I think more states and governments should look at this across the world. I'm based in Detroit and foreclosures are a fact of life every day. I know for a fact people would love to do this if it was legal and they could sell enough tickets. I hope governments step up and show some initiative and a bit of lateral thinking given the mess they put us in frankly.

I just don't see why legislators are being so obtuse about this issue. In the UK loads of homeowners have lost literally thousands of pounds trying to set up this type of scheme as a competition rather than a lottery as they are illegal here as well. Many of them simply didn't really know how to organise them properly and they got burned as a result. Why should it not be made simpler by governments, after all they just announced this £2,000 incentive to scrap your motor in return for a new one I don't see why this couldn't be put forward as well.

Which means it's unlikely to get done anytime soon. And is anyone surprised -- why do they even ask them? -- that the realtors, estate agents, are against the idea? Yes, there are a few good agents, just as there are a few good lawyers (I have two), but part of the reason I decided to do my raffle was that I'd given my holiday complex to three so-called "top agents", who arrived in their, respectively, BMW 735i, shiny Lexus, and Mercedes something posh (casting disdainful glances at my battered old Golf), and deigned to opine that yes, for only a cool quarter of a million they'd condescend to put a photo of my place in their window. Which they did, after which they proceeded to send me an endless parade of penurious would-be hotelier wannabes with no experience, and absurdly enough, no money. They hadn't qualified them at all. Don't get me wrong; some of them were nice people, but not people who ever in the world should have been sent to view a multi-million holiday complex. So let's leave the agents out of the equation and pass laws to simply allow people to raffle their homes as they see fit. Putting in a clause that would require a portion of the sale to go to charity would make sense in these parlous times for everyone, including charities, but the main message that ought to penetrate, even into the rock-like heads of our legislators, is that house raffles are win-win-win-win propositions: good for the sellers, who get their price if they do the job right, good for a punter, who gets a house for the price of lunch, good for a charity, which gets a windfall, and even good for the government, which gets its taxes. Oh yes, it's even good for the bloody banks, because some foreclosures may be avoided, and foreclosures do no good for anyone. George Scott of the raffle for people smart enough to get their minds around "the bleedin' obvious".

I agree completely with George Scott - house raffles are a win-win for everyone involved. The homeowner gets their house sold, the charity makes a profit, the winner is over the moon with joy, and everyone who purchased a ticket has helped a worthy cause.

However, I think that government should support legislation to make house raffles legal in every state through a nonprofit organization. I am very much against legislation that would allow individuals to hold raffles. Just think of the spread of identity theft, the world is full of fraud and dishonest people.

Legalizing house raffles for the individual would be widespread fraud as people would sell tickets with no intention of awarding a prize. The gaming board and the state attorney general would not be able to adequately moderate these raffles. In turn, this would kill those who are legitimately holding a house raffle, and lead to ending house raffles as a tool to get a home sold. Would you buy a ticket, if you coninue to read in the news that raffle after raffle is a fraud? Probably not.

There are over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. so I think we should continue to partner with nonprofits to raffle our homes.

@ Diane

While I agree with you that organising a house raffle with nonprofits is a great idea in the US, gaming laws are different from one country to another. Where it is legal to run a house competition, I get the impression most organisers have good intentions.

Of course, you might come across opportunists running dodgy raffles online. That's why you need to check who's running it, for what reasons and think about where it's run. If it looks too complicated and doesn't make things clear (or has been running for ages), use your instinct and maybe even get in touch with the organisers. No answer, vague explanations? Stay clear.

I don't think regulating this is necessarily that difficult, as long as there are clear guidelines to adhere to. In my opinion, too many homeowners in the UK fell foul of the gambling act because of wrong interpretation of the law, rather than intentionally.