Every movie with a Las Vegas setting or a Vegas vacation typically features the same scenes. You've got the ringing of the casinos, the glitz of the strip, a craps table with twenty people that seem like family but just met each other fifteen minutes earlier, and the elderly woman with a watered-down gin and tonic blindly inserting coins in the slots.

This last image is the one that resonates with most. We've all been there, tempted by a slot section that promises up to $250,000 in winnings for merely playing. Someone's got to win, we reason. And that person could very well be me.

Sweepstakes have the same reputation. Folks with time on their hands, blindly entering contests resting future (prize) earnings on a notion of luck. Someone's got to win that iPad. And that person could very well be me.

While there is a fair share of luck involved in winning sweepstakes, make no mistake about it - there is a larger share of what is known as "sweeper's skill". If you've got the dedication and persistence, winning sweepstakes can be a very lucrative way to complement your income. The key is volume. Folks that earn considerable, additional income in both prizes and cash are submitting thousands of entries per year and hitting on roughly 1 percent. The old adage in business, sports, etc. of "the more you play/practice, the more chances you have to win," holds true for sweepstakes as well.

Successful sweepers leverage technology. There are a host of sites that communicate daily giveaways and contests. Most are free, while some are paid (up to $50 for a yearly, premium membership). Firefox and Chrome store your address and name and help to quickly enter contests with a single click. Auto-complete software is also popular, and the good ones can cut contest-entering time in half. While there is a cost, it's marginal considering the potential pay-out of entering 100 contests in a day compared to just 50.

Note, if you're considering doing all this even with a watered-down gin and tonic at your side, your reaction time will be compromised. But for the serious sweepers, "sweeper's skill" is real and proven. Make it a part of your daily routine and watch those prizes and cash begin to pile up.