IWon
A web portal that rewarded users with cash prizes for online activities.
iWon.com began as a web portal in the style of Yahoo!, giving users chances to win cash prizes in daily, weekly, and monthly drawings. Entries were earned through a points system for activities like clicking links, using the search feature, and playing online games. The site later evolved into a free casual game portal, though the prize drawings and iWon Rewards program ended on January 6, 2016; the site itself continued operating as a game portal. Major early backers included Viacom, and it was owned by Barry Diller's IAC and later by Mindspark Interactive Network; Time Warner was an early investor, not a co-owner at shutdown. In January 2011, iWon launched a Facebook interactive game portal with similar features and a daily prize draw during its first months. The iWon Email service, available since the platform's 1999 launch, was shut down on October 2, 2017, as part of IAC/Mindspark's discontinuation of legacy services, with a notice advising users to save their information before access was lost.
- Field
- Web portal and casual gaming
- Known for
- Offering cash prize drawings to individual users through online activities
- Founded
- 1999 (iWon E-mail service launched that year)
- Closed
- January 6, 2016 (prize drawings and Rewards program); October 2, 2017 (email service)
- Major backers
- Viacom, IAC, Mindspark Interactive Network, Time Warner (early investor)
Lore & Background
iWon.com began as a web portal that entered users into daily, weekly, and monthly cash prize drawings. Users earned entries through a point system for activities such as clicking on links, using search features, and participating in online games. Among its major early backers was Viacom, parent of CBS, UPN and MTV. It was owned by Barry Diller's IAC and later by Mindspark Interactive Network; Time Warner was an early investor, not a co-owner at the time of shutdown.
In January 2011, iWon launched an interactive game portal on Facebook, offering similar games and features, including a daily prize draw during its opening months. The prize drawings and iWon Rewards program ended on January 6, 2016, though the site continued to operate as a game portal.
iWon E-mail service was first available during the launch of the iWon platform in 1999. On October 2, 2017, iWon shut down their free e-mail service as part of IAC/Mindspark's discontinuation of legacy services, with a final message advising users to save their information before the shutdown.
Reader's Guide
iWon.com represents an early example of a web portal that gamified user engagement by offering cash prizes to charities. Its model—rewarding points for clicking links, searching, and playing games—anticipated later loyalty and rewards programs. The site's backing by major media companies like Viacom and Time Warner highlights the convergence of traditional media and internet startups in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Though the main site closed in 2016, its email service persisted until 2017, ending as part of Time Warner's merger with AT&T. iWon's legacy lies in demonstrating how charitable incentives could drive web traffic, a concept that influenced later cause-marketing and ad-supported gaming platforms. Its shutdown marked the end of a distinctive era of portal-based internet services.
Did You Know?
- iWon.com offered cash prizes to individual users through activities like playing online games, not to charities.
- The prize drawings and iWon Rewards program ended on January 6, 2016, but the site continued as a game portal.
- iWon E-mail service was first available in 1999 and shut down on October 2, 2017, as part of IAC/Mindspark's service discontinuation.
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