Jennifer Bell's MyC-SPAN

During a hearing of the Senate Governmental Affairs Permenant Subcommittee on Investigations, witnesses testified on the misleading nature of sweepstakes mailings which they believed had confirmed that they had won millions of dollars. Further, they had purchased many items from the companies in hope that this would increase their chances of winning despite warnings of "no purchase necessary to win".

Representatives of sweepstakes companies defended potentially deceptive practices used in sweepstakes contests which advertise and sell magazines. Committee members questioned whether mass mailings properly depicted the nature of the contest. At issue was the extent to which ambiguous wording, using different types of print, and implying that an order increased the chances of winning was deceptive and fraudulent.