Are raffle draws considered gambling?

[nimogsm]

NB: I knew about the RTP since I was among the organizers of the event.

here are the questions
- Can raffle draws be considered a form of gambling?
- Is it right that a Religious house speaks against gambling, but allows raffle draws?

I don't think there is anything wrong with this; besides, if the money goes toward the development of the church, that’s a definite plus. Furthermore, if this event helps popularize the church, it is better for young people to go there than to seek out gambling venues or other forms of games of chance.Lotteries played in a group bring people closer together, offering a chance to make new friends and look forward to meeting again at the next draw.

[coinlary]

Yes and No .

Yes, considered gambling when it require you to spend and expect a possibel higher return just like what you(OP) described  in your post .

No when you just join and pick a random entry to win a price without having to spend just to get it , it can be considered as a game which doesn't involve gambling.

But taking it as a form gambling have to come from participants. In a case like yours , with the setting, they probably won't see it as gambling even though it is .

[The Founding Titan]

I would call it gambling as long as they were staking something on it although I would also say you are less likely to get addicted to it then you are to get addicted to casinos and sports betting so while they are both gambling they are not the same type of gambling though I don't think I like the idea that a religion that's against gambling will allow it though, it's no like casting lot after all, it would have made more sense if there was no stake it it in the first place.

[michellee]

I consider that is a form of gambling but the committee can say that this is just a small game. People are not complain because they see the game is in a religious house and the moderator telling that is for donation or others. People don't even think that they are actually playing gambling by transparent with a layer.

That depend on those who manage because if they say they allows raffle draws and that is not gambling, people can say much. If they don't like, they can leaves and searching for other places.

[davis196]

here are the questions
- Can raffle draws be considered a form of gambling?
- Is it right that a Religious house speaks against gambling, but allows raffle draws?

Bingo games and lotteries are considered gambling, what makes this raffle draw any different than a Bingo or a lottery? The participants are buying tickets with actual money, this makes the raffle draw gambling. If they were getting tickets for free or giving something of insignificant value in exchange for a ticket, then this cannot be considered gambling, but they are using real money.
I can assume that the "religious house" you are talking about is speaking against hardcore gambling like roulette, dice, slots, crash, poker, blackjack, etc. I don't know about any religion, that preaches to its believers, that lotteries and raffle draws are something bad and sinful.
Will you "burn in hell", if you buy a lottery ticket once?

[Oasisman]

here are the questions
- Can raffle draws be considered a form of gambling?
- Is it right that a Religious house speaks against gambling, but allows raffle draws?

Happens here in our local religious community a lot, and I always believe it is a form of gambling, disguised as a fundraising activity to rehabilitate the church or to buy some tools/instruments for the church. IMO, this is one of the many hypocrisies the church has been doing for many years, and people turn a blind eye to them. It's just ironic to hear the church constantly condemning casinos, without even thinking that gambling taxes help build schools for the children.

So, to answer your 2 questions :

1. If a raffle involves money, like purchasing a ticket to be part of the raffle draw, then that is indeed gambling. Regardless if it is for charity purposes or something like renovating the church. People bought the ticket not to help, but to win the prize. Without this gimmick, most people won't put money into something without expecting something in return.

2. Well, they can always twist the narratives to favour them, because they believe they are righteous.

[Dunamisx]

Yes and No .

Yes, considered gambling when it require you to spend and expect a possibel higher return just like what you(OP) described  in your post .

No when you just join and pick a random entry to win a price without having to spend just to get it , it can be considered as a game which doesn't involve gambling.

So obviously we have to take this as regard to this topic a yes because he has already specified that this has to go with staking, but if we are not using money to play it at all, we can see it is not gambling, but anything that have to come with you placing a bet to stand your chance of winning shows that you have something at stake to play and that is what exactly we are considering about here and the name going to mislead others, because most don't even demand for staking.

[Royal Cap]

To be honest, the basic idea of ​​both gambling and raffle seems to me to be the same. Although the names are different, here people hope to win something of greater value with less money and the outcome depends entirely on luck. From that perspective it can be called a type of gambling. However since this incident was part of an event and was organized for a day, I do not see it as regular gambling. To me it is more of an entertainment activity, where people participate for fun, but it is difficult to deny that its basic structure is similar to gambling just because it is an event.

[bakasabo]

Even description of word raffle contains word gambling (gambling competition), so for me it is gambling. However, in a form that it is described in first post, I consider it is ok to be held in religious house. Because in that case it was done with purpose to attract attention. I think that raffle was held there to raise funds for something. People are more responsive if you run such thing as raffle, than simply raising charity. This is a kind of situation when you accept that you will waste money, because you will do it for sake of a good deed and money will be used for a good deed.

[YellowSwap]

Spending money on tickets is gambling, you would stop if you won but buying more means you aren't winning yet, it's another way of gambling just like how people buy lottery tickets,

Anything that deals with risking money on prediction is gambling, you are told to try your luck because you will have to pick a side of a coin or a match, you losing means your money is not coming back.

Even if it's not about ticket 🎫🎫🎟️
Taking money out to make a prediction on what will happen tomorrow, after a game or how something should turned out is gambling.

[Emjay24]

I will say raffle draw is not gambling but games we play during leisure time that could be found under the category of contest, once we are not staking money on a bet in playing raffle, then we can see it as an entertainment and this is not what we can call gambling by the nature of how we engage it, raffles are mostly administered freely for people to participate and also stand a chance of winning something by luck, this is not what you are will have to subscribe for or stake your money to participate in it.

Did you read the OP very well? even if you don't understand what raffle means, I explained it very well in the OP. The draw I'm referring to was involving ticket buys and of varying capitals and according to my description in the OP, yes it involved subscription and money was put forward in anticipation for higher rewards, what do you call it then?

I don't think I've ever experienced a free raffle draw, maybe some are organized for charity purposes or for community outreaches, maybe just for fun and empowerment.

[suzanne5223]

Yesterday I was at a youth convention in a church setting and part of the program events was the raffle draw, I watched as people who bought varying quantities of tickets were seated waiting for the outcome of random picks by selected people from a pool of tickets which decides the winners of certain categories of rewards.

I did research on the definition of gambling. This is what I get "Gambling is the act of risking money or something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the primary aim of winning more money or a prize."
Technically, we can consider raffle draws to be gambling. However, it depends on the level of reason behind the game and jurisdiction.

In my opinion, it also depends on the nature of the raffle. As long as the raffle doesn’t require an upfront fee or capital meaning it’s a purely random draw then it’s not gambling. But if the raffle involves an initial transaction, such as the use of capital, then it is gambling. And regarding the sentence you highlighted in bold, I agree with that.

Agreed, and this is why i stated that it depends on the reason behind the raffle and jurisdiction because one man's food is considered someone else's poison. Besides, we can't have the sme preferences about things, and i believe the raffle the OP stated was introduced to give out free benefits to the people while they also have an exciting moment.

In my community, there are sometimes competitions sometimes with a registration fee, sometimes without and sometimes there are also door prizes for added entertainment. I’m quite confused as to whether this is considered gambling or not, but based on the statement above, if capital is indeed used at the outset, then it is gambling.

Yes, and during this discussion, I'm having the impression that maybe this is how some intellectual individuals developed what we call gambling today, because gambling was considered a game of chance for everyone.

[Dunamisx]

In this context, for those that like playing their games in such manner that comes in raffle forms, and try our luck as well participate with our money in playing and this should be regarded as gambling.

We should take it as it is because there are many games we could play in gambling and also enjoy ourselves with different subscription we may wanted to use in playing such and that is why we have different games over our choice we can obtain for in gambling.

[lovesmayfamilis]

No, the lottery is not gambling. Lotteries are usually held with the permission of the government. In my country, lotteries are most often charitable, and only a few prizes are awarded for winnings that seem impossible to win. Gambling is an entertainment that people choose at any moment, having the desire to spend their money or even "earn" it, the way I always wonder. If we talk about churches, temples, or mosques, then in my opinion, neither gambling nor lottery should be welcomed in such places. "You cannot serve both God and Mammon" - this is exactly what is said in the great book about the passion for money.

[purple_sparkles]

I consider lotteries to be a form of gambling as well, although the odds of winning are usually even lower. Of course, it depends on the specific rules and conditions of the lottery.Nowadays, even retail stores offer customers the chance to enter lotteries. In many cases, your entry ticket is simply making a purchase above a certain amount or buying products from a specific brand.We're driven by the same sense of excitement and anticipation both when we buy a lottery ticket and when we spin the reels on a slot machine.

[DrBeer]

Yesterday I was at a youth convention in a church setting and part of the program events was the raffle draw, I watched as people who bought varying quantities of tickets were seated waiting for the outcome of random picks by selected people from a pool of tickets which decides the winners of certain categories of rewards. The pool was always reshuffled before each pick and the persons that does the pick looks away before picking to ensure fairness.

Personally, I bought 4 of such tickets and won nothing but I watched another girl who bought only 1 ticket win both a smart phone and a 25kg bag of rice and this got me wondering if we were actually gambling.

Now reconnecting it to gambling,

• A lot of people bought these tickets with varying amounts of money which can be considered the staking power
• Lots of rewards were available of which most of them were X100 - X1000 of the worth of money used by people for ticket purchases
• The tickets sales generated a lot of money of which the prize rewards were only about 30% of the total sales which can be considered 30% RTP
• Tickets were bought for the possibility of winning various rewards and it was tied to a random outcome
• More ticket buys doesn't not guarantee winning, just like throwing more money into the casino doesn't validate your winning anything

Funny enough my priest who always condemns gambling was there enjoying the raffle draw session.

NB: I knew about the RTP since I was among the organizers of the event.

here are the questions
- Can raffle draws be considered a form of gambling?
- Is it right that a Religious house speaks against gambling, but allows raffle draws?

Gambling is a game in which participants risk money or valuables for material gain, and the outcome depends on chance and luck rather than skill. The word "gambling" comes from the French hasard, which means ‘chance’ or "risk".
Bottom line - yes, any lottery, with payment for participation, is a game of chance !
Whether it is right or wrong is a very difficult question. On the one hand, it doesn't quite fit the "religious canons". On the other hand, it can be seen as financial support of the church, with the church's response to its parishioners. But it is probably not a bad solution because both sides are satisfied

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

A raffle draw like the one you explain is a form of gambling because you actually have to buy a ticket and then expect a result which can be either or bad, so it's gambling. There the one that guinness beer normally do in my country but it's not done always, just on seasons, they will hide alphabets underneath the cock of the bottle,  if you can spell guinness by assembling different cocks that contains later G to S, then you will win a prize, so to do that, you will have to drink a lot of guinness beer, looking for different alphabets underneath the cock. That's an indirect form of gambling because you are spending money to buy the beer even when you don't need to.

[bakasabo]

No, the lottery is not gambling. Lotteries are usually held with the permission of the government. In my country, lotteries are most often charitable, and only a few prizes are awarded for winnings that seem impossible to win. Gambling is an entertainment that people choose at any moment, having the desire to spend their money or even "earn" it, the way I always wonder. If we talk about churches, temples, or mosques, then in my opinion, neither gambling nor lottery should be welcomed in such places. "You cannot serve both God and Mammon" - this is exactly what is said in the great book about the passion for money.

Even if the goal of such raffle is to raise money for church, temple, mosque need, it should not be welcomes as such places? I think if such thing is done to raise money for a need, then it could be a compromise. Otherwise buying candles, crosses and other assortment is business and trading and should not be done in God's walls. From my church visit I see that people rarely donate to church directly. If I can support church by buying a raffle ticket, even though I wont win anything, I think it is a good idea.

[lovesmayfamilis]

No, the lottery is not gambling. Lotteries are usually held with the permission of the government. In my country, lotteries are most often charitable, and only a few prizes are awarded for winnings that seem impossible to win. Gambling is an entertainment that people choose at any moment, having the desire to spend their money or even "earn" it, the way I always wonder. If we talk about churches, temples, or mosques, then in my opinion, neither gambling nor lottery should be welcomed in such places. "You cannot serve both God and Mammon" - this is exactly what is said in the great book about the passion for money.

Even if the goal of such raffle is to raise money for church, temple, mosque need, it should not be welcomes as such places? I think if such thing is done to raise money for a need, then it could be a compromise. Otherwise buying candles, crosses and other assortment is business and trading and should not be done in God's walls. From my church visit I see that people rarely donate to church directly. If I can support church by buying a raffle ticket, even though I wont win anything, I think it is a good idea.

Maybe you're right; I won't argue, but all of what you call the "business" in the church is spent on the existence of the church itself. And as you correctly noted, people who go with prayers, and therefore with requests to God, do not like donations to the church. Ironic, isn't it? Nevertheless, the law on tithing was not invented yesterday. "Be sure to give a tenth [or a tithe] of what will grow from the seeds, what you will collect in your field from year to year." But the lottery implies a prize; who will be the winner?

People need to accept some truths, such as there must be something in life that they should do selflessly, just as a tribute, for their own sake. and the salvation of his soul. Not everything always has to be evaluated financially.

[salad daging]

I will say raffle draw is not gambling but games we play during leisure time that could be found under the category of contest, once we are not staking money on a bet in playing raffle, then we can see it as an entertainment and this is not what we can call gambling by the nature of how we engage it, raffles are mostly administered freely for people to participate and also stand a chance of winning something by luck, this is not what you are will have to subscribe for or stake your money to participate in it.

What the OP said leads to gambling because each participant has to buy a ticket just like a lottery and there is no limit to buying tickets, hoping to win a prize.
It's different if they don't spend money then it's not gambling, it's money at stake then consider it gambling just under the guise of entertainment.

I have seen this event, every participant who participates must buy a ticket / participant number later at the end of the event will be raffled off prizes with 1st, 2nd, 3rd place only.
Isn't this gambling?