The South Gate
A Brother, in our Lodge, has offered a wonderful gift for the purpose of raising money for a very specific purpose for the Lodge. The money was to be raised by a raffle where the gift would be given to the winner.
From the Laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas, the only references are found in Chapter 2 - Title V MASONIC DISCIPLINARY VIOLATIONS, Art.505(29). Raise money by lotteries or any other gambling devices prohibited by the Laws of Texas or the Laws of the United States of America.
The Attorney General of Texas states that the language of the law is very technical. If your organization is considering holding a raffle you should check the statute to be sure it qualifies. Proceeds from ticket sales must be used only for the charitable purposes of the qualified organization.
The statute is very long (eleven printed pages) so I will be quoting only the parts that pertain to our Brother's gift and request. The statute is found under "Occupations Code, Title 13. Sports,Amusements, and Entertainment, Subtitle A. Gaming, Chapter 2002. Charitable raffles, Subchapter A. General Provisions." First, our Lodge qualifies as a "qualified organization". From Sec.2002.002. Definitions. (1) "Charitable purposes" means: (A) benefitting needy or deserving persons in this state,
indefinite in number, by:
(i) enhancing their opportunites for
religious or educational advancement;
(iii) contributing to their physical well being;
(v) increasing their comprehension of and devotion to the principles on which this nation was founded and enhancing their loyalty to their government;
Subchapter B. Organization of Raffle Sec.2002.052. Time and frequency restricitions. (a) In this section, "calenendar year" means a period beginning january 1 and ending on the succeeding December 31.
(b) A raffle is not authorized by this chapter if the organization sells or offers to sell tickets for or awards in the raffle in a calendar year in which the organization has previously sold or offered to sell tickets for or awarded prizes in two or more other raffles.
Sec.2002.053. Use of proceeds. All proceeds from the sale of tickets for a raffle must be spent for the charitable purposes of the qualified organization.
Our Brother wants the proceeds of this raffle to be used to help replace our exsisiting lodge building. My Brothers, I pose a question to you, "Does his request qualify under the Laws of Texas and under the Laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas?"
George Hahn
Junior Warden
The Guiding Light / Jan. 2016 11