Raffle Guidlines
The UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. maintains a license (with the State of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Gaming Commission) to conduct raffles. By State of Wisconsin Law (Chapter 163, Wisconsin State Statutes), the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. (and/or its affiliate groups) may not conduct more than 200 separate raffles plus one (1) calendar raffle per year.
["Affiliate group" is defined as those persons who, together, are raising funds for a specific account (fund) within those accounts (funds) authorized and maintained by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. "Calendar raffle" means a raffle for which an affiliate group prints calendars with certain dates specified for raffle drawings and showing the amount of prize for each date so specified.]
Any affiliate group of the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. wishing to conduct a raffle must adhere to the Law, as prescribed in Chapter 163 of the Wisconsin Statutes, and must abide by the guidelines/rules established by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc.
State of Wisconsin Law Regarding Conduct of Raffles
- Tickets for a raffle drawing shall not be sold more than 180 days preceding any raffle drawing.
- Winnings from raffles in excess of $1,000 (cash or cash value) are subject to income tax withholding.
- Federal postal regulations may affect or prohibit the advertisement of raffles and distribution of raffle tickets through the mail.
- No salary, fee, or incentive may be paid to those who sell raffle tickets.
- No person shall be required to purchase more than 1 ticket for any 1 drawing. The price for any individual ticket, or for discount packages, must be printed on each ticket whenever tickets for a raffle are sold, except for raffles where tickets are sold only on the day of the drawing.
- For a Class A Raffle:
- No single raffle ticket shall be sold for more than $100.00.
- No calendar may exceed $10.00 in cost for each month covered by the calendar.
For a Class B Raffle:
- No single raffle ticket shall be sold for more than $10.00.
- Persons cannot be required to be present to win. The law provides for no exceptions.
- All raffle tickets (and calendars) shall be identical in form and include:
- The number of the license
- The name & address of the sponsoring organization
- The price of the ticket (or calendar) and the discounted price, if any applicable to multiple ticket (or calendar) purchases
- A place for the purchaser to enter his/her name and address
- The date, time and place of the drawing(s)
- A list of each prize to be awarded which has a retail value of $500 or more
- A separate identification number, printed on both the purchaser's and the organization's portion of the ticket (or calendar), numbered consecutively in relation to the other tickets (or calendars) for the same drawing
Sample raffle ticket (for all raffles when tickets are sold one or more days before the date of the drawing)
- Only sub (d) and sub (g) [from above] apply for a raffle in which one or more drawings are held and prizes awarded on the same day on which tickets are sold
Sample raffle ticket (for raffles when tickets are sold & the drawing held on the same day)
- All raffle (and calendar raffle) drawings shall be held in public.
- All prizes shall be awarded. If the raffle drawing is canceled, the organization shall refund the receipts to the ticket (or calendar) purchasers.
- The organization that holds a raffle drawing shall furnish a list of prize winners to each ticket (or calendar) holder who provides the organization with a self-addressed stamped envelope and requests the list.
- The organization shall file a financial report including:
- The beginning & ending dates of the raffle
- The gross receipts
- The amount of prizes paid
- A listing (including name, address & prize won) of all persons winning prizes with a retail value of $100 or more
- An itemized listing of the other (non prize) expenses paid
- The net profit (or loss)
- A photocopy of the ticket used for the raffle
UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. Rules/Guidelines for Conducting Raffles
- Any affiliate group desiring to hold a raffle must complete the Foundation's Application for Raffle at least 30 days prior to the date on which ticket selling is scheduled to begin. [An affiliate group is defined as those persons who, together, are raising funds for a specific account (fund) within those accounts (funds) authorized and maintained by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc..]
- An Application for Raffle must be completed for each separate raffle sponsored by an affiliate group.
- The Foundation shall charge an administrative fee of $25 for each raffle held. This fee shall be used to cover costs associated with receipting raffle monies and issuing checks in payment of expenses and prizes. This fee shall not cover the printing of tickets or other expenses (including prizes) specific to the conduct of the raffle.
- The Director of the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. may (at his/her discretion) require the affiliate group to deposit (with the Foundation) monies in an amount equal to the prizes, plus cost of ticket printing, plus administrative fee, prior to granting the Application for Raffle.
- The affiliate group shall guarantee, to the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc., reimbursement (within 7 days after completion of the raffle) of all expenses associated with the raffle.
- The affiliate group agrees to abide by all State of Wisconsin Laws governing the conduct of raffles as established in Chapter 163 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
- Each affiliate group must name a person who shall be responsible for monitoring the group's compliance with State Law and who shall complete all reports as required by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. and State of Wisconsin. That person shall be known as the "affiliate group official representative". Unless specifically approved by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. Executive Committee, it shall be required that the affiliate group official representative be faculty or academic staff at UW-Platteville.
- It shall be the responsibility of the affiliate group official representative to arrange for the production of raffle tickets as prescribed by Wisconsin Law. The UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. shall assign the license number. Additionally, the name & address, as required by Law, on all raffle tickets shall include the following: UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc., [name of affiliate group], Platteville WI 53818-3099.
- Should the raffle be canceled it shall be the responsibility of the affiliate group official representative to issue refunds to all ticket purchaser.
- It shall be the responsibility of the affiliate group official representative to compile and distribute a list of prize winners to the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. and to each ticket holder who requests the list and provides the affiliate group official representative or any member of the affiliate group (or the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc.) with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
- The affiliate group official representative must file a financial report, with the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. on a form provided by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. within 7 days of the completion of the raffle. (Completion of the raffle is defined as the last date on which prizes are awarded.) That report shall include the information as defined below:
- The beginning & ending dates of the raffle
- The gross receipts including the number of tickets sold
- The amount of prizes paid
- A listing (including name, address & prize won) of all persons winning prizes with a retail value of $100 or more
- A listing (including name, address, social security number, & prize won) of all persons winning prizes with a retail value of $500 or more
- An itemized listing of the other (non-prize) expenses paid
- The net profit (or loss)
- A photocopy of the ticket used for the raffle
- The name & daytime telephone number of the person completing the report
- The name & daytime telephone number of the affiliate group official representative
- The UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. is limited to conducting no more than 200 raffles and one calendar raffle per year. It shall be the responsibility of the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. to monitor the number of raffles conducted and to grant (or deny) raffle applications based on the law.
- Affiliate groups may be denied authorization, by the Director of the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc., to conduct a raffle due to any of the following:
- Conduct of raffle would exceed number allowed by law
- Failure of affiliate group to complete application for raffle in a timely manner (at least 30 days prior to the commencement of the sale of tickets)
- Failure of the affiliate group to comply with Law as established in Chapter 163 of the Wisconsin Statutes
- Failure of the affiliate group to restore (to the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc.) any loss suffered in a previous raffle(s)
- Failure of the affiliate group to complete and file a financial report(s) for previous raffle(s)
- Failure of the affiliate group to name an affiliate group official representative as defined previously in these rules/guidelines (see #7)
- Raffle would duplicate/impede/confuse/overlap with any other raffle previously authorized (by the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc.)
- Raffle would duplicate/impede/confuse/overlay with any other fund raising activity of the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc.
- An affiliate group denied an authorization by the UW-Platteville Foundation's Director to conduct a raffle shall have the opportunity for a hearing before the Executive Committee of the UW-Platteville Foundation, Inc. Within 3 days after receiving notification of denial, the affiliate group may demand, in writing, a hearing. The hearing shall be held within 30 days. At the hearing the burden of proof shall be on the affiliate group to establish its "eligibility" to hold the raffle. The decision of the UW-Platteville Foundation's Executive Committee shall be final.
