Are raffles legal?

Under Texas law, only certain types of organizations can hold charitable raffles:

• a church, synagogue, or other religious organization that has been in existence for at least 10 years
• a volunteer emergency medical service
• a volunteer fire department
• a 501(c) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that has been in existence for at least three years
• a professional sports team charitable foundation

These laws are in the Charitable Raffle Enabling Act and the Professional Sports Team Charitable Foundation Raffle Enabling Act in Chapters 2002 and 2004 of the Texas Occupations Code, respectively.

The Texas Attorney General’s website provides more information about raffles.

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