NBC / Gambling Law Suit

[pikachu]

In the case of a lottery, there is a player pool, and from that pool someone is awarded a prize. Everyone in the player pool bought a ticket, essentially wagering their ticket price that they would win the prize. There is no way to get into the player pool for free.

In the case of NBC, where no purchase is necessary, some enter the pool by phone, some by internet. Not all of the players in the pool had to spend money to get into the pool. Therefore, it would not be considered gambling because you could have opted to enter the player pool for free.