New York — Sweepstakes & Promotion Law
Overseeing agency: New York Department of State
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, in favor of the people of New York. |
| Filing lead time | At least 30 days before the promotion begins (longest lead time of any state). |
| Filing fee | $100 filing fee. |
| Winners-list filing | List of winners (prizes > $25) within 90 days of completion; keep records 6 months. |
No-purchase-necessary & AMOE
Like every U.S. state, New York 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
Skill-based contests judged on merit fall outside § 369-e. The statute targets chance-based promotions tied to the sale of consumer products or services.
Arcades & gambling carve-outs
A companion statute (§ 369-ee) targets deceptive prize notices and simulated checks; civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation.
Notable state quirks
- Disclosures (minimum prizes, odds, value, area, dates) must be posted at every retail location and published in all ad copy.
- Failing to register is a Class B misdemeanor.
Printable New York compliance checklist
Before you launch a prize promotion in New York, 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.
- New York 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 30 days before the promotion begins (longest lead time of any state).).
- Not sure whether your specific promotion must be filed? Run the Do-I-Need-to-File? checker.
Build a New York 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: N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 369-e — DOS Games of Chance Registration
- Agency: New York Department of State
- Retrieved and verified: 2026-08-16. Laws change — confirm with the agency before launch.