• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Conducting a raffle in the FS forums?

Focal

Focal

New member
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
4,136
Reaction score
426
Points
0
Location
Hampton Roads, Va
What are your opinions on this? I was thinking about offering two different morph/norm pairs and charging like $5 or $10 per "ticket" and then drawing a name at the end of the week, shipping included.

Has anyone tried anything like this? Any problems I am not seeing? Is something like this permitted on fauna?


:thumbsup:
 
Aside from whether it might be permitted here, there are legal concerns with raffles.
I know the laws vary by state, and am not certain how they would be applied to an online situation...but I'm pretty sure that what you have described cannot be done legally. At least, not as simply as that; and I suspect that the requisite red tape would take away the fun aspect of the process.
 
Huh that sounds like a clever idea, but I believe Herald is correct. I'm not 100% sure on what is required to perform a raffle online though, might get lucky with some loop holes. You have sparked my curiosity I will do some research later on it. I think the only thing that could hold you back is proof of purchace and authenticy of the raffle being promised completely random, but again im not 100% sure. I'll get back to you in a bit.

Good idea none the less Nick
 
Raffle 'may' imply you are going to give the money to a cause or some place in need. Maybe the term 'Drawing" would be better?? Atleast in my opinion :)
 
Yeah it looked like a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo that differs between state to state. I would probably need legal council before attempting, which probably won't happen.

It would be a great idea though. $5 for a chance at winning a shipped pair? That would have been fun!
 
I totally agree! Wish it wasnt so complicated. Maybe we can get someone in here that has done it before or can do some reading on how it can be done easier?? Lets try to hope because Yes it would have been fun :)
 
Yeh Google isnt being very helpful. Click here to read 20 pages and forget what your looking for by page 3. I saw the same thing it varies from state to state, but I did not really catch anything saying it is 'Illegal' to conduct. Id get some legal counceling just to be sure (if you can find it for free) and if you do decide to do this, be very specific in the instructions so there are no loop holes and you way someone can make it backfire on you. Ill keep looking.
 
Hmm, did some reading and found the "No purchace Neccessary" Idea that actually might work. Pretty much you charge your $5 for a "Membership" fee to your club or what not, then all paid "Members" will be able to enter into a "free" raffle for a prize which requires $0 to enter for members.

Only problem is you can only do this once or have to re-charge all paid members, which they will probably not want to pay up again. Unless you charge a montly membership fee but will have to continue creating free raffles.

pretty much the rule of thumb is online raffles are illegal because they mimic a lottery, which requires a gambling license and will be different state to state, and require more mumbo-jumbo gambling/lottery license stuff if your participants are from different states.

rule of thumb to eliminate a lottery is not to have all 3 of the following: Prize, Chance, Fee.

Fee is the easiest to eliminate by creating a membership. This is how many commercial products (coke, pepsi, cereal, etc) does it with "No purchase Neccessary" idea, because you already purchased a product.

Hope that helps! Like the idea, but you know what they say. Its only illegal because someone else screwed it up.
 
Back
Top