I've been thinking lately about what Apple will and won't approve, and wanted to get your feedback. Do you think Apple would accept something along the lines of an iPhone lottery? You buy the app and every week, inside the app, there is a new lotto prize (promo code, iPod, computer). Owners of the lotto application would be automatically entered in each week's raffle, and the prizes of coarse, are real. So do you think something along these lines would make it through?
Not sure, but I'm guessing you'd have to be a legitimate business instead of just some guy shipping stuff out of his basement. But I'm sure Apple can come up some obscure excuse
Apple would probably approve it. But the federal government would have your ass in prison and all your assets seized pretty swiftly I would imagine. If not the feds, you'd have various states and provinces wanting a piece of you.
For giving out promo codes and possible hardware? In a way, this has been done before in review site apps, where the give away codes in odd posts. I don't see any real law violations. Some games have already had contests associated with them where you can win money, like when iFart was giving out a MacBook
Oh joy. I don't see anything about the App the Apple would reject. Of course, I am not fluent in Apple's rejection policies, but it doesn't seem to be anything horrifically terrible.
I was wondering the same... like a safe cracker game, when you open the 6 digit safe, bingo, you are a winner. Here is a code and a website to claim your prize. Should be allowed, no?
My gut tells me they might not allow it to be mentioned in the app or the app store description. Apple would not want to get the blame if the contest goes bad or the prize is not delivered. They do not allow any mention of donating app revenue to charity either, and for similar reasons. *However* I can't see Apple objecting to, say, a high-score contest that your promote on your own site and in your own advertising, any more than they could object to a monkeyball high-score contest or a pac-man high score contest, as long as you don't mention it in the app store. Contests with prizes are also governed by many different local laws - look at the fine print on a McDonalds Monopoly board for an example of how complicated this can get, if your area has such a thing.
Gambling is pretty strictly regulated in many countries...you can't just decide to run your own lotto I'm afraid. There's a reason why all those promotional contests you find on candy bars and so on all have "no purchase required" clauses in small print, where you can enter for free. --Eric
Well, don't put it as a lottery then. The app is the joining area for another website's giveaways. To be apart of www.____.com's contests, you buy the app, and your entered.
The thing is that you don't want the app to be a ticket to a lottery. That will get the wrong kind of attention from the gambling commission. If you treat your app as a gateway to sweepstakes instead, and find a way to monetize your sweepstakes via ad revenue, then it's no longer a lottery, but you're only going to be doing a single sale per app. You can get around it but you have to be very careful dealing in things where the government has a high level of interest. And they take "lotteries" very seriously, because it's a massive form of tax revenue.
I don't know foreign gambling laws, but I think they are similar to german/european law... there are differences to be made, like there is gambling for money (which is prohibited if you don't have a license), but also there is gaming where you can win prizes, (money or otherwise), which is not prohibited as far as you don't exceed a threshold in. then there are other forms of small-money gambling, like a slot machine, where you are not allowed to lose more than a small amount of money per hour, these kind of slot machines are also allowed.... and so on... when you buy a saf cracker app, you can buy it only once (no danger for the customer here to lose more money than the app money), then you will get the announced prize if you get the 6 digit code right, so there is no luck involved... but I think you are rigth, that apple don't want to get bad spotlight if some app seller does not deliver the prizes... so I guess, I would make a Safe Cracker app, with fake prizes where I point to my web site, like : hey, take a look at .... compare your high scores, register for free and so on... cheers
I really wouldn't mess with this... There are too many laws regarding contests and they vary wildly from state to state (and in some nothing of this sort would be allowed, or would be extremely regulated, that's why you see "offer not valid in Wisconsin" in the fine print.) There's also age requirements in some states for contests. So how are you going to check to make sure they're over 18 and don't live in a state you can't sell the app in? The laws are a good thing, by the way, because otherwise what's to stop shady types from setting up contests and private lotteries and just running away with all the cash without giving out prizes? Which used to happen all the time, in the good ol' days, which is why we have such laws. I mean there's I Love Lucy and Honeymooners episodes where they get busted for plans similar to yours. If you're serious about it don't ask us, ask a real business lawyer, who will probably tell you not to bother.
Actually all those contests/apps who mention contests could well be illegal in the member states of the European Union. Such things are pushing the boundaries of the "Unfair Commercial Practices Directive". That and of course the stringent laws on lotteries in general - which the apps break without question. (ever wonder why Engadget only gives stuff to US citizens?.. Yeah, you don't want to mess with us Europeans!)
Probably this paragraph of the License Agreement would prohibit to unlock external prizes, money etc... 3.3.3 Without Apples prior written approval, an Application may not provide, unlock or enable additional features or functionality through distribution mechanisms other than the App Store.
I don't know how much I can say about this, but I know a guy who developed an app that seems to be pretty much very similar to what you describe. It was not accepted, and I KNOW he went through a lot of effort involving a lot of back and forth (he is well connected, and "knows people" at apple), and it was still not accepted. Here is a nice article that lists some reasons for rejection, and contests are on the list: http://www.mobileorchard.com/avoiding-iphone-app-rejection-part-2/
This would even get in the gate, or everyone would be doing it. And the first one in line would be GoldenPalace
