Florida — Sweepstakes & Promotion Law
Overseeing agency: Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS)
Bonding & registration
| Trigger | Total announced prize value over $5,000 (cumulative across all prizes). |
| Surety bond / trust | Surety bond OR trust account equal to the total prize value. A bond waiver is possible for operators with 5+ consecutive clean years under § 849.094. |
| Filing lead time | At least 7 days before the promotion begins. |
| Filing fee | $100 per promotion. |
| Winners-list filing | Certified winners list (prizes > $25) within 60 days of final winner determination. |
No-purchase-necessary & AMOE
Like every U.S. state, Florida follows the federal rule: a chance-based promotion must let anyone enter for free. If you let people enter by buying a product, you must also offer an Alternate Method of Entry (AMOE) with equal dignity — same odds, same deadlines, same number of entries as the paid path. Burying the free method in fine print draws regulatory attention.
Skill vs. chance
Registration/bonding applies to games of chance tied to the sale of consumer products or services. Pure skill contests are outside § 849.094.
Arcades & gambling carve-outs
FDACS does not regulate internet casinos, adult arcades, or gaming establishments; contact local law enforcement for those.
Notable state quirks
- Material terms must be published in all advertising; full rules posted conspicuously at every outlet.
Printable Florida compliance checklist
Before you launch a prize promotion in Florida, work through this quick checklist. For a formatted, state-specific file, open the Checklist Generator. Press Ctrl/Cmd + P to print this section.
- No purchase is required to enter — a free Alternate Method of Entry (AMOE) is offered with equal dignity (same odds, deadlines, and number of entries).
- Official rules state the prize, value, eligibility, start/end dates, and how winners are selected.
- If winners are drawn at random, the promotion is a sweepstakes — not a skill contest.
- Florida has bonding / registration duties: confirm the threshold (Total announced prize value over $5,000 (cumulative across all prizes).), surety bond or trust, and file before the promotion opens (At least 7 days before the promotion begins.).
- Not sure whether your specific promotion must be filed? Run the Do-I-Need-to-File? checker.
Build a Florida compliance checklist
Turn these rules into a printable checklist for your promotion.
Open tool →Do I need to file? (go-no-go)
Answer a few questions to see whether your promotion triggers state registration.
Open checker →Back to the laws hub
Federal baseline and the special-vs-baseline split.
Open laws hub →Source & verification
- Primary: Fla. Stat. § 849.094 — FDACS Game Promotions/Sweepstakes
- Agency: Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS)
- Retrieved and verified: 2026-08-16. Laws change — confirm with the agency before launch.