PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona appellate court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that raffle fundraisers conducted by five American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts were illegal gambling under state law.
The posts discontinued their raffles after a state Department of Gaming agent threatened to seize equipment provided by a vendor who received up to half of the revenue.
The posts then went to court, contending that the raffles are allowed under state law.
The Court of Appeals upheld a judge’s ruling against the posts, saying the vendor’s revenue-sharing arrangement meant the posts didn’t qualify under an exemption for nonprofits.
The case involved American Legion Post 62 in Peoria and Posts 1 and 105 in Phoenix and VFW Posts 1433 in Glendale and 1796 in Black Canyon City.
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