You’ve seen 50/50 raffles, right? The hybrid gambling/charity events in which half of the revenues go to the charity and half are paid out in prizes to a lucky ticket purchaser or three. As a pure gambling play it’s inefficient (the house keeps 50%!) and as a pure charity thing it’s inefficient (only 50% of proceeds go to the charity!) but when they’re put together it results in a lot of money going to a charity that wouldn’t otherwise be donated, so yay for 50/50 raffles.
50/50s are pretty ubiquitous at sporting events these days. I can’t remember the last ballgame I went to, major league, minor league, spring training or high school, that didn’t have one working. I’ve never seen this before, however: the ability to participate in a 50/50 raffle even if you’re not at the park. The Dbacks are doing it:
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation has extended the 50/50 Raffle, supported by Western Refining, to be available for all fans in Arizona, even if they aren’t inside Chase Field during D-backs home games. The 50/50 Raffle will now be available for fans to purchase raffle tickets online at dbacks.com/5050raffle.
Fans must be within the state of Arizona to purchase a raffle ticket online. The 50/50 Raffle will begin an hour and a half before first pitch and will close at the end of the 6thinning during every D-backs home game. Raffle tickets are available for $2 each, three for $5, 10 for $10 or 40 for $20.
Good news for the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, I suppose. Bad news for lazy folks who like to gamble too much. Someone wake me up when I can play church bingo without leaving my couch.
