Verdict: Are raffles legal in Pennsylvania? Yes, for eligible nonprofits with a Small Games of Chance license. Can you sell tickets online? No. Can you sell in person and take a card? No. 61 Pa. Code 901.506 excludes credit and debit cards from "cash", so Tap to Pay does not fix it. A PA raffle ticket is cash, check or money order, sold in person by your own members.
What works: Cash or check ticket sales at in-person events by your own members; online promotion of the raffle (not prize values); logging offline sales in a free donor CRM; selling event-night admission tickets online.
What doesn't: Card payments of any kind (in person or online); payment apps (Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, Cash App); online ticket sales; mailed tickets or payments; sales by non-members; buyers under 18.
Best for: PA-based charitable, religious, fraternal, veterans', civic, or service nonprofits that can run an in-person ticket table.
Worth considering if: You are watching SB 416 (passed the Senate 49-0 on July 16, 2025; sits in the House) or HB 107 / HB 962 — none has been signed; the cash-or-check rule stands until one is.
Pennsylvania is the state where the payment instrument, not the raffle, is illegal. That distinction matters. A nonprofit can be perfectly eligible, get its Small Games of Chance license from the county treasurer, run a textbook draw, and still be offside the moment a supporter taps a card.
This guide walks through what is actually allowed, how to get licensed, and what Zeffy can (and cannot) do for a PA raffle. If you are new to raffles as a fundraiser, our how to run a raffle guide covers the practical side.
The one rule that catches everyone: cash or check, in person, no cards
The controlling rule is 61 Pa. Code 901.506 (Credit Play). Three sentences do most of the work:
Cash includes checks and money orders but does not include the use of a type of credit or debit card.
The consideration to play a game of chance shall be collected in full, by cash, check or money order, in advance of a play.
Credit play may not be extended to a player.
Read plainly: cards are not cash. That applies online and in person. A card swipe at the ticket table is exactly as prohibited as a card swipe on a website. Tap to Pay on a phone does not fix it. A payment app does not fix it. The rule is about the instrument, not the channel.
The Local Option Small Games of Chance Act layers a few more rules on top:
- Tickets may only be sold by your organization's own members.
- Tickets must be purchased in person.
- Tickets and payments cannot be mailed.
- Individuals under 18 may not purchase tickets.
For a small PA nonprofit: a raffle is a cash-and-check, in-person, members-only fundraiser. Plan operations around that from day one, or pick a different vehicle. Softening this to "check with your state" is how organizations end up refunding tens of thousands of dollars.
What happens if you get it wrong
Enforcement in Pennsylvania is not theoretical, and the pattern is worth knowing before you plan a draw. Where a nonprofit has accepted card payments for raffle tickets, the outcome has been a refund of the ticket revenue and the draw cancelled, rather than a fine. That is the risk 901.506 creates: the raffle itself can be entirely legitimate, licensed and well run, and the payment method alone is enough to put it offside. It is also why you should not assume a rule is satisfied simply because a tool will let you do the thing.
The pattern to expect if you take card payments for a PA raffle: a complaint or news mention, contact from a state or federal enforcement agent, and a full refund of the proceeds. The refund is not optional. Everything the raffle was supposed to fund goes back out the door, plus your organization's name is now in the story.
For a small PA nonprofit: the cost of getting it wrong is the whole raffle, not a fine. Accept cash and check in person, or do not run the raffle.
Who can host a raffle in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania authorizes only a narrow list of gambling activities. Nonprofit raffles fall under the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act, which allows eligible organizations to run:
- Raffles (including special permit raffles)
- Daily and weekly drawings
- Race night games and pools
An eligible organization is a charitable, religious, fraternal, or veterans' organization; a club, civic, or service association; or a nonprofit affiliated with a major league sports team. The organization must have been in existence and working toward its stated purpose for a minimum period before it can hold a Small Games of Chance license. Confirm the current existence requirement in REV-1750 before you apply; the number has changed over time.
A "club" license is a separate category: a nonprofit that also holds a liquor license under Section 404 of the Pennsylvania Liquor Code is considered a club licensee. That distinction matters for the expense allowance and the record-retention window, both covered below.
For a small PA nonprofit: most charitable, civic, and religious nonprofits qualify. Read REV-1750 and confirm with your county treasurer before you apply.
How to apply for a Small Games of Chance license: the county-treasurer walkthrough
There is no statewide online application. Every PA Small Games of Chance license is issued by the county treasurer in the county where the organization is located. If your county does not have a treasurer, you apply directly with the county licensing authority.
The application form is REV-915, "Application for License to Conduct Small Games of Chance". Steps:
- 1. Pick your license type. A regular (annual) license is $125 and runs one calendar year from the date issued. A monthly license is $25 and runs 30 consecutive days. You can hold multiple monthly licenses in a year as long as they do not overlap.
- 2. Download and complete REV-915. You will list the organization, its officers, its IRS status, its purpose, and the games you intend to conduct.
- 3. Attach the supporting documents your county treasurer requires. Typically: proof of nonprofit status (IRS determination letter or state incorporation), a copy of your bylaws, and a resolution from your board authorizing the games.
- 5. Wait for approval before selling a ticket. Do not print, distribute, or advertise tickets before the license is issued.
If your draw needs a bigger prize than the standard limits, you can apply through the county for a Special Raffle Permit at the same time. A licensed nonprofit can hold up to 10 special raffle permits per year (up to 12 for volunteer fire, ambulance, rescue, or conservation organizations).
For a small PA nonprofit: budget two to four weeks between filing REV-915 and holding a valid license. If you have never applied before, call your county treasurer's office first and ask which supporting documents they want. Every county has small quirks in what they require attached.
Prize limits under a standard license
These figures come from REV-1750. A widely circulated 2015 Lancaster County FAQ still lists older $1,000 and $25,000 figures. Ignore that FAQ; use REV-1750.
- Single chance: the prize for a single chance in any game may not exceed $2,000.
- Weekly total: no more than $35,000 in prizes may be awarded in any seven consecutive days.
- Monthly raffle total: no more than $15,000 may be awarded in raffles during a calendar month.
- Special permit ceiling: total prizes awarded under all special raffle permits may not exceed $150,000 per year ($250,000 for volunteer fire, ambulance, rescue, or conservation organizations).
- Carryovers: amounts paid in a carryover drawing (no winner, prize rolls to the next draw) do not count against the general limits.
- 100% payout drawings: when a draw pays out 100% of gross revenue, it does not count against the $35,000 weekly cap.
For a small PA nonprofit: most community raffles fall well within the $2,000 per-chance and $15,000 monthly caps. If you are planning a larger draw, check the special permit rules and apply for the permit when you file REV-915.
What you can (and cannot) put on tickets and promo materials
61 Pa. Code 901.501(a) is explicit: an eligible organization "may not advertise the prizes or their dollar value to be awarded in games of chance." There are two narrow exceptions in subsection (b): raffle tickets themselves may identify the prizes, and member-only publications (a club newsletter, for example) may advertise prize values.
What that means in practice:
On the ticket itself (allowed):
- A consecutive number for each ticket
- The date, time, and location of the draw
- The name of your nonprofit
- A description of the prizes (identification is permitted on the ticket)
- Whether the winner must be present at the drawing
In public promotion, newsletters to non-members, banners, social posts (do not include):
- The dollar value of any prize
- Photos or videos of prize items
- A running total or "pot" thermometer for a 50/50 or similar draw
In public promotion (do include): your raffle license number if you have one, the date and location of the draw, how and where people can buy tickets, and the fact that a raffle is happening.
The distinction is that the statute protects buyers from prize-driven advertising in the general marketplace, but permits the essentials on the ticket the buyer already holds. If your organization publishes a members-only newsletter, subsection (b) permits prize-value disclosure there.
For a small PA nonprofit: assume prize photos and dollar values do not go in your Facebook post, your email blast to your general list, or your event flyer. They can go on the ticket. When in doubt, describe the raffle, not the prize.
Printed tickets should have a detachable coupon or stub, with matching unique numbers on both halves. That is convention, not statute, but every county treasurer expects it.
Are 50/50 raffles legal in Pennsylvania?
Yes. 50/50 drawings are explicitly listed as an allowed small game of chance under the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act, alongside standard raffles. The same rules apply: you need a Small Games of Chance license, tickets can only be sold in person by your own members, and payment must be cash or check. No cards, no apps, no online sales.
The prize side of a 50/50 is calculated from the pot, so the prize amount is not pre-set. That does not exempt it from 901.501(a): you still cannot advertise the pot value or run a live "pot so far" ticker in public marketing. You can announce the total after the draw is complete.
The weekly $35,000 prize cap and monthly $15,000 raffle cap apply to 50/50s the same as any other raffle. If your projected pot will exceed those limits, you need a Special Raffle Permit.
For a small PA nonprofit: a 50/50 is one of the simplest raffle formats to run legally in PA because there is no prize to advertise. Sell in person for cash or check at your event, draw at the event, hand over half the pot.
How proceeds must be used
All raffle and small games of chance proceeds must go to public interest purposes. At least 60% of net proceeds must go directly to a qualifying public interest use.
The 40% expense allowance is narrower than it sounds: it applies to club licensees only (nonprofits that hold a PA liquor license under Section 404). Club licensees may use up to 40% of proceeds per calendar year for expenses under Schedule 4A. If your nonprofit does not have a liquor license, this does not apply to you.
Qualifying "public interest purposes" include:
- Religious, educational, philanthropic, humane, scientific, patriotic, social welfare, social advocacy, public health, public safety, emergency response, environmental, or civic activities
- Public works and the maintenance of public structures
- Lessening burdens on government or supplementing services government would normally provide
- Maintaining or improving real property owned or leased by the nonprofit for the purposes above
- Volunteer fire, ambulance, or rescue services
- Veterans organization activities: scholarships, veteran support services, veteran recognition
If your organization raises more than $40,000 from small games of chance in a year, that money must be held in a separate bank account from other organization funds.
For a small PA nonprofit: the 60% rule is straightforward if you are running a raffle for your stated charitable purpose. The expense allowance does not apply unless you hold a PA liquor license. Keep your records clean so you can show where every dollar went.
Record keeping: what to keep, and for how long
Record retention depends on your license type. An eligible organization must keep records for at least two years. A club licensee must keep records for at least five years.
At a minimum, keep:
- All sales invoices for tickets, punchboards, and materials
- Gross receipts from each game
- Cost and expenses for each game (REV-722B)
- Total prizes paid out per game (REV-722A)
- Net proceeds and how they were used
- Any W-2G reports filed with the IRS for large prizes
- For merchandise prizes: a purchase invoice, or a written fair-market-value statement if donated
The Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement publishes record-keeping schedules and templates. Use those; they match what enforcement staff will look for if they audit you.
For a small PA nonprofit: the record-keeping requirement is the strongest argument for logging every offline ticket sale in one system as you go. A shoebox of ticket stubs and a mental note about who paid cash will not survive a two-year audit horizon, let alone five.
Could this change? Three bills would allow online raffle payments
Pennsylvania legislators have tried to modernize this rule for several sessions. As of July 2026, three bills are live and none has been signed into law:
- Senate Bill 416 (Sen. Devlin Robinson) would permit electronic payments for raffle tickets, including credit cards, debit cards, and services like PayPal and Venmo. The Senate approved it 49-0 on July 16, 2025. It sits in the House.
- House Bill 107 (Rep. Anita Kulik) would allow online raffles for volunteer fire companies and other nonprofits. It is in the House Gaming Oversight Committee.
- House Bill 962 (Rep. Ryan Warner) would permit online payment collection and live-streamed small games of chance. Also in the House Gaming Oversight Committee.
A similar bill passed the Senate in the previous session and stalled in the House. Do not plan around any of these becoming law. Until one is signed, the cash-or-check rule from 901.506 stands.
If you want the rule to change, your state representative is the person to contact.
Can you use Zeffy to run online raffles in Pennsylvania?
Three questions decide this. Are raffles legal in Pennsylvania? Yes. Can you sell tickets online? No. Can you sell in person and take a card? No.
So the answer here is no. Zeffy cannot legally be used to sell PA raffle tickets online, and it should not be used to take card payments for raffle tickets in person either. Zeffy is not a licensed Pennsylvania Electronic Raffle System, and 901.506 makes card payment prohibited regardless of the platform behind it. Tap to Pay on a phone does not change that.
That said, most of what a raffle actually involves is not the ticket transaction. Here is what Zeffy can do for a PA raffle, for free. Zeffy is used by 100K+ nonprofits across the US, with $2B+ raised on the platform:
- Log every in-person cash or check sale. After each shift at the ticket table, log offline ticket sales into the free donor CRM so every buyer, amount, and date lives in one place, ready for your two- or five-year record retention window.
- Keep every ticket buyer in a free donor CRM. One record per supporter with tags and saved segments. Mark your winners, build a "raffle 2027" segment, and have next year's contact list ready without rebuilding it from stubs. See the free donor CRM.
- Promote the raffle online and notify winners. PA allows online promotion of the raffle itself (not prize values or dollar amounts). Send announcements, updates, and post-draw winner notices from free newsletter and emails.
- Ticket the drawing-night event. A gala, dinner, or draw-night gathering is not a raffle ticket sale, and 901.506 does not reach event tickets. Sell event admissions online with free event ticketing.
Zeffy is free. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever.
Can I mail raffle tickets to supporters?
No. The Local Option Small Games of Chance Act prohibits mailing tickets and mailing payments. Tickets must be sold in person, by your own organization's members.
Do we need to be tax-exempt to hold a Small Games of Chance license?
You need to be an eligible organization under the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act (charitable, religious, fraternal, veterans', civic, or service). Club licensees additionally hold a PA liquor license. Confirm your organization's specific eligibility and the current existence requirement in REV-1750 or with your county treasurer.
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