Legal Question in Business Law in Illinois

I understand that in some counties, including Cook County from where I am writing, a not for profit organization must file for a license in order to run a raffle. Does this same principle apply for businesses? My specific situation is that I run a retail store and would like to raffle off several prizes at our grand opening event. The raffle tickets do not require a purchase; people receive them by registering to receive emails, etc. However, one does receive extra entries for purchasing an item, thus increasing their chances of winning. Since we are not charging for entries, the raffle would not serve any monetary profit.

So my question remains: Do I need to file for a license with Cook County in order to conduct a raffle?


Asked on 11/12/10, 12:19 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Thomas Moens Moens Law Offices, Chartered

No, it does not apply to for-profit businesses, since for-profit businesses cannot conduct raffles at all. You are on the right track with the free entries, since this likely would not be considered a raffle, however, I would go so far as to not require them to give you an email address for an entry, since this could be construed as a something of value. I would not recommend your "extra entries" for purchases idea, since this would require that "the player pays or agrees to pay something of value for a chance" which is part of the definition of a raffle. Keep it free, and you should not be in violation of the law. For your reading and educational pleasure, do an internet search for 230 ILCS 15, which is the Illinois Raffles Act.

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Answered on 11/17/10, 1:17 pm


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