Pursuant to Texas State law, Texas school districts and schools are not allowed to hold raffles. The Texas Attorney General’s Opinion JM-1176 ruled that independent school districts are not qualified to hold charitable raffles based on the terms of the Charitable Raffle Enabling Act. An unauthorized raffle is considered gambling under the Texas Penal Code - Class A Misdemeanor. Participating in an unauthorized raffle is a Class C misdemeanor.
Definition of Raffles
A raffle is defined as the award of one or more prizes by chance at a single occasion among a single pool or group of persons who have paid or are promised a thing of value for a ticket that represents a chance to win a prize.
