LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — It was an idea that clicked and quickly generated quite a bit of money for new equipment at the North Lawrence Fire Department: online raffles.
Their online fundraisers have attracted the attention of millions across the country, far beyond the normal reach for the 16,500 residents in Stark and Wayne Counties.
Lt. Brandon Johnston estimates that since last fall, they've raised about $500,000 for the department.
"We started looking at different avenues and ideas to do and started with raffling off a Browns-Steelers VIP package," Lt. Johnston explained. "Ever since then,this whole thing has taken off. We started buying other prizes: TVs, grills, kayaks - you name it."
North Lawrence Fire Department's Facebook page shows previous online raffles involving cars — and even a $300,000 credit for a brand new home.
Lt. Johnston emphasized with News 5 that the department also covers all taxes associated with the prize, meaning the prize you win is the prize you take home.
Now, they are being told by the Ohio Attorney General's Office to "cease and desist" their online raffles.
In a letter, dated Aug. 6, the Senior Assistant Attorney General details:
"...the elements of your online raffle does not conform with the definition of “Raffle” in O.R.C. 2915(CC).
The letter goes on to say that by definition, a "raffle ticket must be made of paper, so that the ticket stub or detachable section can be physically separated from the rest of the ticket, and the player must be physically present during purchasing to meet this legal definition."
It then reads:
"Your organization’s raffles do not comply with these requirements. Therefore, you must immediately CEASE and DESIST conducting any raffle, including online “raffles” that do not comply with Ohio law."
In addition to the North Lawrence Fire Department, the Wintersville Fire Department and the South Zanesville Fire Department also received similar letters.
"Really at the end of the day, we hate asking our taxpayers for more money," Johnston said. "We found this as an opportunity to have fun, win some great prizes and we can basically generate funding we’ve never seen before. This was a very unconventional means of fundraising, but we did a lot of homework and a lot of research and we consulted with our legal team which found us to be in the clear to perform these raffles."
Joanna Devore recently won a $1000 Giant Eagle gift card during one of the department's raffles. She told News 5 she lives about 45 minutes away, so buying in-person raffle tickets is unlikely for her. But the prizes, she says, go a long way.
"My daughter’s wedding is next week so I called her and we’re going to cater food from Giant Eagle for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready," she explained. "Worked out perfect."
For now, the department has put the online raffles on hold, waiting for guidance from the Attorney General's Office to learn what they’re doing that’s different from all the other popular online raffles out there.
"We tried to follow the same concept," Lt. Johnston said. "We just want to know what are we doing wrong and how can we fix it?"
"I don’t think they’re doing anything wrong," Devore added.
