Description

I am filing a complaint against the sweepstakes/gaming platform “Sweepshark.” The company advertises its promotions as “no purchase necessary,” yet requires players to “verify their account with a minimum of one purchase” before winnings can be redeemed. Customer Support has confirmed that redemption is blocked unless verification is completed through a personal payment method. This practice is deceptive and unfair to consumers. It misrepresents the sweepstakes as free while imposing a hidden payment requirement. By conditioning redemption on a purchase, the platform effectively operates as a pay-to-play scheme, which risks violating consumer protection laws and lottery prohibitions. Customer Support has refused to escalate this matter to compliance or legal staff, stating that “verification requirements cannot be modified or bypassed.” This refusal to address legitimate concerns shows neglect of consumer rights and bad-faith enforcement designed to block payouts while freely accepting consumer losses. I request that the Better Business Bureau review Sweepshark’s practices, hold the company accountable for misleading consumers, and require corrective action to ensure fair and lawful sweepstakes operations.