Charitable Gaming Act Veto Impacts Sitrin Fund-Raiser

Governor Andrew Cuomo recently vetoed a bill that would have allowed charitable organizations to take debit or credit cards for the purchase of raffle tickets. In the midst of this veto, one local organization has seen a bit of a challenge in their own ticket sales.

Sitrin Healthcare Center is holding it's 21st Annual Harley-Davidson Raffle to benefit their Medical Rehabilitation Center. This raffle sells out every year. Rosemary Bonacci is the Vice-President of Foundation and Communications for Sitrin. She says that they had hoped for a different outcome for the Charitable Gaming Act of 2016. They are optimistic that changes will be made to pass the legislation, and she says, "In his veto, Governor Cuomo recognized the need to modernize New York State’s gaming laws and stated that he’s directing the New York State Gaming Commission to work with the bill’s sponsors to recommend appropriate changes."

Bonacci thanks Assemblyman Brindisi and Senator Griffo for submitting this new legislation, and for their willingness to resubmit it with changes next year. Bonacci says, "It is difficult to sell as many as they usually do because they can only accept cash. It is a challenge to sell tickets via cash only as the majority of people prefer using credit/debit cards or checks; however, it is illegal for any non-profit conducting raffles in NYS to accept these forms of payment for raffle tickets." The money raised from this annual fund-raiser goes to provide adaptive sports equipment for people with disabilities.

If you would like to purchase a raffle ticket to win the 2017 Harley-Davidson Street Glide FLHX, Harley’s number one selling motorcycle, you can visit www.sitrin.com for a complete schedule of ticket availability at Harley-Davidson of Utica. You can also call Sitrin anytime at (315) 737-2245 or 1-888-578-8807 ext. 2245. The drawing will be held on Friday, December 30th, 2016.