Many major firms have been accused in recent years of creating the false impression that participants in their sweepstakes programs must purchase their products in order to qualify for a prize. Some also have been accused of creating the impression that making more purchases will increase a participant’s chances of winning. Some have been accused of giving individual seniors the impression that the contest is down to them and cnly a few other contestants. These impressions allegedly have been conveyed by carefully scripted mailings supplemented by expensive TV ad campaigns showing happy winners. Many elderly participants have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars apiece repeatedly purchasing the same products or magazine subscriptions, all in hopes of increasing their chances of securing the multi-million dollar prize. By law, sweepstakes cannot require you to make a purchase in order to enter. Nor can purchasing increase your chances of winning a lawful sweepstakes.