Time to toss away more raffle tickets

It’s Oct. 25, and I just discovered that I didn’t win another raffle.
I was the first person to buy five raffle tickets from the Nokomis Regional High School Football Boosters for a Longaberger basket filled with Thanksgiving goodies.
The ticket numbers are 001 through 005. I thought I’d be lucky. I wasn’t.
So the Longaberger tickets join the rest of the scrap paper that I remove from the kitchen bulletin board once a month.
I don’t know why I buy raffle tickets. I can’t remember the last time I won anything.
Sometimes I buy tickets for stuff I don’t even want. The Maine Elks Association is holding a raffle for an all-terrain vehicle. I have absolutely no use for one. I live on a one-acre lot. I don’t need an ATV to walk from one end to the other. But I’ll probably buy a ticket, anyway.
The Somerset County Republicans sold raffle tickets at the fair this summer for a 20-gauge Remington 870 model shotgun. I was happy to buy one, even though I haven’t been bird hunting in years.
Republicans in Maine need all the help they can get. They’re almost on the endangered species list.
But alas, my name wasn’t called for that raffle, either. They drew the winner on Oct. 22.
The American Legion Post in Athens, Me. was hawking tickets in front of the grocery store this week, so my wife – an Athens native – bought one that offers three prizes.
If you’re really lucky, you’ll get a 30-06 Remington with a scope, a $100 gift certificate from Hannaford’s supermarket or a queen-size homemade quilt.
My wife only bought a $1 ticket. I would have opted for the 6 for $5 package. That way, I could have six times as many chances to lose. I’ll find out on Nov. 7.
A charming lady from the Gardiner Elks Lodge sold me some raffle tickets for a Veteran’s Day fund-raiser. I couldn’t resist buying them, not necessarily because she was charming, either.
I’m a veteran, and I know how much the Elks supports programs at the U.S.V.A. Hospital at Togus. So it didn’t matter that the first prize is a round of golf - a game I never played – or dinner at a seafood restaurant in a town I never visit.
Oh, the third prize is a $100 U.S. Savings Bond. That is something I could use.
Maine laws are pretty liberal on raffle tickets. Non-profit organizations don’t need a license to conduct one if the prize is under $10,000.
Fraternal and veterans’ outfits use the proceeds for everything from fuel oil for needy families to scholarships.
Finding a place to sell tickets is a little harder nowadays. Some shopping centers won’t let you do it on the premises. A few years ago, some malls even booted the Salvation Army bell-ringers until some very angry customers threatened to take their business elsewhere.
Wal-Mart is great about helping non-profit groups. If you make plans well in advance, you can sell raffle tickets on the premises as long as you don’t block the entrances or become a pain in the ass to their customers.
No one likes a pushy ticket seller. If someone jumps in front of me with a handful of tickets, I usually sidestep them.
Kids are different. If they’re dressed up in their baseball or Girl Scout uniforms, I can’t resist parting with a $5 bill.
With the major holidays approaching, I expect to stick more raffle tickets on the bulletin board. I also expect that I’ll throw most of them away after the drawing dates.
But hey, it’s cheap entertainment.
And there’s always a chance I’ll win a round of golf somewhere – even if I never play it.