Are Raffles 'Allowed'?

[Casey2296]

Good points on the for profit angle, could get complicated.

[Cliff Bowman]

I remember there were raffles here for Graig Kreindler to do a painting of your choice of an iconic player or game moment, how is that any different?

[JollyElm]

Thanks for weighing in, guys. It seems to be the proverbial slippery slope I assumed it was.

[swarmee]

On Facebook and other message boards, they're called "razzes" and normally illegal based on the state you live in. However, the odds of the authorities being contacted is low. More likely is that some of your slot buyers will request refunds for PayPal since they didn't receive anything and raffles are against the TOS of PayPal. About a year ago, PayPal suspended the accounts of many Razz runners and Group Breakers who did not provide a shipped item back to every person who paid them. In some cases, I believe they also kept the money still in the account.
So I would say overall, they're far more risky than you would think.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by swarmee

On Facebook and other message boards, they're called "razzes" and normally illegal based on the state you live in. However, the odds of the authorities being contacted is low. More likely is that some of your slot buyers will request refunds for PayPal since they didn't receive anything and raffles are against the TOS of PayPal. About a year ago, PayPal suspended the accounts of many Razz runners and Group Breakers who did not provide a shipped item back to every person who paid them. In some cases, I believe they also kept the money still in the account.
So I would say overall, they're far more risky than you would think.

Like I was saying, you have to be careful depending on what state you are in. There is what I think is a fairly simple fix though. Be sure to include other cards, maybe less valuable commons, and make sure you note everyone buying a raffle ticket gets something. That sounds like it would take care of the Paypal TOS issue at least. Good luck.