Q: A contest ran with a deadline offering a cash prize, received many entries, & never picked/paid a winner. Is this legal?
This was a wealthy Youtuber who offered $10,000 USD as a prize to the best video made to fit a hashtag. He gained millions of subs and earned millions of dollars in AdSense revenue from the contest but kept the money. When another creator called him out, he made a poor excuse for deciding not to pick a winner and said "I decided I may need that $10k someday in the future." I'd like to know if it is legal to offer a cash prize to generate 3rd party revenue if you never intend to deliver the prize. The Creator is Ricegum and the contest was called "The Clickbait Challenge."
A:
No, it's not legal and it violates YouTube's own rules.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1620498?hl=en
You can file a complaint with the California Attorney General. https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company
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