How to Enter Local Raffles in Irvine, California Without Scams

Enter Irvine raffles run by an eligible California nonprofit, sold in person on paper tickets, after you check the sponsor with the Attorney General. Pass on online ticket sales, sellers without a city permit, and prize notices that demand an upfront fee. A raffle is a ticket-based drawing where buyers get a chance to win a prize.

In California the ticket money must support a charitable or beneficial purpose.

Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on October 10, 2026.

What makes a California raffle legal?

California limits who may hold a raffle. Only an eligible private nonprofit may hold one to support a charitable or beneficial purpose. The law text shared via LawLink describes the one-year qualification and tax-exempt test California raffle law text.

Under the same state law, at least 90% of gross ticket receipts must support charitable or beneficial purposes in California. That share may not fund out-of-state purposes or benefit officers, directors, or members. Raffle admin costs must come from funds other than ticket sales.

How do you check the sponsor before you pay?

According to the California Department of Justice, a nonprofit must register with the Attorney General's Registry before any raffle activity, including ticket sales nonprofit raffle guidance. It files Form CT-NRP-1 for the calendar year, preferably at least 60 days before the raffle. It must receive written confirmation first, then file an annual report.

Before you buy or donate, search the sponsor in the Attorney General's Registry Verification Search for charities, fundraisers, and raffle registrants. Check that required filings are current. Some religious groups, schools, and hospitals are exempt from registration.

They must still follow the rest of the raffle law, so a missing registry entry alone does not prove a raffle is unlawful. Use this quick check:

• Match the flyer name to the registry entry and check dates and filings.
• Ask what charitable purpose in California the ticket money supports.
• Walk away if the seller pressures you or cannot name the nonprofit.

What should tickets and the drawing look like?

State raffle rules require paper tickets with detachable, uniquely matched stubs. Winners must be drawn from those stubs in California under supervision of a person age 18 or older. A raffle may advertise online but may not sell tickets online.

Buy in person and keep your stub. Your stub is your entry for the drawing. A ticket buys a chance to win a prize, not a prize itself.

Look for these details:

• Buy only in person, not through a website cart or email link.
• Check that your ticket has a detachable stub with a matching number.
• Keep your portion until winners are posted or contacted.

How do you handle sellers and prize notices in Irvine?

According to City of Irvine answers, door-to-door solicitors need a business permit to solicit anywhere in the city city solicitor rules. Unpermitted soliciting can bring fines or arrest. Do not pay or donate cash to door-to-door solicitors.

Treat any unsolicited you-won notice that asks first for a bond, tax, insurance, or shipping fee as a warning sign. The same applies to sweepstakes letters demanding thousands to release a prize. Report consumer fraud to the FTC and internet crimes to the FBI's internet-crime center.

That center forwards Irvine-related reports to Irvine police, or contact Irvine police directly. Watch for these patterns: Save your ticket stub and note the seller, location, and date. Report a missing-permit or misleading solicitor to Irvine police at 949-724-7200.

• A prize notice arrives out of nowhere and demands payment first.
• A seller cannot name the nonprofit, purpose, or drawing date.
• A site offers online checkout for a California raffle ticket.