How to Run a Legal Raffle in Florida: Rules and Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

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Table of contents

• How to Run a Legal Raffle in Florida: Step-by-Step

• Who can host a raffle in Florida?

• Can for-profit businesses, bars, schools, and churches run raffles in Florida?

• Florida raffle laws for nonprofits

• Florida Raffle Compliance Checklist

• Can you use Zeffy to run online raffles in Florida?

• Resources mentioned in this article

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Every state writes its own rules for raffles, opportunity drawings, and lotteries. Florida is often called the "no license" state, and that's true as far as it goes: qualifying nonprofits don't need a raffle-specific permit. But the state trades the permit for a rule that trips up more small nonprofits than any license fee ever would. Entry to your raffle has to be genuinely free. A paid ticket that gates the drawing is an illegal lottery.

This 2026 guide walks Florida nonprofits through the structure that fits the statute, from FDACS registration to the three-year recordkeeping window. For a cross-state view, see our pillar guide on raffle laws by state.

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How to Run a Legal Raffle in Florida: Step-by-Step

Running a raffle in Florida is entirely legal for qualifying nonprofits, but only if entry is genuinely free. Florida's real compliance risk isn't a missing permit. It's structuring a paid-ticket raffle that quietly becomes an illegal lottery under s. 849.0935 of the 2026 Florida Statutes. This guide walks Florida nonprofits through the $0-ticket plus optional-donation structure that fits the statute, from FDACS registration to three-year recordkeeping.

For a small nonprofit: if you take one thing from this article, it's this. In Florida, the compliance question is not "did we get the permit?" It's "is entry genuinely free on every ticket, flyer, and social post?"

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Step 1: Confirm your nonprofit eligibility

Not every organization can legally hold a raffle in Florida. Your organization must be a nonprofit that qualifies under s. 849.0935(1)(a) of the 2026 Florida Statutes, typically a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(7), 501(c)(8), 501(c)(10), or 501(c)(19) entity exempt from federal income tax under a current IRS determination letter. For-profit businesses and informal community groups are not eligible.

Before planning anything else, verify your federal tax-exempt status is current with the IRS and that your organization is in good standing with the Florida Department of State.

For a small nonprofit: if you don't already have an IRS determination letter in a folder somewhere, stop here. Fix that first. Every other step assumes it.

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Step 2: Register with FDACS under Chapter 496

Florida requires most charitable organizations soliciting donations, including the optional donations that run alongside a raffle, to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) before conducting any fundraising. This is the Solicitation of Contributions Act under Chapter 496, and it is a separate obligation from your federal 501(c) status.

Complete your Charitable Organization Registration (Form DACS-10100), pay the applicable filing fee, and receive your registration number. The fee is tiered based on the "contributions" your organization received in the immediately preceding fiscal year (a defined term under 496.404(5) that excludes government grants, membership dues, and certain inter-organizational transfers, so contributions is not the same as total revenue). Renewal is annual. You must display your registration number on all promotional materials.

For a small nonprofit: the FDACS number goes on the ticket, on the flyer, in the Instagram caption. Everywhere. If you can't put it on the asset, don't publish the asset.

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Step 3: Understand and apply the no-purchase-necessary rule

This is the whole game in Florida. Under s. 849.0935(4)(b), entry to your raffle must be genuinely free. A paid ticket that gates entry is an illegal lottery, not a raffle. You must provide a free alternative method of entry, typically a mailed written request, and a free entry can never be refused.

A suggested donation is allowed. Conditioning entry on the donation, or refusing a free entry, is not. This disclosure (free entry, no purchase necessary, free entry cannot be refused) must appear on every ticket, flyer, social media post, and promotional material.

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For a small nonprofit: if the sentence on your form starts with "suggested minimum," delete it. A "suggested" donation with a floor is a required donation with better manners, and Florida reads it that way too.

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Step 4: Create compliant tickets and promotional materials

Every raffle ticket and every piece of promotional material must include:

• Your organization's full name and address

• Your FDACS registration number

• The price of the ticket, which must be $0 to accept entries online (see Step 3)

• A description of each prize and its fair market value

• The date, time, and location of the drawing

• The source of funds used to purchase the prizes

• The free alternative entry method, with the no-purchase-necessary disclosure

Tickets should be pre-numbered for recordkeeping. Avoid vague prize descriptions. If you need format help, see our guide on how to make raffle tickets.

For a small nonprofit: the fastest way to fail this step is to design the ticket first and add the disclosures later. Design around the disclosures. They're not fine print, they're the point.

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Step 5: Keep the raffle structure simple

Florida's raffle statute lays out a small set of prohibited behaviors that turn a legal drawing into an illegal one. Under s. 849.0935(4), don't:

• Predetermine a winner or rig the selection in any way, including through matching or instant-win formats

• Require an entry fee, donation, or any payment to enter or win

• Set a minimum number of tickets that must be distributed, or a minimum amount of contributions, for the drawing to happen

• Remove or reject entries based on whether the entrant donated

• Fail to award all prizes promptly

• Circulate misleading materials about the raffle

For a small nonprofit: most of these are common sense. The one that catches teams off guard is the "minimum contributions" rule. If you tell donors "we only draw if we hit $2,000," you've turned the drawing into a lottery. Draw the winner as advertised, every time.

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Step 6: Conduct the drawing transparently

Hold the drawing at the date, time, and location stated on your tickets. The process should be open and observable, ideally with a neutral party or volunteer witnesses present. Document who conducted the drawing, how tickets were selected, and the winning ticket numbers. If the drawing is virtual or livestreamed, save the recording.

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For a small nonprofit: a two-minute phone video of the draw, filed in the same folder as your ticket stubs, is worth more than any affidavit if FDACS ever asks.

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Step 7: Notify winners and complete your recordkeeping

Contact winners promptly in writing and document their prize acceptance. Florida nonprofits are required to maintain solicitation records under 496.418, and three years is the standard retention window that covers ticket stubs, proceeds totals, prize documentation, and winner information. These records must be made available to FDACS on request, and your winners list must be shared for free to anyone who asks.

If any single prize triggers the IRS reporting threshold, file the required W-2G. That's a federal obligation the nonprofit owns, not a Florida-specific step.

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For a small nonprofit: the three-year window is longer than most volunteer terms. Whichever tool you use, make sure the next board can find the raffle records without calling you.

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Who can host a raffle in Florida?

To host a raffle in Florida, you need to be a qualifying nonprofit with 501(c)(3), (4), (7), (8), (10), or (19) status exempt from federal income tax under a current IRS determination letter.

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How does a nonprofit register for a raffle in Florida?

You do not need a raffle-specific license or permit to host a raffle in Florida. You do need to register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) under Chapter 496 before soliciting any optional donations tied to the raffle. That registration is what covers the "solicitation" side of the event, even though there's no separate raffle permit.

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Can for-profit businesses, bars, schools, and churches run raffles in Florida?

This question comes up constantly, and the short answer is: it depends on the organization type, not the intent behind the fundraiser.

For-profit businesses cannot run raffles in Florida. Under s. 849.0935, the right to conduct a raffle is restricted to qualifying nonprofits with specific 501(c) federal tax-exempt status. A restaurant, bar, retail store, or any other for-profit that sells raffle tickets is conducting an illegal lottery under Florida law. This applies even if the proceeds are meant for a charitable cause. The exemption belongs to the qualifying nonprofit, not to the fundraising purpose.

Bars and restaurants face the same restriction. A bar hosting a 50/50 raffle on a Friday night, even informally, is operating an illegal lottery. Florida's gambling statutes don't carve out exceptions for hospitality businesses. If a bar wants to support a local charity through a raffle, the registered nonprofit itself must organize and conduct the event.

Schools occupy a more nuanced space. Public schools are governmental entities and don't hold 501(c) status in the traditional sense. Private schools with qualifying 501(c)(3) status can run raffles, provided they're registered with FDACS and comply with Chapter 496 and s. 849.0935. Public-school parent-teacher organizations that hold their own 501(c)(3) determination letter may also qualify, but the school itself typically does not.

Churches and religious organizations with 501(c)(3) status can legally run raffles in Florida, provided they meet the same requirements as any other qualifying nonprofit: active FDACS registration, compliant tickets, no-purchase-necessary disclosure, and proper recordkeeping. A church without current tax-exempt status or FDACS registration cannot legally conduct a raffle, regardless of charitable intent.

What about 50/50 raffles? A 50/50 raffle, where the prize pool is split between the winner and the organizing nonprofit, is legal in Florida as long as the organizing entity is a qualifying nonprofit, the no-purchase-necessary rule is honored, and all other requirements under s. 849.0935 are met. The 50/50 format doesn't create a special exemption, but it also doesn't violate a specific prohibition.

The bottom line: if your organization isn't a qualifying 501(c) nonprofit registered with FDACS, you can't legally run a raffle in Florida. Running one anyway exposes the organizers to penalties under Florida's deceptive-and-unfair-trade-practices framework.

For a small nonprofit: if a for-profit sponsor asks you to "host" their raffle so it's legal, that's the sponsor asking you to take on the compliance risk. It has to be your organization's raffle in substance, not just on the letterhead.

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Florida raffle laws for nonprofits

The state of Florida defines a raffle for charitable organizations as:

"Drawing by chance," "drawing," or "raffle" means an enterprise in which, from the entries submitted by the public to the organization conducting the drawing, one or more entries are selected by chance to win a prize.

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Regulations on Florida raffles

Any organization operating, promoting, or conducting a raffle in Florida must be aware of several prohibited actions under s. 849.0935(4):

• Predetermining a winner by matching, instant wins, or any other rigged selection

• Requiring an entry fee, donation, or any payment to enter or win a prize

• Setting a minimum number of tickets to be distributed, or a minimum amount of contributions, before the drawing happens

• Removing or rejecting entries in a way that discriminates against entrants who did not donate

• Failing to notify winners or award all prizes promptly

• Printing, publishing, or circulating misleading materials about the raffle

A suggested donation is allowed. Conditioning entry on the donation, or refusing a free entry, is not. This is the single most misunderstood line in Florida raffle law, and it's the line every ticket and every social post has to respect.

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Promotional materials and raffle tickets

Florida requires your nonprofit to include, on any brochures, advertising material, notices, tickets, or entry blanks related to the raffle:

• The rules designated by the organization conducting the raffle

• The full name and address of the nonprofit

• The FDACS registration number

• The source of the funds used to purchase prizes or award cash prizes

• The date, hour, and place where the winner will be chosen and the prizes awarded

• The no-purchase-necessary disclosure, in plain language, on every ticket and every asset

A suggested donation is allowed on the form or the ticket. Conditioning entry on the donation, or refusing a free entry, is not. Voluntary donations added on top of a $0 entry are fine as long as they are genuinely optional.

Although it's not written into s. 849.0935, we recommend that printed tickets have a detachable coupon or stub, and that both the ticket and its stub carry a unique matching number for recordkeeping. Florida law does not specify a minimum number of tickets.

You can purchase pre-made tickets or get inspired by our sample ticket:

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Florida raffle law penalties and violations

Under the 2026 Florida Statutes, illegal raffle actions are treated as deceptive and unfair trade practices. Violations are punishable as second-degree misdemeanors.

s. 775.082 and s. 775.083 spell out the penalties. A second-degree misdemeanor in Florida carries up to 60 days in jail under s. 775.082 and a fine of up to $500 per conviction under s. 775.083. Each separate violation can be treated as a distinct offense, so multiple noncompliant actions in a single raffle can stack.

Beyond criminal penalties, FDACS has authority to investigate complaints, issue cease-and-desist orders, and revoke your charitable-solicitation registration. A revoked registration means your organization can't legally solicit donations in Florida, not just for raffles, but for any fundraising activity. That's a serious consequence for an org that depends on public support.

The most common compliance mistakes Florida nonprofits make: failing to include the no-purchase-necessary disclosure on every promotional asset, running the raffle before completing FDACS registration, omitting the FDACS registration number from tickets, and adding a "suggested minimum" donation to a form that already gates entry. Each of these is a distinct violation. None of them requires bad intent to trigger a penalty. Ignorance of the law is not a defense under Florida's deceptive-trade-practices framework.

For a small nonprofit: the enforcement pattern isn't a sting operation. It's usually a complaint (from an entrant, a competitor, or a local reporter) that lands with FDACS and starts with a records request. If your ticket disclosure, FDACS number, and three-year records are in order, that request is a paperwork exercise, not a crisis.

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Florida Raffle Compliance Checklist

Keeping track of every Florida raffle requirement is easier when you've got it all in one place. Use this checklist before, during, and after your event to stay aligned with the 2026 Florida Statutes and Chapter 496.

Before the raffle

• [ ] Confirm your organization holds qualifying 501(c)(3), (4), (7), (8), (10), or (19) federal tax-exempt status with a current IRS determination letter

• [ ] Verify your organization is in good standing with the Florida Department of State

• [ ] Complete Charitable Organization Registration (Form DACS-10100) with FDACS under Chapter 496

• [ ] Confirm your FDACS registration number is active and current (renewal is annual)

• [ ] Draft compliant tickets: org name and address, FDACS registration number, $0 ticket price, prize descriptions with fair market values, drawing date/time/location, source of prize funds, and the free-entry disclosure

• [ ] Pre-number all tickets

• [ ] Confirm every promotional material includes the no-purchase-necessary statement

• [ ] Confirm no "suggested minimum donation" phrasing appears on tickets, forms, or promotional assets. A voluntary optional donation is fine; a floor is not.

• [ ] Establish a free mail-in alternative entry method and publish it on every asset

During the raffle

• [ ] Conduct the drawing at the stated date, time, and location

• [ ] Have neutral witnesses or volunteers present

• [ ] Document who conducted the drawing and how tickets were selected

• [ ] Record winning ticket numbers

• [ ] Save any livestream or recording of the drawing

After the raffle

• [ ] Notify winners promptly in writing

• [ ] Document winner prize acceptance

• [ ] File a W-2G for any prize that hits the IRS reporting threshold

• [ ] Make a winners list available to anyone who requests it, at no charge

• [ ] Retain all records (ticket stubs, proceeds totals, prize documentation, winner information) for at least three years per 496.418

• [ ] Ensure records are accessible for FDACS review on request

Printing this checklist and assigning one team member to own each item before your raffle date is the simplest way to keep your event on the right side of the statute.

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Can you use Zeffy to run online raffles in Florida?

Yes, but only with $0 tickets and an optional (not required, not "suggested minimum") donation. That's the only structure Florida's free-entry rule allows. You cannot use Zeffy, or any online platform, to sell paid raffle tickets in Florida.

Three questions decide how you run this. Are raffles legal in Florida? Yes, for qualifying 501(c) organizations, and there is no raffle-specific permit. Can you sell raffle tickets online? Not for money. Entry has to be genuinely free, so the form collects the entry while any donation stays optional and separate. Can you sell them in person and take a card? That question never arises here, because there is no priced ticket to charge for. Section 849.0935(4)(b) forbids making a payment a condition of entering, so a Florida raffle entry costs nothing whether you hand it across a table or email it.

Which raises the obvious question: if entry is free, how does the raffle raise anything? On its own it does not, and that is the thing to design around rather than fight. In Florida the raffle is your promotion, not your revenue. Its job is to get attention, collect names and email addresses, and pull people toward the thing that does raise money: a ticketed event, with voluntary donations alongside it.

The distinction that keeps this inside the rule: a raffle entry is not an event admission ticket. An entry is a chance at the prize, and under 849.0935(4)(b) it cannot cost anything. An admission ticket buys a seat at your gala, dinner, or game night. Buying one is not a chance at the prize, so admission can be sold online and paid for by card at the door like any other event ticket.

The line to hold is that the two never collapse into one transaction. Buying admission must not be what puts someone in the drawing, and anyone who does not buy admission must still be able to enter for free and have that entry counted. Subsection (4)(b) reaches any "entry fee, donation, substantial consideration, payment, proof of purchase, or contribution as a condition of entering the drawing or of being selected to win a prize", so the moment a paid ticket becomes the route into the drawing, the drawing is a lottery. Two forms, two lines on the flyer, two different things.

What Zeffy handles at $0 cost, in the order this plan runs:

• The free-entry raffle, as the promotion. Zeffy's free raffle forms at a $0 ticket price: numbered e-tickets, unique QR codes, and automatic email confirmations to entrants. Every entry hands you a name and an email address you did not have before.

• The ticketed event, as the thing that actually raises money. Free event ticketing forms for the night of the drawing, sold online at whatever price you set. Admission is not an entry into the drawing, so pricing it does not touch the free-entry rule.

• Card payments at the door, with Tap to Pay on your phone: no terminal, no fees, and it takes credit or debit. Use it for event admission and for voluntary donations. Never for a raffle entry, because there is nothing to charge for one.

• Optional donations on a separate free donation form, never conditioned on entry, and never a "suggested minimum" someone has to meet to be in the drawing.

• Records: participant dashboard export for the winners-list-on-request and the three-year retention window.

• Follow-up: free donor CRM to tag raffle entrants, email the winners, and invite everyone who entered to next year's event from the same dashboard.

What the nonprofit still owns (Zeffy does not do these):

• FDACS Chapter 496 registration

• Ticket-level disclosures (org name, FDACS number, free-entry method)

• W-2G filings for reportable prizes

• Legal review of the raffle structure

No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever. Your nonprofit keeps 100% of every optional donation an entrant chooses to add, which matters more in Florida than in most states: because entry itself has to be free, those voluntary donations are the only money the raffle brings in.

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Once legality is settled, the next step is planning the fundraiser itself. Our how to plan and run a raffle fundraiser guide walks through the pre-event playbook, and our raffle ideas post covers prize formats that fit small-org budgets.

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Resources mentioned in this article

The 2026 Florida Statutes, s. 849.0935

Chapter 849: Gambling

FDACS: Rules and Games of Chance

Violations and penalties for illegal raffle actions: s. 775.082, s. 775.083

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