A "Chinese" auction is the type of drawing where you have items on display and people buy tickets and drop them in the corresponding jar, hoping theirs will be drawn. Note - we don't use that term as some feel it's a racial slur. We simply call them drawings. (Although the term also "raffle" slips in.)
Is it legally different than a raffle? I actually tried in vain to get that answer from our Attorney General's office one year. (They told me to consult a lawyer.) Since raffles are regulated as gaming, we decided not pursue that line of questioning further, and decided for our purposes, they are NOT raffles.
To us, it does seem different as tickets are not pre-sold, individuals submit their own tickets into the jar, and everything happens right there in plain sight the night of the event.
I found in some areas, it's better to go with Grace Hopper's suggestion:
Sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
Note - one year, a well meaning volunteer hurrying things along pulled the winning tickets behind the scenes in our work room. It wasn't a huge deal, but some people were uncomfortable the drawing wasn't done on stage in front of everyone.
[ 07-31-2005, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: JHB ]
