State says charity fails to comply over raffle - San Diego Union Tribune
— Every year since 2005, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego has raffled off a dream choice: a luxury home or lots of cash. Proceeds from the ticket sales pay for families to visit terminally ill children and help defray the cost of a new facility for those families.But the Kearny Mesa nonprofit was warned last week by the California Department of Justice that it has failed to comply with the rules governing charity raffles during every drawing it has held.
In a Jan. 27 letter, state officials notified the organization that it has 30 days to submit the required documentation. Failure to comply with the rules can result in a referral to county prosecutors, something the state does 20 to 30 times a year.
The state also advised the charity last summer that it was illegally advertising its 2008 raffle on the Internet, but no penalties were imposed. The 2009 event continues to be promoted on a special Web site: $150 tickets for a chance to choose a five-bedroom, $1.9 million house in Encinitas or $1.6 million in cash.