Reese's Potential Sweepstakes Law Violation

As Halloween approaches, so does the kick-off to the official holiday season. During this time of celebration, companies double-down with exciting sales, promotions and sweepstakes. One such business is Reese's, owned by The Hershey Company. Unfortunately, Reese's may find itself on the receiving end of regulatory action and/or a consumer lawsuit, as it appears that the current promotion may violate various state sweepstakes laws.

The sweepstakes promotion at issue is featured on the outside of a Reese's peanut butter cup wrapper, which reads "YOU COULD WIN $25,000." In smaller print below, it says "SEE DETAILS INSIDE." In order to access the subject sweepstakes details, the consumer must purchase and open the product, only to find that the small print sweepstakes disclosure includes the language "NO PURCHASE NECESSARY." The product is currently being sold across the country in numerous retail locations.