Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter Dream Property Raffle Terms and Conditions
The Dream Property Raffle is presented by the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter, a Montana nonprofit organization exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, located at 19 Independence Way, Eureka, MT 59917, to raise funds for its ongoing charitable effort to save and care for animals in need, enabling them to find love, refuge and a second chance at life.
The Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter Dream Property Raffle (the Raffle) is held in the State of Montana. It is governed by Montana codes 23-5-112, 23-5-158, 23-5-413, MCA 23.16.202, 23.16.2602 ARM. Raffles are regulated and controlled by the Gambling Control Division of the Montana DOJ.
Ticket purchasers must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the United States. A ticket may not be purchased by (1) an individual who is prohibited from purchasing a ticket under Applicable Law, applicable state law or applicable U.S. federal law or (2) No member or employee, or immediate family member of a member or employee, of a sponsoring organization who has been directly involved in the promotion or operation of a raffle shall be permitted to purchase tickets to the raffle or win the prize.
For purposes of this Raffle, “Immediate family” is defined as the member/employee and his/her spouse, and the parents, children, brothers, and sisters of Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter. We also apply this rule to our Board Members and their spouses, parents, children, brothers and sisters. The intent of this rule is to avoid the creation of a conflict of interest or even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
By purchasing a ticket, you agree to be bound by the rules and Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter’s interpretation of these rules is conclusive and final.
You need not be present to win.
Other local, state and federal laws and regulations may apply.
Raffle is void where prohibited by law. This raffle is not available to residents of Alabama, Hawaii or Utah. You are responsible to make sure you are eligible to participate.
These are not the only laws and regulations that govern raffles, and your state or the federal government may have different laws and regulations with which you are obligated to comply. For example, for further information about raffles and federal taxation, consult IRS Notice 1340 Tax-Exempt Organizations and Raffle Prizes.
A ticket may not be assigned or transferred, resold or repackaged.
Raffle tickets are NOT tax-deductible, even when the Raffle is being held by a tax-deductible organization. That is because a raffle ticket is regarded as a “thing of value”, i.e., you have a chance to win a prize. It is not treated as a tax-deductible donation. See Internal Revenue Service publication 526, page 6.
Only tickets that have been paid for and/or have been verified as paid for are eligible to be entered in the Dream Property Raffle. By purchasing a ticket, purchaser consents to the use of their name by Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter without notice or compensation.
Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter reserves the right to require reasonable evidence documenting each ticket purchaser’s eligibility to purchase a ticket. Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter also reserves the right to void any ticket sold to an individual who is not eligible to purchase a ticket under these Rules.
Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter, its members, officers, directors, agents, and representatives, affiliates, subsidiaries, vendors, and advertising and legal advisors are not responsible for and shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, illegible or unintelligible entries; (ii) failed, returned, or misdirected notifications based on inaccurate information provided by the entrants or winner; (iii) telephone, electronic, hardware, or software program, network, internet, or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties resulting from participation in this Raffle or otherwise; (iv) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter that may cause the Raffle to be disrupted or corrupted; or (v) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by a prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use of a prize, or from participation in the Raffle. Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter has elected to conduct a non-electronic raffle. A single ticket will be manually drawn from a drum containing all purchased tickets after being thoroughly mixed to maximize randomness. Every attempt will be made to conduct the drawing via live stream on the advertised drawing date.
A maximum of 100,000 tickets are available for sale. The cost for each Dream Property Raffle ticket is $20. There is no limit on the number of tickets an individual may purchase. ACH, Debit Card, Cash, Check, or Money Order are the only methods of payment authorized for purchase of a raffle ticket. Credit cards are expressly prohibited per Montana code.
A unique ticket number will be issued and associated with the name of one (1) owner only per ticket. No groups, corporate entities, or other entities may be associated with a single ticket. Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter is not responsible for any disputes which may arise between parties claiming ownership of a single ticket.
The odds of winning will depend on the number of tickets sold. If Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter sells all 100,000 tickets, the chances of winning the prize are approximately 1 in 100,000. Odds of winning may improve if fewer than 100,000 tickets are sold, or if more than one ticket is purchased.
Tickets may be purchased online at Dreampropertyraffle.org by using ACH or Debit Card, or by mailing an official Dream Property Raffle entry form along with check, cash, or money order to Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter. Credit Card purchases are strictly prohibited by Montana code.
Tickets will be issued and assigned unique consecutive ticket numbers in the order in which purchased tickets are processed. Official tickets will be entered into the raffle drum with the unique number associated with each purchase associated with the individual who purchased the ticket. It is the right of Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter to disallow any ticket orders that do not meet the criteria set out in the Rules or in accordance with Applicable Law. Ticket refunds will not be issued after a ticket has been purchased. Changes or refunds to tickets will not be allowed after a ticket has been purchased unless a ticket is purchased after 100,000 tickets have been sold, or payment is received after the final ticket sales deadline. Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter is not responsible for any failure to receive orders prior to the final ticket sales deadline.
Final ticket sales deadline: midnight, July 31, 2025&
Final draw date: August 15, 2025
Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter reserves the right to terminate the raffle at any time for any reason and the decision to terminate the raffle is the sole decision of Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter. In the event the raffle is terminated for any reason, refunds will be sent to the original purchaser via check to the address listed on the official entry form. Refunds will be sent within four to six weeks after the official decision to end the raffle is announced.
Dream Property Raffle grand prize must be accepted as awarded. Prize winner must be an eligible ticket purchaser under the Rules and Applicable Laws. If prize winner is found not to comply with the Rules or Applicable Laws, then the corresponding prize may be forfeited and retained by Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter.
Dream Property Raffle grand prize will be awarded to the individual associated with the winning ticket. Initial prize notification letter will be promptly sent to prize winner by email to the address shown in the raffle database, as provided by the winner on the official entry form. Prize draw results will be posted at Dreampropertyraffle.org within 24 hours of raffle draw.
If the grand prize winner has not claimed their prize within twenty (20) calendar days of the applicable drawing date, winner will be notified by U.S. Postal Service Certified Mail, return receipt requested at the address provided on the official entry form. The notice will include information regarding the prize won, a contact person’s email and how the winner may claim the prize. If a winner fails to claim a prize within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving the mail notification, Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter may retain the prize.
A prize will not be awarded if the purchaser was ineligible to purchase the ticket under the Rules, or if they provided false or misleading information in connection with the ticket’s purchase. In this event, no additional drawing will be held, and Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter will retain the prize.
The Grand Prize will be awarded and must be accepted in “as is” condition, please refer to the “Tax Information” section below for additional information.
The value of the real estate portion of the Grand Prize, as presented and described on Dreampropertyraffle.org is calculated based on the contracted purchase price of $950,000. Due to real estate market fluctuations, the market value of the real estate portion of the Grand Prize may increase or decrease over time. Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter will be responsible for the payment of certain costs related to the transfer of title of the Grand Prize property to the winner including recording fees, transfer taxes (if any), title company fees, and standard title insurance, and except as provided in the “Tax Information” section below, the winner of the Grand Prize real estate portion will be solely responsible for expenses arising after the transfer of title is complete, such as expenses associated with land owner’s insurance, property taxes, utilities, upkeep and other expenses that arise out of real estate ownership and cannot be estimated by the raffle.
The value of the vehicle portion of the Grand Prize, as presented and described on Dreampropertyraffle.org, is based on the contracted purchase price of $50,000 and is awarded without warranty and must be accepted in “as is” condition. A clean, clear title will be presented to the winner. Except as provided in the “Tax Information” section below, the winner is responsible for any and all costs, taxes and fees associated with the vehicle, as well as auto insurance.
Tax Information
Raffle ticket purchases are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. However, a winner may deduct the cost of a winning ticket from the value of the prize awarded in determining the amount to include in taxable gross income with respect to the prize. Winners should consult a qualified tax advisor for guidance.
Raffle prize winnings are considered income and are subject to federal and state income taxes and may be subject to state and local sales or use taxes.
Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter will provide a Form W-2G to the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the winner and to the prize winner and otherwise will comply with all applicable reporting obligations.
Final Records
In the event of a dispute regarding ticket information, the official records of Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter held in the raffle database shall be deemed correct and final.
Privacy Commitment
Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter respects your privacy. Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter will use personal information provided by you to fulfill raffle ticket orders, provide information on our future raffles, contact prize winners and publicize the names of prize winners online. We do not rent, sell or trade our contact lists or purchasers list, and we will not solicit charitable donations from raffle buyers.
Limitation of Liability
Ticket purchasers expressly acknowledge that they release Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter and its Board of Directors, officers, employees, agents or representatives or others in any related companies, affiliates of otherwise connected entities from all forms of liability with respect to the raffle, including, but not limited to, any injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising in connection with the raffle and/or a person’s failure to win a prize or a person’s award, acceptance or use of any prize. Each ticket purchaser also represents and warrants that they have read and understand these Rules and agree to be bound by these Rules and Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter’s decisions, which it will accept as final. The holder of a winning ticket agrees to sign and deliver to Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter, if requested by Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter, in its sole and absolute discretion, a written release and prize claim form provided and drafted by Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter that includes, but is not limited to, taxpayer identification number, proof that the purchaser was an eligible purchaser, an affidavit regarding compliance with the Rules and a publicity release, all as determined necessary in the sole and absolute discretion of Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter.
A TICKET PURCHASER’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR TOBACCO VALLEY ANIMAL SHELTER’S BREACH SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE RETURN OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID FOR HIS OR HER RAFFLE TICKET(S).
Arbitration
In the event of any dispute regarding the conduct of this raffle or the award of prizes thereunder, Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter and all ticket purchasers agree that the question in dispute shall be submitted to the Montana Secretary of State’s office for consult. In the event that the dispute is deemed outside of their jurisdiction, then the dispute can be further taken to an outside arbitrator in Kalispell, Montana. The single arbitrator shall be an experienced commercial arbitrator selected as follows: (1) upon declaration by one of the parties hereto that a deadlock exists, the parties shall mutually select a single arbitrator; (2) if no appointment is made within 30 days after the deadlock is declared and the amount in contest is in excess of $200, the arbitrator shall be selected in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures of the American Arbitration Association; or (3) if no appointment is made within 30 days after the deadlock is declared and the amount in question is $200 or less, Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter shall select an independent third party to be the single arbitrator.
The single arbitrator will submit a decision within 30 days after the appointment or as soon as reasonably feasible and such decision shall be binding on the parties hereto. Arbitration expenses, including the fees of the arbitrator, the cost of any record or transcript of the arbitration, administrative fees and other fees and costs, will be borne equally by the parties. All other expenses (legal, incidental, etc.) shall be borne by the losing party or, if both parties prevail, be apportioned by the arbitrator to each party. Arbitration proceedings will be governed by the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures of the American Arbitration Association then in effect.