ATWOOD - Two weeks ago, the downstate Atwood Armory gun shop was in the news because it was raffling off a controversial AR-15 for the local Little League. As of Tuesday, the AR-15 raffle has raised over $21,000 for the ball team. Tickets are $20 each and the drawing is scheduled to take place June 29.
Problem is Atwood Armory may be in violation of Illinois' gambling laws. Gambling watchdog Kathy Gilroy tells Illinois Review, "The real story here is that the Atwood Armory is in violation of the Illinois Raffles Act."
Indeed, Gilroy says, the Atwood Armory is in an unincorporated area of Douglas County, Illinois. Douglas County has never passed an ordinance authorizing raffles. Therefore, all raffles are illegal in unincorporated Douglas County.
Furthermore, Gilroy says, in areas that have an ordinance authorizing raffles, only non-profit organizations, not businesses, are eligible to apply for a raffle license. The Illinois Raffles Act states that only "bona fide members" of the licensed organization may sell raffle tickets. Those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to even be in the area where winning chances are being determined.
While the AR-15 put Atwood Armory's name in national headlines, the gun is not the big story, Gilroy says. "The prize is irrelevant when the entire operation is in violation of the law and constitutes illegal gambling." Still, the Atwood Armory provides details of the ongoing raffle on their Facebook page.
Gilroy reported the situation to the Douglas County sheriff's office and was confident she had convinced Lieutenant Clint Howard of the sheriff's office that Atwood Armory's raffle was illegal. She said he told her he would look into issuing a cease a desist order for the raffle to the gun shop.
But that hasn't happened, Howard told Illinois Review Tuesday. "We haven't issued any order," Howard said. "We did send the information to the state's attorney's office and haven't heard anything back from them."
More to come ...
