Reese’s may be in violation of state and federal laws with its new sweepstakes offer currently advertised on packs of peanut butter cups.
The promotion on two-cup packages reads “You could win $25,000” and, in smaller print, “See details inside.” But only after consumers have bought and opened a package can they see the small print: no purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes.
The Reese’s contest was first reported Monday by Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts, who runs the Consumer World website.
Hershey Co., that Pennsylvania candymaker that owns the Reese’s brand, didn’t immediately respond to telephone and email messages left Monday by The Associated Press.
Sweepstakes are primarily governed by state laws, which require that no purchase is necessary to participate. A contest that requires a purchase is a lottery, which is subject to different rules.