Raffles

If you plan on conducting a "raffle," which is the selling of tickets of chance for a winning prize, you must first obtain a license from the Village of Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire is not trying to be bureaucratic or adding red-tape, but State Statute requires a municipality to license these events, or if the event is in an unincorporated area, the County handles the licensing.

The term Raffle means a form of lottery, as defined in the Illinois Compiled Statutes in which:

1. The player pays or agrees to pay something of value for a chance, represented and differentiated by a number or by a combination of numbers or by some other medium, one or more of which chances is to be designated the winning chance; and
2. The winning chance is to be determined through a drawing or by some other method based on an element of chance by an act or set of acts on the part of persons conducting or connected with the lottery, except that the winning chance shall not be determined by the outcome of a publicly exhibited sporting contest.

Per State law, licenses shall be issued only to bona fide religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, civic, or veterans' organizations which operate without profit to their members, or to a non-profit fundraising organization that the Chief of Police determines is organized for the sole purpose of providing financial assistance to an identified individual or group of individuals suffering extreme financial hardship as the result of an illness, disability, accident or disaster.

So whether you're raffling off a car, a trip or a pizza, a license is required. The Mayor and Board of Trustees understand that in most cases these raffles are small in nature and do not generate a significant amount of funds, so they have waived the $25 license requirement if the organization that is conducting the raffle meets the following conditions:

• Has a membership of which 55% or more reside within the corporate limits of the Village of Lincolnshire; or
• Has a charter or other official recognition by a parent, state or national organization that designates it a Lincolnshire chapter; or
• Has a principal or sole place of business located within the corporate limits of the Village of Lincolnshire; or
• Is an organization supporting exclusively a local unit of government which provides services to residents of the Village of Lincolnshire.

An exception to this license requirement would be a closed meeting or gathering not open to the public where the raffle chances are not sold publicly and the winner(s) are determined at the time of the gathering. Raffle Permit Applications are available from the Police Department and online. For further information, please contact the Chief of Police at 847.913.2341.