Football squares raffle rules in Florida

Are charitable football raffles legal in Florida?

Florida allows nonprofit “drawings by chance,” and two rules bite. Nobody may be required to buy a ticket, donate, or give anything of value to enter or to win, and every ticket, advertisement, and notice must say that no purchase or contribution is necessary. Florida also selects the winner “from the entries submitted” — so a football squares game has to be arranged so the winning square always belongs to an entry somebody actually submitted.

Florida's charitable raffles are governed by Florida Statutes §849.0935 (drawings by chance). Regulator: Florida Attorney General and local authorities (no state raffle license).

Do you need to register to run a raffle in Florida?

Florida doesn't require nonprofits to register or get a license to hold a drawing by chance. Instead, strict conduct rules apply: your tickets, ads, and notices must disclose the rules, your organization's name and principal address, the source of the prize funds, and that no purchase or contribution is necessary to enter or win.

Can you sell raffle tickets online in Florida?

Florida's statute doesn't single out online sales, but the core rule is the same everywhere it applies: you can't require a purchase to enter or win, and the “no purchase or contribution necessary” disclosure must appear on every ticket, ad, and notice. Sunday Squares raffles are sold in person.

Who can run a charitable raffle in Florida?

Organizations tax-exempt under IRC 501(c)(3), (4), (7), (8), (10), or (19) that hold a current IRS determination letter — including many booster clubs, councils, parishes, and PTAs.

How do you stay compliant in Florida?

• Offer a free way to enter — you can't require a purchase or donation to participate or win.
• Select the winner from among the entries the public actually submitted. A square nobody entered cannot win.
• Put the required disclosures on every ticket, ad, and notice: the rules, your organization's name and principal address, the source of prize funds, the date, hour, and place the winner is chosen, and “no purchase or contribution necessary.”
• Run the drawing only through an eligible 501(c) organization with a current IRS determination letter.
• You may suggest a minimum donation, but never make it mandatory.

Florida doesn't set a fixed charitable-proceeds percentage, but the drawing must be run by the qualified nonprofit for its purposes. You may suggest a minimum donation, as long as no purchase or contribution is required to enter.