Free Republic

Do any attorneys want to weigh in on this question? The Obama campaign has already been warned by law enforcement agencies against running "Backstage with Barack" and "Dinner with Barack" lotteries in Minnesota and possibly Colorado. Minnesota's Department of Public Safety counseled Obama for America to provide a means of entering to win a chance to meet Barack Obama without making a donation, which would remove the "payment of consideration" element that makes the scheme an illegal lottery. The Obama campaign agreed to do so, but it apparently broke this promise as of October 31 2008. We are not attorneys...

Is Barack Obama's website conducting an outlawed-in-Minnesota raffle? The Minnesota Gambling Control Board thinks giving new donors a chance to meet Obama backstage in Denver is worth investigating. The Strib's Randy Furst says only nonprofits, not campaigns, can conduct raffles in Minnesota. The raffle standard: it costs money to participate, it's based on luck of the draw, and something of value is at stake. Obama's campaign sounds like it will argue the winners won't be random.

Make a donation of $5 or more between now and midnight on July 31st, and you could be one of 10 supporters chosen to meet Barack backstage and watch his acceptance speech in person. Each of the 10 selected supporters can bring a guest, and will be flown to Denver to spend two days at the convention, culminating in Barack's speech on Thursday, August 28th.

Impeach Obama under U.S. Code Title 31 5362, “Unlawful Internet Gambling” shows that the Obama campaign ran what could qualify as lotteries, and therefore illegal Internet gambling, to raise money. Barack Obama signed his name to one such solicitation and also stated openly that the promotion cheated some of the entrants (by announcing a winner prior to the entry deadline). This activity may also have been illegal under U.S. Code, Title 18 1084, "Transmission of wagering information; penalties," also known as the Federal Wire Wager Act. Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire...