Who can buy a ticket in an online New York raffle?

Q: Who can buy a ticket in an online New York raffle?

Anyone who is at least 18, is physically in New York at the moment of purchase, has set up a raffle ticket account with the organization, and is not on the Gaming Commission's self-exclusion list. Age and location are checked by the platform. The organization may not extend credit, no ticket may be sold more than 180 days before the drawing, and the buyer does not have to be present to win.

Q: How old does a buyer have to be?

At least 18. New York bars anyone under 18 from playing, operating or assisting in any raffle, and the Raffle Guidelines say only persons 18 or older may purchase tickets. Online, the organization's application must describe how the platform verifies age, deactivates accounts used by minors, and offers parental controls.

Q: Does the buyer need an account?

Yes. Before any online sale the buyer sets up a raffle ticket account with the organization that records their legal name, date of birth, a unique account number, address, email address and telephone number.

Q: Who is not allowed to buy?

Anyone under 18, anyone outside New York at the moment of purchase, and anyone on the Commission's self-exclusion list. The platform has to be able to block a purchase attempt by a self-excluded person.

Q: Does the buyer have to be at the drawing?

No. The law says the winner of any raffle prize is not required to be present, and every raffle ticket must carry the statement that ticket holders need not be present to win.

How old does a buyer have to be?

At least 18. The Games of Chance Licensing Law bars anyone under 18 from playing, operating or assisting in any raffle, and the Commission's Raffle Guidelines put it plainly for ticket sales.

"Only persons 18 years of age or older shall purchase raffle tickets, sell raffle tickets, or conduct or assist in the conduct of a raffle drawing;"

NYSGC Guidelines for Conducting Raffles (Rev. 8/2024), restrictions that apply to all raffle categories

Online, the rule has teeth beyond a checkbox. Before the Commission approves internet sales, your organization has to submit procedures that prevent minors from buying: how the platform verifies that each account holder is 18 or older, how it identifies and deactivates accounts created or used by minors, how parents and guardians can block a child from entering a raffle on the platform, and how it keeps raffle promotions away from people under 18. Those procedures are Exhibit 13 of the application.

Does the buyer have to be in New York?

Yes, physically, at the moment of purchase. The rule turns on where the buyer actually is, not where they live. So a New Yorker on vacation out of state cannot buy a ticket that day, while a visitor who is standing in New York can, because the rule looks only at where the buyer is at the moment of purchase. The platform has to check this with geolocation and block any attempt from outside the state.

"Locations shall be determined by the physical location of each of the purchaser and the server or other electronic equipment of the seller and not the purchaser or seller's usual address. An authorized organization's internet or mobile device raffle sale platform shall block any attempts to purchase a raffle ticket from a location outside of this State."

9 NYCRR § 4620.22(b)(7)(ii)

Does the buyer need an account?

Yes. No online ticket can be sold until the buyer has set up a raffle ticket account with your organization. The rule lists what the account holds, and the same details end up on the ticket stub the drawing uses.

"No sale of a raffle ticket though an internet or a mobile device platform may occur unless the purchaser of such ticket has first established a raffle ticket account with the authorized organization conducting such raffle. Such account shall include, for each purchaser: (a) the purchaser's legal name; (b) the purchaser's date of birth; (c) an account number unique to such purchaser; (d) the purchaser's address; (e) the purchaser's electronic mail address; and (f) the purchaser's telephone number."

9 NYCRR § 4620.22(b)(7)(iii)

This is why a buyer cannot simply tap a payment link. The account is what lets the platform verify age, record the purchaser on each ticket, and check the self-exclusion list before a sale goes through.

Who is not allowed to buy?

Three groups: anyone under 18, anyone who is outside New York when they try to buy, and anyone on the Commission's self-exclusion list. The last one is a specific duty. Your application has to describe the platform's ability to block a purchase attempt by a self-excluded person (Exhibit 17), and the rule itself is short.

"No sale of a raffle ticket may be made to any person on the commission's self-exclusion list maintained pursuant to section 5403.2 of this article."

9 NYCRR § 4620.22(b)(7)(iv)

How and when does a buyer pay?

With cash, a check, or a debit or credit card, according to the Raffle Guidelines. Online, that means a card, paid at the time of purchase. Your organization may not extend credit, and no ticket may be sold more than 180 days before the drawing. For online sales there is one more clock: tickets go on sale only after the Commission has approved your Internet/Mobile Raffle Ticket Sales Application for that raffle, which must be filed at least 60 days before the first ticket is offered.

"No authorized organization shall extend credit to a person to participate in playing a game of chance."

General Municipal Law § 189(12)

"No sale of raffle tickets shall be made more than one hundred eighty days prior to the date scheduled for the occasion at which the raffle will be conducted."

General Municipal Law § 189(13)(d)

Does the buyer have to be at the drawing?

No. The law says so, and every raffle ticket has to say so.

"The winner of any single prize in a raffle shall not be required to be present at the time such raffle is conducted."

General Municipal Law § 189(13)(e)

Under the Commission's equipment rule, each ticket also carries the statement "Ticket holders need not be present to win." How the drawing itself works, and why it stays physical even for online tickets, is covered in Can you draw a raffle winner online in New York?

Where RFFL fits

RFFL's platform does the checking described above on every purchase: age and New York location verification and the purchaser account with the required details. Buyers pay by card and receive a numbered ticket record. For the self-exclusion list, your organization obtains the official list from the Commission and uploads it using RFFL's import template, and the platform then checks every buyer against your organization's list for your organization's raffles, and a buyer who matches is blocked from participating. Your organization also files its own Internet/Mobile application and notifies the winner when the drawing is done. Details are on the platform page, and Reggie can answer a question about your organization's situation.

Sources

9 NYCRR § 4620.22(b)(7), Internet and mobile device sales: paragraphs (ii) location, (iii) accounts, (iv) self-exclusion, (vi)(c) procedures to prevent minors
NYSGC Guidelines for Conducting Raffles (Rev. 8/2024), restrictions that apply to all raffle categories (age, 180-day window, payment methods)
General Municipal Law § 189, subdivisions 12 (no credit) and 13(d) and (e) (180 days; winner need not be present)
General Municipal Law § 190-a, subdivision 3 (no participation by persons under 18)
NYSGC Internet/Mobile Raffle Ticket Sales Application (Rev. 9/2024), Exhibits 12, 13, 16 and 17 (geolocation, age controls, accounts, self-exclusion blocking)
NYSGC Raffles page

This page is educational. It summarizes the rules as published by the New York State Gaming Commission and is not legal advice. Where this page and the Commission's documents differ, the documents control, and for your organization's own situation you should check with the Commission or your counsel.