Raffles

Q1.  When do I need to file a printed ticket with your office (Rule 8.1.4)? 

A1. If the retail value of all prizes offered in the raffle exceeds $1,000, our office requires a voided, printed ticket conforming to Rule 8.1.4 (PDF) be mailed or dropped off at our office before you start selling tickets. This is required by Rule 8.

Voided tickets can be dropped off or mailed to:

Colorado Department of State
Bingo-Raffles Division
1700 Broadway, Suite 550
Denver, CO 80290

We suggest that you send a preliminary draft of the ticket to our office before you have them printed. This will help your organization avoid having to reprint or correct all tickets if there is an error in the information on the ticket. Drafts can be mailed or dropped off at the address above. They can also be emailed to us at licensing@coloradosos.gov, or faxed to 303-869-4871.

Q2. Do I have to submit a sample ticket for a raffle where prizes are under $1,000 in value?

A2. No. The law does not require that a printed ticket with the additional information required in Rule 8.1.4 be submitted to our office prior to ticket sales if the total, aggregate value of all prizes offered in the raffle is equal to or less than $1,000 in value. However, you still need to report all raffles on your quarterly reports to our office.

Q3. How much time do you need to approve a draft or void of a normal hard ticket?

A3. Any non-web based raffle ticket submission, whether a draft ticket for pre-approval or a voided ticket, will take five to seven working days to be reviewed by our office. Please plan accordingly when starting to develop your raffle.

Q4.  Can a licensee sell raffle tickets on the web?

A4. Yes, licensees can sell raffle tickets online. If you sell raffle tickets on the internet by credit or debit card, you need to be sure all proceeds from the sale go directly into your bingo-raffle account.  Payment processing cannot be done through your general account or any other accounts and then transferred into your bingo-raffle account.  If you sell tickets online, you will need to create a raffle plan that outlines if purchasers will receive a “hard” ticket, how purchasers will receive tickets, how the system produces and tracks tickets, and many other items. The best course of action is to outline to our office how the raffle is to be conducted by emailing us at licensing@coloradosos.gov. We will ask you to submit screenshots of all pages, from the landing page through any communications that purchasers receive back from your organization. If you are sending hard tickets by email or mail, we will also ask to see a draft ticket. These kinds of raffles done on the web can be a bit difficult and we would encourage you to communicate with our office early in your planning.

Q5. Can alcohol be given as a prize?

A5.  No.  The Bingo and Raffles Law prohibits licensees from offering alcoholic beverages of any kind. [1]  Giving alcoholic beverages as prizes is a Class 2 violation, which carries a fine of $75 per occurrence. [2]  If you have any questions about prizes, do not hesitate to contact our office directly so we can assist you before any violations occur.

Q6.  Our organization is holding a raffle early next year. Can we get our license this year to start selling tickets?

A6.  Yes, it is possible. You can get a license this year for a raffle that takes place next year if your raffle ticket has both this year’s and next year’s license numbers printed on the ticket.   Applications for next year’s license can’t be processed until after November 1 of the current year. Conducting a raffle that starts this year and ends next year is a complicated procedure. Please contact our office to get more information about this process. Call our office at 303-869-4910, or e-mail us at licensing@coloradosos.gov.

[1] C.R.S. 24-21-617(4)
[2] See Rule 15.3.2(d)