How to Enter Local Raffles in Madison, Wisconsin Without Scams

Entering a local raffle in Madison safely comes down to one question: does the organization running it hold a Wisconsin raffle license? Every raffle in the state must be licensed through the Department of Administration's Office of Charitable Gaming, and only local religious, charitable, service, fraternal or veterans groups can hold one — so a raffle run by an individual, a for-profit business, or an informal group of friends is illegal on its face. That single rule filters out most of what goes wrong.

The rest is knowing what a licensed raffle looks like in practice, how to confirm a license before you pay, and what a prize notice is legally required to tell you first.

Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on October 21, 2026.

Who Is Allowed to Run a Raffle in Madison

Wisconsin restricts raffle licenses to a narrow set of groups. According to the Wisconsin Department of Administration's raffle rules, individuals, for-profit businesses, informal social groups, and organizations headquartered outside Wisconsin cannot legally conduct one. The eligibility bar goes further than simply being a nonprofit.

The state's original raffle license information sheet limits licensees to local religious, charitable, service, fraternal or veterans organizations — or groups whose contributions are tax-deductible — that have existed for at least one year before applying, and that submit either a Wisconsin charitable registration certificate or an IRS determination letter. So a Madison church festival, a volunteer fire department, a veterans post, or a school booster club can plausibly hold a license. A neighbor selling tickets for a car, a local shop running a "customer raffle," or an out-of-state group collecting for a Wisconsin cause cannot.

That is the first thing to check, and you can usually check it by asking who the licensee is.

Class A and Class B Tickets — What You Should See

Wisconsin issues raffle licenses in two classes, and knowing which one you are dealing with tells you what the ticket should look like. Under the state's Class B conduct guidance, Class A covers tickets sold in advance of the drawing — pre-printed, consecutively numbered, and the winner need not be present. Class B covers tickets sold or delivered only on the day of the raffle.

A group doing both must hold both licenses. That matters at a Madison fundraiser where advance tickets go out weeks ahead and more are sold at the door: that organization needs two licenses, not one. Practically, this means a legitimate advance ticket is a numbered physical ticket, not a confirmation email alone and not a name scribbled on a list.

If the numbering is missing or the stub looks improvised, ask which class of license covers the sale.

Why a Fully Online Raffle Is a Warning Sign

A purely digital raffle is not legal in Wisconsin. The DOA's common questions on raffles explains that a Class A licensee may take orders and payment online, by email or by text only if every ticket still exists in paper form, with the purchaser's copy sent electronically. The distinction is narrow but useful.

Paying online for a raffle is fine. A setup where no paper ticket exists at all — digital-only entries, an online drawing, no numbered stub anywhere — does not match what the state allows. This is also where the money question comes in.

The DOA requires that raffle proceeds be used consistently with the licensed organization's stated purpose in its governing documents, and that licensees report every drawing held during the license year. A seller who cannot name the beneficiary or say what the proceeds fund is a seller worth walking away from.

How to Verify a Madison Raffle Before You Pay

Verification here is manual, which surprises people. Wisconsin publishes no public lookup of its licensed raffle organizations — roughly 7,500 of them holding more than 13,000 active licenses — so you confirm a license by asking and then calling. The DOA raffle license page lists the Office of Charitable Gaming at (608) 270-2552, P.O.

Box 8979, Madison, WI 53708-8979. The sequence is short: A licensed organization will have these answers ready, because the state already made it compile them. Hesitation on the license number is the tell.

• Ask the seller for the organization's legal name and raffle license number.
• Ask which class of license covers the ticket you are buying.
• Ask who benefits from the proceeds and what they fund.
• Call the Office of Charitable Gaming to confirm the license before handing over money.
• Pay in a way you can trace and dispute, not in cash or a payment app.

What a Prize Notice Must Disclose Under Wisconsin Law

Wisconsin's prize notice law, Wis. Stat. 100.171, gives you leverage before any money changes hands.

The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's Prize Offers fact sheet explains that a solicitor may not request or accept payment until it has given you written disclosure of each prize's verifiable retail value, the odds of winning, any shipping or handling fees, any sales-presentation requirement, and the sponsor's name and address. Violations carry forfeitures of $100 to $5,000 each. That is enforceable law, not etiquette — which means a prize offer that dodges the written disclosure and pushes you to pay first has already stepped outside it.

Read the odds line in particular. A disclosure that states a verifiable retail value and real odds is a different document from one that describes a prize in adjectives.

The Payment Demands That End the Conversation

Once you have "won," a separate set of rules applies. The Federal Trade Commission's guidance on fake prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams states plainly that a real prize is free: any demand for taxes, shipping, handling or processing fees before you can collect is a scam. So is pressure to pay by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, cash or cryptocurrency, because those methods are hard to trace and hard to reverse.

The FTC's March 2026 alert on surprise prize calls adds three more: there is no legitimate reason to give a bank account number, card number or Social Security number to claim a prize; never deposit a check and wire part of it back; and verify a caller using contact details you looked up yourself, not the ones they gave you. That last point is the one that matters most in a local context. A caller claiming to represent a Madison charity raffle is easy to check — hang up, find the organization's own listed number, and call it.

If the raffle is real and licensed, the call back costs you nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Madison business run a raffle for charity?

No. Wisconsin limits raffle licenses to local religious, charitable, service, fraternal or veterans organizations, or groups whose contributions are tax-deductible. For-profit businesses and individuals cannot hold one, even when the proceeds are meant for a good cause.

Is it legal to buy a raffle ticket online in Wisconsin?

Yes, with a condition. A Class A licensee may take orders and payment online, by email or by text, but every ticket must still exist in paper form, with your copy sent to you electronically.

Do I have to be present to win?

It depends on the license class. Class A tickets are sold in advance and the winner need not be present; Class B tickets are sold or delivered only on the day of the raffle. Ask which class applies before you buy.

How do I check whether an organization is licensed?

Ask for its license number, then call the Office of Charitable Gaming at (608) 270-2552. Wisconsin does not publish a public searchable list of licensed raffle organizations, so a phone call is the verification route.