Charitable Gaming Act Going Into Effect June 2018

The Charitable Gaming Act of 2017 will become effective in mid-June 2018.  This new law modernizes how raffle tickets are bought and sold by charities in New York and permits raffles to be conducted “online” for the first time. 

The new law allows charities  - such as the VFW, American Legion, Elks, Moose, volunteer fire departments, churches, and other charitable organizations throughout the state in counties which have authorized such games - to sell and advertise their raffles online and on mobile apps. These organizations will now also be allowed to accept cash, checks and debit and credit cards as payment for raffle sales.  Previously raffle tickets were only allowed to be sold in exchange for cash. Permitting the selling and advertising of raffles online should open these sales to a much wider market.  Ticket sales, however, will still be limited to being sold in the county where the fundraiser is being held and the contiguous counties surrounding it, as long as those municipalities allow charitable gaming. Participants with ZIP codes outside those areas will not be able to purchase raffle tickets for fundraisers online.

Hodgson Russ’ Gaming Practice Group can assist charities in developing procedures to comply with the new law.