[QUOTE=Shadowcat;278138]
So its most likely gambleing which is illegal, if no money changed hands, an internet raffle would be legal.[/QUOTE]
Yup. And, though I would like to think I’m performing some kind of charity by holding a . . . er. . . contest, raffle, lottery, events. . . . government wouldn’t quite see it that way if I started asking for money. 
[QUOTE=Shadowcat;278138]
My point was that when people are basically being bribed to advertise your site, and only the people at the top get the prizes, its starts to resemble a pyramid scheme. The forum owner has to spend very little to get lots of advertisement (in theory) while many of the members are only there for the bribes.[/QUOTE]
I agree to a certain extent. But there is also an alternative way to view certain variations of that type of promotion. Some time ago, I held a similar event to the one being held here by xXTrixy (sp?). But I did not view it as a scheme to bribe people to do things for me. It was putting members to work to help bring exposure to the forum they, and I, cared about. More members meant more people to meet, befriend, and play Brink with. And I have no doubt that many of the early members there would have happily done the same required tasks with no incentive beyond that. But I truly like designing, creating, and giving away cool stuff. Simply ask a member and you’ll find that I have given away shirts, signs, flags, etc. with the only requirement being to post their desire for it before the item ran out. The contests I held/hold were only for “big ticket” items, that cost significant amounts of money. In those cases, I still wouldn’t fault someone for asking for a little help to make giving it away even more worthwhile (depending on what you’re asking them to do). The point being that the forum owner in cases like these, has indeed paid quite a price, and asks the members to help offset that price with a minuscule amount of labor with hope of a final reward. Eye of the beholder I suppose.