Official Rules

50/50 Raffle - Sponsored by IAFF Local 1605 Foundation, Inc.

Please read these Official Rules before entering the 50/50 raffle (the “Raffle”). By purchasing a ticket, you represent that you meet all of the below-stated requirements and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of IAFF Local 1605 Foundation, Inc., nonprofit tax ID number 20-3698085 (the “Sponsor”), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, or its representative.

1. THE RAFFLE: Raffle tickets are sold online at this link (the “Website”), each ticket carrying a unique ticket number or numbers. Weekly, on Thursday, on or around 8:00PM EDT (or at such other time as determined by the Sponsor), after Raffle ticket sales have closed, the winning Raffle ticket number will be randomly selected and posted on the Website. The participant who purchased the winning Raffle ticket will receive fifty percent (50%) of the Net Proceeds of the Raffle; the “Net Proceeds” of a given Raffle means the total sales of Raffle tickets for that Raffle minus any related expenses from the Raffle ticket sales for the applicable Raffle Period (the “Prize”). All remaining proceeds from the Raffle shall be retained by the Sponsor to be used for its charitable purposes, or those of its charitable partners. Each Raffle begins and ends at the times specified by Sponsor on the Website (each a “Raffle Period”). All Raffle ticket sales are final.

2. ELIGIBILITY

The Raffle is open only to natural persons who (a) are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of ticket purchase and (b) are physically located in a jurisdiction where participation in charitable raffles of this type is lawful at that moment. The Raffle is void where prohibited, including, but not limited to Arizona, Hawaii and Utah, and each purchaser is solely responsible for ensuring that participation is legal in their location.

The following are not eligible to enter or win:

Platform Partner Personnel — any employee, officer, director, contractor, or agent of the third-party platform that supplies, hosts, or administers the electronic ticketing and/or drawing system.
Drawing Personnel — any individual who (i) programs, configures, or operates the random-drawing mechanism; (ii) has administrative or audit-level access to that system; or (iii) verifies or certifies winning numbers.
Immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling) and household members of any person described in items 1–2.
Non-natural entities, including corporations, partnerships, trusts, and similar organizations.

Clarification. Volunteers or employees of participating fire departments who merely promote or sell tickets—whether by sharing the purchase link or processing transactions on devices provided by the Platform Partner—and who are not Drawing Personnel, remain eligible to purchase tickets and win prizes, provided they meet the age and locality requirements above.

3. ENTRY: If you meet the eligibility requirements, you may enter the Raffle by agreeing to be bound by these Official Rules and purchasing Raffle tickets in one of the following amounts: 2000 for $100 (limited offer), 1200 tickets for $100, 400 tickets for $40, 100 tickets for $20, 25 tickets for $10, 5 tickets for $5, or such other special pricing as may be announced from time to time. The purchase of an event or game ticket, or any other item, is not required to enter the Raffle. Participant need not be present to win. All Raffle ticket purchases must be completed within the applicable Raffle Period. All Raffle ticket purchases are final and no refunds or replacement tickets will be issued. The Sponsor, Club and any related entities are not liable for any lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undelivered, or destroyed tickets regardless of cause including, but not limited to, any problem or technical malfunction of any computer, online system or server or technical problem.

4. HOW TO ENTER: You can enter the Raffle during any Raffle Period by purchasing tickets by visiting this link and completing the checkout form. In order to purchase tickets online you must allow geo-location procedures to determine your location. If Sponsor is unable to verify that you are located within the , you will not be able to purchase tickets online. Online entries generated by script, macro, robotic, programmed, or any other automated means are prohibited and will be disqualified. Online entries containing offensive, obscene, derogatory, lewd, or other inappropriate content, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, are prohibited and will be disqualified. Participants assume all risk of lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or illegible entries.

5. DRAWING: The Raffle Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing. A single Raffle ticket number shall be randomly selected from all eligible Raffle ticket numbers sold during each Raffle Period. The drawing will be held weekly on Thursday at 8:00 PM EDT. The random selection will be conducted automatically and electronically via the platform. The selection is final and binding. The randomly selected winning Raffle ticket will be posted on this link after the drawing.

The Share to Win winner will be selected in a random drawing immediately following the raffle prize drawing. A single Raffle ticket number shall be randomly selected from all eligible Raffle ticket numbers sold and shared during each Raffle Period. The drawing will be held weekly on Thursday at 8:00 PM EDT. The random selection will be conducted automatically and electronically via the platform and the winning ticket number posted after the drawing.

6. CLAIMING A PRIZE: To claim a Prize, the holder of the winning Raffle ticket number (a “Prize Claimant”) must contact Sponsor and present the winning Raffle ticket within 30 days of the applicable drawing via email to stacy@firefighter5050.com, or to a Sponsor representative designated at Sponsor's discretion. Each Prize Claimant must provide Sponsor with all information required to claim a prize including, without limitation, photo identification (for age verification), eligibility and tax identification information (completed Form W-9). The Prize Claimant will be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility & Liability/Publicity Release (“Affidavit”) in the form approved by Sponsor prior to receipt of the Prize. In the event that a Prize Claimant either: (a) does not notify Sponsor within 30 days of the drawing; (b) is ruled ineligible for any reason; (c) refuses the Prize; or (d) does not return an executed Affidavit, then, in each such event, the Prize will be forfeited, the ticket deemed voided, and the Prize will be retained by Sponsor subject to a replacement drawing in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor has no obligation to contact holders of potential winning ticket numbers. All Prizes will be delivered to Prize Claimant and paid via check within forty-five (45) days of the Prize Claimant delivering the winning Raffle ticket, executed Affidavit, and all other required documents to Sponsor. For security and safety reasons, no cash payments will be made to the Prize Claimant. Unclaimed winnings will be retained by the Sponsor for its charitable purposes and those of its charitable partners. Depositing Raffle tickets or related materials in the mail is a violation of federal law and could lead to criminal penalties.

7. ODDS: Odds of winning are variable based on the total number of Raffle ticket numbers sold during each Raffle Period. There is no minimum or maximum number of Raffle tickets that must be sold.

8. TAXES: Each Participant acknowledges that they have been informed that the IRS has taken the position that amounts paid for chances to participate in raffles, lotteries, or similar programs are not gifts and, therefore, the price of a Raffle ticket does not qualify as a deductible charitable contribution. The Prize is considered to be ordinary income by the IRS. The Prize Claimant is responsible for any and all federal, state and local taxes, fees and other government assessments on the awarded Prize. Furthermore, each Prize Claimant acknowledges that federal law requires that a tax withholding on certain prize values must be collected from winners upon award or distribution. Federal and state withholding laws are subject to change without notice. The withholding laws in effect at the time each Prize is claimed will be followed.

9. TRANSFER OF RAFFLE TICKET: Raffle tickets may not be resold, or permitted by a Participant to be resold. Any Raffle ticket which has been resold in violation of these Official Rules shall be void and such Raffle ticket numbers shall be ineligible to win. All individuals who re-sell, purchase, or receive a Raffle ticket in violation of these Official Rules shall be ineligible to participate in the Raffle or to win a Prize. The eligible individual in physical custody of the winning Raffle ticket shall be deemed the winner unless the ticket was re-sold or otherwise transferred in a manner in contravention of these Official Rules, in which case the winning ticket shall be voided and a new winner shall be randomly selected.

10. PARTICIPANT’S GRANT OF LICENSE: By participating in the Raffle or accepting a Prize, each Participant and Prize Claimant hereby irrevocably and perpetually grants to the Sponsor, Club, and their designees, a worldwide license to use, publish, reproduce, create derivative works of, distribute and publicly display any images or likenesses taken or captured of the Participant or Prize Claimant in connection with their participating in the Raffle or receiving a Prize (collectively, the “Images”), in any form, media or content which now or hereafter exists, for advertising, promotional or any other commercial purposes as well as non-commercial purposes. Participant and Prize Claimant each waive any compensation for any use of such Images. Participant and Prize Claimant each hereby release and waive any claims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities and causes of action arising from the Sponsor or their designee’s, uses of the Images, including, without limitation, any claims for defamation, libel, invasion of privacy, publicity, personality, or exploitation of the Participant’s name or likeness.

11. RELEASE OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY: By participating in the Raffle, Participant and Prize Claimant, both on each of his or her own behalves and on behalf of each of his or her spouses, assigns, guardians, administrators, executors and legal representatives, hereby release, waive, discharge, covenant not to sue, and indemnify the Sponsor, Club, Fanthem Inc., and Fanthem Foundation Inc., together with all of the past, present or future predecessors, successors, assigns, parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, related entities and persons, owners, shareholders, members, partners, trustees, elected officials, directors, managers, employees, servants, principals, agents, consultants, contractors, representatives, sponsors, and insurers of each of the foregoing (together, the “Released Parties”) from any claim or loss arising out of or related to the Participant’s or Prize Claimant’s participation in the Raffle, acceptance of the Prize, or any exercise by the Sponsor of any of its rights set forth herein or the Official Rules of the Raffle, including, but not limited to, any claims related to (i) any injury to the Participant (including death) or the Participant’s property that occurs in connection with participation in the Raffle, receiving the Prize or any related activities, (ii) any failure to report and pay any income taxes arising from acceptance of the Prize, and (iii) the Participant’s acts or the acts of any other party with respect to the Participant’s receipt of the Prize, or participation in the Raffle, regardless of whether any such claims are caused in whole or in part by the negligence of any entity or person released hereunder. Further, the Released Parties are not responsible for printing errors in any Raffle related material or any misdirected, incomplete, lost, late or illegible tickets or other errors or problems that may limit the Participant 's ability to participate in or win the Raffle. The Released Parties are not responsible for any other error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of tickets, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, including in connection with the administration of the Raffle and the announcement of any winner. A Raffle ticket will be void and no Prize will be awarded to the ticketholder if there is proof that the ticket was stolen, unissued, ineligible, altered, counterfeit in whole or in part, defective, printed in duplicate or printed/produced in error.

12. DISPUTES AND GOVERNING LAW: The Raffle shall be governed by the laws of Maryland and without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rule of any jurisdiction. As a condition of participating in a Raffle, Participant and Prize Claimant agree that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Raffle, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively by arbitration in a location selected solely by Sponsor in Washington County, Maryland. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will participant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including reasonable attorney fees, other than participants' actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering the Raffle), and participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. Any claims regarding the Raffle that are not deemed released and in the event arbitration is not enforced, must be brought in the State or Federal Courts in Washington County, Maryland, and Participant and Prize Claimant hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for purposes of any such action. The Raffle is void outside the United States and wherever prohibited by law. IN NO EVENT SHALL SPONSOR OR ANY RELATED ENTITY BE LIABLE TO FOR DAMAGES THAT EXCEED THE VALUE OF THE PRIZE AWARDED TO ANY INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANT IN THE RAFFLE.

13. DISQUALIFICATION; CHANGES: Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual that tampers or attempts to tamper with the ticketing process or the operation of the Raffle, re-sells their Raffle ticket, violates the Official Rules, or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. The Sponsor reserves the right to, at its sole discretion, cancel, suspend and/or modify the Raffle or these Official Rules or disqualify any individual or ticket for purposes of protecting the integrity of the Raffle or addressing changes in business operations or other circumstances, to the extent allowed under applicable law. ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE RAFFLE IS A VIOLATION OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM AND/OR PROSECUTE ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

14. COPYRIGHT: All raffle materials are the property of the Sponsor and copyrighted by the Sponsor. Raffle materials may not be used or reproduced for any purpose whatsoever without Sponsor’s express prior written consent.

15. LOGOS: Sponsor logos are trademarks of the Sponsor. Any other logos, names or trademarks referenced in these Official Rules are used for charitable partner or prize identification purposes only and are the properties of their respective owners.

16. SPONSOR; WINNERS LIST: The Sponsor of the Raffle is the IAFF Local 1605 Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and the address of its headquarters is PO BOX 55, Funkstown, MD 21734-0000. You may obtain a list of the winning raffle ticket numbers by sending a request (identifying the “50/50 Raffle”) to the above address, together with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The winning Raffle ticket numbers also will be posted on the Website.