History of

• Raffles were born out of a game in southern Italy and have since spread to just about every country in the world. The original name for the numbers out of which the winners were drawn is called the "tambola," a term still used extensively in England. The United States is rife with raffles in the form of state lotteries, the origin of which can be traced back to England's Queen Elizabeth I in 1567. Other lotteries, not specific to states, can be found as far back as the days of the Roman Empire, in about 100 B.C., according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) site.
  
  

Risk Factors

• With the invention of and popularity of the Internet, many raffle scams have evolved from the once-reputable game. The scam usually comes in the form of an e-mail congratulating the recipient for winning some large sum of money. The catch is that the person is expected to supply his name, address, bank account number and a variety of other personal information before he can claim the winnings. While the e-mail recipient is busy waiting for his prize, the scammers are busy stealing his identity or cleaning out his bank account.
  Addiction can also play a key in raffles. Just ask the fellow who will spend his last $5 on lottery tickets rather than a loaf of bread to feed his family. That may be an extreme example, but as with any form of gambling, one runs the risk of getting in too hard and too deep.
  
  

Function

• The main purpose of a raffle is usually to raise money for a charity, event or cause. This only works, of course, if enough tickets are sold to exceed the cost of the prizes. Anyone giving away a $1,000 TV had better sell more than 1,000 tickets at $1 a shot. State lotteries are huge raffles that are supposed to raise money for a variety of causes across the state. These can include highway and park improvements, historical restoration and other statewide issues.
  
  

Type

• Someone may try to sell raffle tickets to benefit everything from the local boys' club to the neighborhood animal shelter. Raffles can have a single prize or a variety of prizes with a number of winners. Statewide lotteries, which usually consist of an array of different games and drawings, are another type of raffle. Bingo, the game played with a board filled with letters and numbers that get scratched off when those combinations are called out, is another form of raffle. Door prizes, which usually consist of having a number placed beneath your dinner plate or chair, are another form of raffle used at parties.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Raffle tickets don't always bring the winner something beneficial. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the game winner gets a dastardly prize. The person becomes the first from the village to be stoned to death.
  Raffles in England are sometimes used to get around liquor laws, according to the site NationMasters.com. A liquor license is required to sell alcohol, but nothing stops anyone from giving away alcohol as a prize. Thus, an establishment can sell raffle tickets and pick the winners who are then awarded with alcohol.