America’s Sweepstakes King

Steve Ledoux, a 47-year-old realtor from California, has won more than 500 sweepstakes and contests since the 1990s. He has walked away with a dozen trips, a year’s worth of ice cream, cash and TVs totaling tens of thousands of dollars.

Here’s a few tips about how he operates:

• Scour grocery stores, TV commercials and the coupon section of the Sunday paper for promotions.

• Read the fine print. About 50% of sweepstakes entries are disqualified because people don’t read the rules.

• Enter skill contests. They offer better odds of winning since fewer people enter them because they include a component like writing a poem or creating a video.

• Trust the brand. Never enter a sweepstakes or contest from an unknown company.

• Fold up in-store promo entries like an accordion so it takes up more room in the box and is easier to grab as a winner.

• Enter for a friend or relative if rules call for one entry per person.

• Stagger your entries, if rules allow, and enter often.

“I liken it to poker,” says Ledoux, who is also the author of How to Win Lotteries, Sweepstakes, and Contests In the 21st Century. “You’re not supposed to count your chips until you are done. I am still in the game.”