Ready to buy raffle tickets at major league sports games in Texas?

Texas Rangers games could soon get even more interesting — and with something far more lucrative than free tacos.

Fans showing up to cheer on the team might be able to buy raffle tickets at home games, creating a lucky winner who will walk out with a fistful of cash.

Half the money raised would go to the winner; the other half would go to local charities.

These raffles wouldn’t be just at Texas Rangers games, but also at home games of other major professional teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, under a plan state lawmakers are considering.

“It benefits the charities of the professional sports teams in Texas,” said state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, who filed the proposal. “It’s a way to put more money back into the community.”

These raffles, held in 25 other states that have professional sports teams, are known as 50-50 raffles because half the winnings go to charity and half go to a lucky winner.

Supporters say this would let sports charities help even more local people and causes; critics worry this would open the door to an expansion of gambling in Texas.

Measures to allow it — a House bill and a proposed constitutional amendment — were heard in House and Senate committees last week.

Giving back to communities

Geren said he filed these measures, House Bill 975 and House Joint Resolution 73, at the request of the Texas Rangers, who are spearheading this issue on behalf of 10 professional sports teams in Texas.

Right now, nonprofits may operate raffles twice a year and can give away anything ranging from a car to a house — but not cash, said Karin Morris, executive director of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, which works to better the lives of area youths.

“The amount of money that can go back into the community through this, ... we need to take a step forward,” she said.

In some states, these raffles can raise around $8,000 per game, which would give a charity $4,000 and a lucky fan $4,000 as well.

The charitable portion of these raffles could help fund local needs ranging from after school programs to scholarships to Special Olympics.

“We want to have the ability to give back in the communities we serve,” Reid Ryan, president of the Houston Astros, told the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee last week. “We have (a) wonderful opportunity.”

How it works

The proposal in Texas would allow one raffle per home game, which would include pre- and post-season games.

“This allows fans to connect to the community and our charities,” Morris said. “They can get a hotdog, a soda and 50-50 raffle tickets and know they are helping others.”

Tickets could be sold in the paper form or perhaps at kiosks or through hand-held devices.

At baseball games, the winning ticket number could be announced after the 7th inning. At basketball or football games they could be announced before the fourth quarter.

“Nobody is really losing in this,” Morris said. “The community is going to win.”

The House committee left the bills pending. The Senate’s Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee, which heard identical proposals by state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, approved the measures.

Expansion of gambling?

Gambling opponents said they generally don’t have any problems with raffles.

But they are concerned that the constitutional amendment proposed could lead to future problems down the road including electronic displays that could morph into an expansion of gambling.

“We see other things coming down the road,” said Rodger Weems, chairman of the Arlington-based Stop Predatory Gambling Texas group. “The constitutional amendment opens the door.”

That amendment could lead to raffles in an electronic form being held at bingo halls or racetracks, expanding gambling in Texas, said Rob Kohler, a consultant with the Austin-based Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

“If you don’t have anything prohibiting electronic machines, you have what you couldn’t have with historical racing,” Weems said.

Historical racing — replaying past horse races on devices that look and sound much like slot machines — became an issue in Texas last year after racing commissioners voted to allow the machines in racetracks statewide.

The issue is now tied up in court and state lawmakers are threatening to strip funding from the agency that allowed historical gambling to advance in Texas.

As for concerns about historical racing, Geren said “that’s not what’s going to happen.”

Kohler said he and others would like for language to be added in the constitutional amendment to prevent “the graphic and dynamic animation that corresponds to or represents the outcome of a raffle or sweepstakes ticket.”

“They may see a boogey-man, but that’s not what’s going to happen,” Geren said. “I guess they see somebody hiding behind every rock.”

“I’m very happy with the bill as it currently stands and I’m going to move forward with it.”

This story was originally published April 3, 2015 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Ready to buy raffle tickets at major league sports games in Texas?."