Contests and sweepstakes App Review checklist
A promotion can look like a feature, a game, a lottery, or gambling depending on prize, chance, consideration, and region. Review readiness starts by classifying it correctly.
Classify the promotion before launch: skill contest, sweepstakes, prize drawing, giveaway, loyalty reward, random virtual item, or gambling-like activity. App Review Guidelines include rules for contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, gambling, and legal compliance. AppReviewReady interpretation: prove official rules, eligibility, no Apple sponsorship, prize handling, and regional controls before submitting.
Classify the promotion before copy is written
List how users enter, whether purchase is required, whether chance or skill decides winners, what prizes are offered, whether virtual items have value, and where the promotion runs. This determines whether the feature is a simple giveaway, skill contest, sweepstakes, lottery-like mechanic, or regulated gaming risk.
Do not let marketing copy choose the legal shape. Words like raffle, lottery, bet, wager, jackpot, and guaranteed winner can change reviewer interpretation even when the implementation is less risky.
Make official rules visible
- Eligibility by age, geography, account state, employee status, and purchase requirement.
- Start and end dates, time zone, entry limits, winner selection method, and prize details.
- Tax, shipping, substitution, and winner-notification terms where relevant.
- A clear statement that Apple is not a sponsor or involved in the promotion.
- Support contact and dispute process for promotion questions.
Use storefront and server controls
A promotion that is legal in one jurisdiction may be unavailable or regulated in another. Storefront availability is not enough if server flags, deep links, or existing users can still reach the entry path from restricted regions.
AppReviewReady interpretation: the safest implementation uses both App Store availability decisions and in-app eligibility checks. The review account should demonstrate allowed and blocked states without requiring real prizes.
Test entries, winners, and failure states
- Enter the promotion from a new account and from an ineligible account.
- Attempt duplicate entries, expired entries, and entries from blocked regions.
- Verify random or judged winner flows can be tested without awarding a real prize.
- Confirm paid purchases are not required unless the legal model and App Store rules allow the structure.
- Check notifications, emails, and support pages for consistent eligibility and prize language.
Give Review Notes a promotion summary
Keep the note operational. Reviewers need to know how to verify the rules and eligibility controls, not read a long legal memo inside App Store Connect.
After approval, freeze promotion mechanics unless legal and release owners sign off. Changing prize value, entry method, odds, region, or purchase relationship through remote configuration can make the live app materially different from the reviewed version.
Keep historical rules accessible while winners are being contacted. Users and reviewers should be able to understand the terms that applied when entries were collected.
Promotion review summary: Promotion type: [contest, sweepstakes] Entry method: [steps] Eligible regions: [list] No-purchase path: [if applicable] Official rules location: [screen/URL] Apple non-sponsor statement: [location] Test winner behavior: [safe mode]
Primary references checked for this guide
Policy statements above are grounded in the linked Apple documentation. Operational recommendations are AppReviewReady's interpretation and should be tested against your app and the current guideline text.
Check promotion risk
Review prize mechanics, rules, region controls, and App Store evidence before submission.
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