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"It will likely be called a raffle because buying the "tickets" costs money and you will very likely get nothing for it." It is NOT a raffle because a raffle w
by owkaye 18y ago
"It will likely be called a raffle because buying the "tickets" costs money and you will very likely get nothing for it."
It is NOT a raffle because a raffle winner is selected 100% by chance whereas at swoopo the winner is the person who bids the highest price -- and bidding the highest price is not based on chance.
- mattmaroon 18y agoRight, it's clearly not a raffle or a lottery. It's an auction. I don't think it would violate the sweepstakes laws of any state, though there are 6 I wouldn't push it in if I were running it.
- owkaye 18y agoMatt, you seem to know more about the legal framework than most other posters here. Which 6 states would you avoid? I have an important reason for asking since I'm working on a startup that uses a similar system -- very different in some respects, but certainly similar enough in others that your insights are valuable to me. You can email me privately if you prefer, my email is owkaye at gmail dot com.
- mattmaroon 18y agoArizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, and Vermont all have very restrictive gaming/sweepstakes laws. You'll notice nobody who does fantasy sports or skill games for money (cbssportsline.com, worldwinner.com, etc.) allows customers from those states. I'm really not sure if this auction system would qualify. I would really check with a lawyer versed in online gaming and sweepstakes if I were doing something like this. If you need, I can recommend the firm that almost every American who runs a casino or poker site uses.