All states prohibit companies from requiring people to pay money or make a purchase to enter a sweepstakes. Although most states allow companies more flexibility to require a payment or purchase in a skill contest, some states prohibit those requirements, too. Up until now, Vermont was in the latter category.

Effective April 26, 2013, nothing in the Vermont statute “shall be construed to prohibit a person from requiring or paying any kind of entry fee, service charge, purchase, or similar consideration in order to enter, or continue to remain eligible for, a game of skill or other promotion that is not based on chance.”

The line between chance and skill isn’t always clear, but if companies can get on the right side of that line, they’ll soon have more options for running promotions in Vermont.

Vermont Changes Law on Skill Contests