, or other matter of value, may be awarded or transferred if the opportunity to win that prize is conditioned on a minimum number of entries or contest participants.

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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • Official comment
    Pixoto Support
    • Edited

    Hi Janna,

    As you probably also noticed on that page you are referencing, it has dates back in 2012. It was not created to mislead people and hasn't been marketed since then.  

    Although Pixoto is not a California business or corporation, we've removed the content so that it is not misleading.  

    Thank you for your time in pointing it out.  We will look to introduce contests with fixed prizes this summer.

     

  • Janna Morrison

    section e:

    (e) As used in Sections 17539 to 17539.2, inclusive, contest includes any game, contest, puzzle, scheme, or plan that holds out or offers to prospective participants the opportunity to receive or compete for gifts, prizes, or gratuities as determined by skill or any combination of chance and skill and that is, or in whole or in part may be, conditioned upon the payment of consideration.

    (payment of consideration = money or points/ tokens, credits, that have the same purpose as money: can be purchased or otherwise be earned :and spent in place of money)

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  • Pixoto Support
    • Edited

    Thank you for information Janna, I'll forward it to the management.
    Regards, Jasenka

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  • Janna Morrison

    when was the last time someone won a cash award in the main categories?

    Is there a minimum number of entries required to win the $215 contests?  When was the last time someone won cash in those contests?

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  • Pixoto Support

    Hi Janna, there is no minimum number of entries to win contest (Pixoto sponsored challenges). On Pixoto sponsored contests prizes are listed on individual contest pages.
    Regards, Jasenka

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