Pennsylvania Fire Companies Lose Online Raffles

Volunteer fire companies across Pennsylvania have been told to stop running online raffles, a fundraising model many adopted during the pandemic. The halt comes as skill game enforcement ramps up across the state. A new state law lets nonprofits take card payments for raffle tickets, but it does not authorise online raffles or livestreamed draws, according to a Firehouse report published October 27, 2026.

The Womelsdorf Volunteer Fire Company in Berks County had been running nearly two dozen raffles a week. Each had 54 chances priced between $4 and $12, depending on the prize. On July 8 the company announced it had been advised by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to stop immediately.

Firehouse reports that, acting on an anonymous complaint, the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement decided the online raffles broke the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act. The bureau issued a warning rather than a citation that could have carried a fine, and the company complied. Good Intent Hose Company in Llewellyn, in Schuylkill County, was also ordered to stop.

Where The Law Falls Short

Two problems stand out. The law requires raffle tickets to be paid for by cash, check or money order, while the fire company used payment technology such as Square for card payments. It also expects drawings to take place at the same location as the licence holder. 

Womelsdorf's licence is held by its social quarters, which sits in a separate building from the fire company where the livestreamed drawings were held.

Carl Liptak, president of the company's social quarters, called the rules antiquated and noted that the legislation dates from 1988, long before the internet and cashless payments. The company has said it knew of the legal uncertainty and judged the benefits to the community to outweigh the risk.

What The New Law Changes

Senate Bill 416 passed the Senate unanimously and was signed by the governor last week, per the General Assembly bill record. It allows eligible nonprofits, including fire companies, youth sports leagues and VFW posts, to accept electronic payments such as credit cards, debit cards and platforms like PayPal and Venmo. Firehouse notes it does not authorise online gaming or livestreamed raffles.

House Bill 962, introduced by Representative Ryan Warner, would go further. It would let organisations use internet-based conferencing software to reveal winners and set rules for online raffles, including technology to keep out-of-state residents and a bar on using slots or video gaming devices to pick winners. Firehouse says the companion measure has sat in the House Gaming Oversight Committee for more than a year.

Skill Games Add Pressure

The timing hurt. The raffle halt came less than a month after the state Supreme Court ruled that so-called skill games are slot machines, which are legal only in licensed casinos and truck stops. Many fire companies and clubs used those machines for revenue. 

Lawmakers are also weighing a separate bill to ban sweepstakes casinos and regulate skill games.

Chief Bob Martin said raffle income helped the company refurbish its ladder truck for about $200,000, against roughly $2 million for a new one. The company is reviewing alternatives, including a county-issued small games of chance licence, and is hoping the law changes.