Instant win games and sweeps online--can you really enter and win a good prize?

I'm sure you've seen them--online sweeps and games that promise the opportunity to win instant prizes such as cash, gift cards, and more. Does anyone actually win these games? Yes--and I have proof.

What's my proof? Well, I have actually won a couple of these games myself! Last year in a KFC-sponsored instant win game, I won a Sony PSP, complete with a game--let me tell ya, that was a nice win (and don't think for an instant that I gave it to my husband or one of my sons, either...that game system is mine!). I also won an Adidas.com $50 gift card from a Tampax-sponsored game, a stopwatch from a Tylenol sweeps, and a book from the Klutz series from another online game. There were also a couple of t-shirt wins here and there, and a few free coupons, too.

But you know what? I have bigger proof than just my wins...my friend "Pinching Abe" is one of the luckiest people on the planet.

I probably can't even begin to name everything that my friend has won, but some of the major wins have been an entertainment system worth a few thousand dollars, a laptop computer, a Sony PSP (yep, she won the very same KFC instant win game that I did), and some roundtrip airline tickets. That isn't even scratching the surface of what she has won, though--and, to top it off, her sister is just as lucky as she is, winning just as often at the instant online games (if not more often).

So, do people win these games online? Yes. Is it easy? No. It takes persistence--you have to be willing to try these online sweeps and games on a daily basis. Play them over and over again, day after day, and don't get discouraged when you lose over and over. Because you will lose--a lot, most of the time, actually. Just expect to lose and you will be pleasantly surprised when you end up a winner once in awhile--that's the best attitude to have.

Another thing to remember--make sure your kids understand what you are doing. There is a difference (a huge one) between these instant win games and other types of online gaming. Make sure that your kids understand that they will not have a chance at winning prizes for playing the games at PlayhouseDisney.com or NickJr.com. Seems like it would be obvious, but things that are obious to adults are not necessarily quite so obvious to kids...