I’ve been wondering if it’s illegal to hold a raffle in California and Hawaii. I’ve seen a few places doing raffles, but not sure if it’s actually allowed. Anyone know for sure?
Yeah, it’s actually illegal in both places for regular raffles unless you’re a charity. There are some exceptions though. Hawaii’s a bit tricky, but if you’re a charity and have a legit event like a dinner, it might be okay. Same in California for charities only, and they have rules like you can’t sell tickets online.
I think in Hawaii, people do a ‘lucky giveaway’ instead of a raffle, but it’s kind of the same thing. They call it something different to avoid the gambling laws, though not sure if it’s a legit loophole or just a gray area.
In California, if you’re running a charity raffle, 90% of the money has to go to the nonprofit. Only 10% can be used for prizes unless you’re affiliated with a major sports team. That makes the odds of winning higher than some of the regular raffles!
Okay, so it sounds like there are ways to do it legally in both states if you follow the rules. But you really need to be a charity or add another service to make it work, especially in Hawaii. I guess I’ll have to look into this more before trying something similar!
I own a surf shop in Hawaii and was thinking of doing an ‘opportunity drawing.’ Is that allowed? I’ve heard people do it but not sure if it’s just a loophole.