Is Giving Out Your Date of Birth to Enter Online Sweepstakes Games a Good Idea?

Many online sweepstakes games require people to present their date of birth as part of the admission process, which makes a lot of people annoyed. There are good ideas about why people don’t want to use their real birth date when entering online sweepstakes games. Some people are concerned about character theft. Others are concerned about the age difference when it’s time to give the prizes.

So is it important? Do you have to use your real birth date to enter online sweepstakes games?

Or would set a date that is near to your real birth date be close enough? Or could you jump the question collectively?

Giving Out Your Birth Day Is a Must If You Want to Win, and Here is Why:

Using your real date of birth is required when you enter online sweepstakes games. Why? Because differently, you may be excluded from your award win.

Just bounding the age field usually is not an opportunity when you enter online sweepstakes software if it’s a required field. Your admission form will not go through if you jump a needed area. And if you do not add it when it’s needed on a mail-in online sweepstakes games entry form, your approach will likely be discarded.

And what about fudging your birth date? Using a fake period is not a great idea, either. If you win, many supporters claim that you fill out an affirmation before claiming the prize. Sometimes the data needs to be seen by a notary, who will check that the information is correct.

If any of the data on the testimony varies from the info on your entry form, including your birth year, the official might not be able to sign off on your statement. And that could lead to your losing the prize.

Could you talk the supporter into sending you an affirmation that doesn’t enter your date of birth?

Maybe. It’s also likely that your prizes will not challenge affidavits (though the big ones will, and many fewer awards, too).

But it’s previously hard to win prizes; do you want to chance on losing them after your name is picked as the winner?

So What Could You Do to Make Sure Your Data is Safe?

There are a few details you can to do to stay safe while still managing your real birth date:

You can stick with online sweepstakes games that don’t ask for your exact birth date when you enter. Some online sweepstakes games ask only for your birth month and year, and some give you an age limit to select, while others have a checkbox to show an age range that’s available to enter. And some easy-entry online sweepstakes games do not even enter a  birth date field at all. Entering only online sweepstakes games without birth date requirements help if you are concerned about giving away too much private information.

Also, make sure you are entering legitimate online sweepstakes games. Before you submit individual information that could be abused, take these actions to make sure that the giveaway is valid.

And do not forget to understand the privacy policy. Making sure that the sponsor of the giveaway has a good privacy policy will guarantee you know how your data will be used and how it will be preserved.

Why Do Online Sweepstakes Companies Ask for Your Birth Date, Anyway?

There are three principal causes why sponsors are interested in your date of birth:

Your date of birth helps sponsors support that you are likely to enter. With some rare anomalies, online sweepstakes games are usually open only to people within a specific age range, whether the giveaway is ​for kids, open only to people above the age of adulthood, though for people of retirement age, or other benefits. With your exact birth date, sponsors can be sure you are available to enter and win, saving time and effort when giving the prize.

Your date of birth ensures you are authorized able to enter. Laws are defining how data from minors can be obtained and transmitted (COPPA, for instance). To be sure that those rules are being developed, sponsors may want to check your age.

Your date of birth can be helpful to online sweepstakes’ sponsors. Knowing who is visiting their website and entering their online sweepstakes games is useful data that lets sponsors learn how to tailor their posting next time. (Read more about market segmentation for details.) Knowing who is starting can help companies choose their prizes and their marketing message for their next giveaway.

Your birth date is ​not used during the winner determination process of specific giveaways. As long as you are eligible to enter, your age will not affect your possibilities of winning.