Domain Raffel/lottery idea?

[mattonline]

I've had this idea for a while now, and i'm just doing some research before i actually give it ago.

If i started up a domain raffel website, were say every month i would hold a raffel event, and the winner would get a domain?

I was thinking of offering some of my CCC.coms up for grabs..

would you pay say $1 for a ticket, the whole system will be completely random, and gives people who havn't got the money to get into this domain game, which is becoming harder and harder these days.

Think i should run with the idea?
would you pay $1 for a chance to win a CCC.com?

thanks for your input.

 

[onewordonly]

It depends on the odds.... the idea sounds ok but you might need to make it free for sometime to get a user base built up! You could offer .info domains (reg at Godaddy for $1) first up and then move to .com's etc....

 

[mattonline]

well would people really pay $1 for my $1 .infos..

i've just put forward the idea, i have ideas in ind for promotion, but just want to know if people would pay $1.00 or $0.50 for a chance to win a CCC.com?

 

[james2002]

I will not pay any money for such thing. Who will gurantee that it is purely luck?

 

[mattonline]

Me, i'll do it all legit, and if i was ever found out fixing this, thenit would be illegal.
Anyways i want to run businesses, so why would i want to scam someone? Nobody will ever trust me again.

 

[goodkarmaco]

yes,

of course people would garner up a few bucks to pay for domains up for lottery.

The basic problem is the legal one.

The government will have you jumping thru many hoops of burning fire to get a licence for gambling, because that is what it is. I am not a lawyer, but you will have many hurdles legally.

Nice idea, hard to implement.

 

[Malaysia]

i think you are not the first one who thought of this.i have heard of this few times personally .i like the idea but its hard to determine the winner .plus legality issue as well.

 

[dag]

Your main problem is this:

Raffles are considered gambling and are illegal in the United States unless they are by a nonprofit organization for charity purposes only. You need to obtain a license to do that as well.

I had this idea once in another non-domain area, and found out to my chagrin that it wouldn't be legal.

Here's a link with some answers:

http://rafflefaq.com/united-states-raffle-laws/

I don't know what the laws are in other countries...you'd have to check that out if you live elsewhere.

 

[equity78]

DAG is exactly right I had this idea in 2000 I was told it was illegal. Which it actually is, but it would be great. If it were legal Moniker would do it get 1000 people to buy a $50 ticket for a LLL.com the name held in escrow, everything legit would be a big money maker IMO.

 

[TheBulldog]

Well, in theory anyway, you can sell a tangible product, which would entitle the person to one entry in a drawing.

That would get around the legal aspect of it, and is how many us companies do it.

Buy a bottle of pop and see if the number on the cap is a winner! that type of thing is done all the time perfectly legally and without a license.

 

[Gene]

Well, in theory anyway, you can sell a tangible product, which would entitle the person to one entry in a drawing.

That would get around the legal aspect of it, and is how many us companies do it.

Buy a bottle of pop and see if the number on the cap is a winner! that type of thing is done all the time perfectly legally and without a license.

Careful -- That is only half true. Legally, a person cannot be asked to purchase anything in order to participate in the raffle. It always has to be clear that "No purchase is necessary". And you must make it easy for the person to participate without a purchase.

 

[dag]

And you must make it easy for the person to participate without a purchase.

And of course at that point, it sort of defeats the point of the whole thing for you anyway, unless you just felt like giving a domain away...

 

[TheBulldog]

Careful -- That is only half true. Legally, a person cannot be asked to purchase anything in order to participate in the raffle. It always has to be clear that "No purchase is necessary". And you must make it easy for the person to participate without a purchase.

Well yes. But die hard guilt would have the person donate a nominal cash denomination for a chance at a wonderful $1 .info like asdf123498765zyxw.info

 

[mattonline]

Well, in theory anyway, you can sell a tangible product, which would entitle the person to one entry in a drawing.

That would get around the legal aspect of it, and is how many us companies do it.

Buy a bottle of pop and see if the number on the cap is a winner! that type of thing is done all the time perfectly legally and without a license.

so if i sold them a legal form, basically saying i will transfer the domain over, if you are the winner, then am i breaking any laws?

sure my costings will increase, but would this get around the law?

 

[Dotmainer]

so if i sold them a legal form, basically saying i will transfer the domain over, if you are the winner, then am i breaking any laws?

sure my costings will increase, but would this get around the law?

(i'm not lawyer, but)

i think you are still breaking law,
example is if you drive car and should stop on red light, but you think you are smart and by-pass it by driving through gas-station, you are still breaking law !

(yep, some people do that )

 

[Gene]

mattonline: Before you get yourself in trouble, please read my previous reply carefully.

 

[dag]

so if i sold them a legal form, basically saying i will transfer the domain over, if you are the winner, then am i breaking any laws?

sure my costings will increase, but would this get around the law?

Your still making it a "purchase is necessary" type of situation, which is against the law.

Really, there's no legal way around this, if you are doing it to make money for yourself.

 

[htmlindex]

Legally, a person cannot be asked to purchase anything in order to participate in the raffle. It always has to be clear that "No purchase is necessary".

What about if "a donation" is made, then you can part take in the raffle? Could that be a work-around it?

 

[mattonline]

mattonline: Before you get yourself in trouble, please read my previous reply carefully.

ahh right, i just thought if they bought a tangible product (the slip of paper) then that would of worked

good idea in theory, just a shame the main audience i would be targetting wouldn't be able to participate.

 

[smashfactory]

saw this same idea hashed over on another forum already- they shot it down - too many variables to deal with