
In this digital era, it’s easy to find ways to win prizes without going anywhere. Contests, giveaways, and games that put prizes on the line now allow online participation. With attractive prizes up for grabs, anyone will have the chance to be the winner. If you’re looking for ways to win gift or cash prizes online in 2025, here are some of the best ways to do so.
1. Real Money Games
One of the most popular ways to win money prizes online is through online casinos. Like in traditional casinos, players can bet their money to win real money prizes! These online pokies for real money come in various themes, game-play, and features. You’ll find classic online slots, card games, dice games, and innovative real-money arcade games where you can get real money when hitting a win.
2. Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes are contests where participants have a chance to win a prize. The contest will select a winner at random, so it fully relies on chance. Generally, participants don’t have to be skilled to win sweepstakes.
Many companies and businesses usually create sweepstakes and contests to build their brand’s awareness. They would typically require participants to register by providing their personal information when filling out the forms. Some participants may need to make a random purchase of the brand’s products. Some others might require participants to answer a list of questions.
Although sweepstakes sound similar to real money games or gambling games, they’re fully different. Gambling games require players to pay first, as they need to wager real money to get a chance of winning the prize. Sweepstakes, on the other hand, has a rule where participants shouldn’t be required to spend any money to enter. If the sweepstake asks participants to spend money, be it by buying a product, the amount of money spent usually won’t affect their winning chance.
3. Contests
Sweepstakes and gambling games mostly rely on chance. However, contests are made for participants to show their skills. The winner would be the participant who excels and shows better skills than the other participants. Some contests rely on popularity votes, which can be done by the judges or the public.
So, unlike sweepstakes, participants must be able to show the right skills to win a contest. They must win the judges’ favor to grab the prize.
Due to digitalization, having a robust digital marketing strategy has become crucial for businesses. Contests are seen as a marketing strategy that can drive engagement, especially when votes are made public. The more popular a contestant is, the more engagement the business can get.
4. Giveaways
Giveaways are a different type of contest that are often organized on social media. Brands and influencers would ask participants to engage in specific ways to enter the giveaway. It may be to subscribe to the organizer’s channel, commenting on specific posts, tagging other people, or interacting with certain posts.
Then, a winner is selected at random. It’s a fair contest where participants trade engagement with a chance of winning a prize.
5. Mystery Box Platforms

Mystery Box platforms are innovative e-commerce platforms where consumers can shop. Yet, there’s a twist to Mystery Box platforms as the buyer won’t know what they’re getting before they unbox the purchased item themselves.
Depending on the platform, the items can vary. It can be electronics, clothing items, beauty products, and more. The price for each mystery box is fixed, so buyers won’t be able to guess the value of the item they’re getting.
Many people join the Mystery Box hype due to its surprise elements. There’s always a chance that the buyer gets an item of higher value than the cost they spent to buy the box. Many businesses are also interested in joining the Mystery Box trend as it drives high engagement while giving buyers a unique, adventurous shopping experience.
6. Cashback and Rewards Apps
Although the sense of winning from cashback and rewards apps won’t be the same as joining a contest, it’s still relatively rewarding. Cashback apps provide a way for consumers to receive a percentage of their spending back. It’ll record the user’s purchases, then they can earn money once their transactions are approved.
The app would usually have a requirement of how much the user must accumulate before they can withdraw the cash. Some apps would also allow users to redeem their accumulated cashback for prizes other than cash. It’s an excellent way to win some prizes for regular online shoppers.