New Yorkers Soon Able to Buy Raffle Tickets Online

Earlier this month, New York moved one step closer to approving online gambling after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed off on a bill allowing raffle tickets to be sold over the internet, and for charities to accept payment for these games by credit and debit cards.
The “Charitable Gaming Act of 2017” was originally introduced in February, before passing in both the House and Senate this summer. Cuomo recently signing the bill into law, however, came as quite a surprise as last year the Governor actually vetoed a similar bill that made its way into the legislature.
As its name implies, the piece of legislation is designed to make it easier for charities to hold raffles, which are commonplace around New York and the rest of the country, with half the money usually going to the charity and the other half to its winner. They are especially popular at sporting events, and interestingly it was the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres which played a pivotal role in having the bill push through.
The team’s nonprofit arm, known as the Buffalo Sabres Foundation, holds one such raffle at each of its home games, or around 41 per year, and last year they raised $1.1 million from ticket sales. Previously, tickets could only be bought using cash but the new bill will now provide more payment options, which should certainly help to sell more tickets. As an extract from the bill subsequently states:
“[raffle tickets].. may be purchased via the internet or mobile application with a debit or credit card, upon the account holder’s direct consent, provided, however, that the gaming commission shall promulgate any necessary rules and regulations.”
The new law is expected to be enacted in six months time, after which charities can then start to advertise their raffles online, and accept payments by debit and credit cards. Now that New York has legalized gambling online for both fantasy sports and raffles, there is also a greater sense of optimism that online poker and casino games may also eventually receive a positive vote in the state.