A sweepstakes, or pre-drawing lottery, is a type of lottery where winners are selected before all participants are notified, without direct intervention. Participants can find out the results instantly via a toll-free number, a website, a scratch-off ticket, by submitting a response form, or by visiting a retail location in person. Unlike other types of lotteries, a sweepstakes cannot be used to build a database, as this is necessary for the pre-drawing. Therefore, it is primarily used to boost or qualify a list of prospects or customers.