I was wondering...what is the difference between participating in online casionos offering chance-type games and online raffle or lotto kind of sites akin to raff.me or playraffle.com where you basically buy yourself a number (like betting that it will turn up) and hope it comes up in the "raffle"? The two sound quite the same to me (online raffles & casinos). What do you guys think?
They are both gambling in its strictest sense. They are just different games of chance really. Casinos have any nymber of games with varying chances of winning such as roulette etc where someone can place a bet to the value of their choosing whereas a raffle is one ticket out of a set number all at the same price. ?
There are legal distinctions between purely games of chance and games that involve skill. For example, see the laws for the State of California: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/u-3.shtml http://www.dca.ca.gov//publications/legal_guides/u-2.shtml And the lottery, sweepstakes, and contests are distinct from "gambling" (which includes card and tile games and bingo).
it also depends on the jurisdiction you're operating under, and the jurisdiction your clients are subject to.