Charitable or nonprofit organizations may conduct raffles. Organization must have been in existence in the state for at least three years. At least 65% of all gross sales shall be redeemed as winnings each month. At least 75% of the net profits. The Capitol Complex is open to the public with some limitations. All meetings are still available virtually online. Please visit the Capitol Information page for details. Raffles and games of chance are considered gambling, which is prohibited in Tennessee. However, certain charitable organizations are allowed to apply to have one raffle, reverse raffle, cakewalk or cakewheel each year if that event is conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Tennessee Charitable Gaming Implementation Law. Utah does not permit any forms of gambling under state law. The Utah Constitution states that the, “Legislature shall not authorize any game of chance, lottery or gift enterprise under any pretense or for any purpose.

• Alabama – Online raffles prohibited
• Arkansas – Online raffles prohibited
• California – Online raffles prohibited
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Indiana – Prohibits the use of credit cards for purchase of entry
• Iowa – Permits online charity raffles, but only with an Electronic Manufacturer and Distributor that is licensed in Iowa.
  Due to this regulation, Eventgroove Fundraising is unable to serve organizations in Iowa for raffles.
• Kansas– Online raffles prohibited
• Minnesota – Online raffles prohibited

• Montana – Prohibits the use of credit cards for purchase of entry
• New York
• Utah– All raffles prohibited

1. Raffles may only be run by qualified organizations. Raffles to benefit personal causes are not allowed on Eventgroove Fundraising under any circumstances.
2. The organization running the fundraiser is regulated by its state and in some cases, local laws, and therefore is fully responsible for the organization’s complete legal compliance. Therefore, the organization must directly consult their respective laws and regulations of their respective state and locality.
3. We strongly advise seeking guidance from legal counsel and your state attorney general’s office if you are unsure of raffle regulations in your area.
4. All Terms of Use, including the roles and responsibilities of all parties, are defined in Eventgroove’s Terms of Use.

We are happy to help you choose what type of fundraiser is best, and even help you set it up. However, we cannot provide legal advice, and strongly recommend speaking to a lawyer if you are unsure about the regulations in your area.

Start Your Online Raffle Today

Does your organization check all the legal boxes for raffle laws? Create an account and launch your raffle fundraiser today, or request a demo below.

• »Can You Play Legal Online Poker in the USA?

2021 Update: Is Online Poker Legal in Utah?

No, there’s still no regulated online poker in Utah. In fact, if you were going to bet on which state is the least likely to legalize online poker, Utah would be the favorite. Utah is a very strict state when it comes to gambling and is only one of two states that has absolutely no form of gambling out there.

It’s doubtful that online poker will come before they legalize a lottery. A good barometer for states willingness to expand gambling laws is how the state legislature reacted to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling overturning PASPA. PASPA, of course, outlawed sports betting throughout the United States and one of its main architects was Sen. Orrin Hatch from Utah. Not a good start. Secondly, after the ruling, a spokesperson for Gov. Gary Herbert said:

“Governor Herbert appreciates the Supreme Court’s reaffirmation of states rights to regulate gambling within their borders, a right Utah will exercise by continuing to prohibit gambling within our state.”

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah (Photo by Tracy Zhang on Unsplash)

Utah Gambling Laws and Poker

Utah has strict and extensive laws regulating –well, outlawing and penalizing– gambling. Gambling is outlawed in the state constitution but it’s also covered in the Utah Code. Utah Code Section 76-10 covers every legal aspect of gambling in the state of Utah. The most basic part of any set of laws regulating gambling is defining what gambling actually is. This is the foundation that the rest of the law is built upon.

In Utah, gambling is defined as:

“Risking anything of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, scheme, or gaming device when the return or outcome is based upon an element of chance and is in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”

The key word here is chance , especially when it comes to poker. That’s because Poker was ruled to be a game of skill by a federal judge in 2012. This is what paved the way for Nevada to legalize online poker and then other states followed. What’s interesting here is the qualifier “an element of chance.” While poker is a game of skill, no one could argue that there’s no element of chance involved. Poker definitely falls under the Utah code.

Can I Play Online Poker on PokerStars in Utah?

Nope. Back before Black Friday in 2011 you could play PokerStars in Utah and all over the United States. But after that the site was barred from the United States for years. It’s only recently started making a comeback and is currently in two US states: New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

New Jersey was the first state to allow PokerStars back in and Pennsylvania followed suit in 2019. The site isn’t as big as it used to be though, since each state has segregated player pools. There are some sites that have emerged that take players from all 50 states though. Sites like BetOnline , Bovada and Ignition Poker have turned out to be pretty good PokerStars alternatives for US and Utah poker players. They have great rakeback and signup bonuses as well as great tournament series and guarantees.

If you want to read more about them, check out our full reviews below:

Raffle Laws In Utah City

Raffle Laws In Utah Counties

What forms of Legal Gambling are There in Utah?

If you’ve been reading up until this point, you’ve probably guessed the answer: None.

Utah is just one of two states –the other is Hawaii– that doesn’t have any kind of legal gambling in the state. There are no horse tracks, no state lottery and charitable gaming isn’t even allowed in Utah. Gambling is outlawed in the state constitution and the state’s heavily conservative legislature and state government has never made any step towards changing that.

Utah is not a gambling state at all and chances are good that it’ll never be one. The small relief for gamblers is that they’re fairly close to Nevada, a state that’s the nation’s capital when it comes to gambling.

Raffle Laws In Utah

Other States

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