OK, I ***can't*** say it's a raffle because Paypal does not allow this. I cannot collect monies via paypal for raffles. I am allowed to collect monies for site sponsorships which is a subscription. It IS a prize in our sponsorship drive. If you are already a sponsor, you only have to follow me on Twitter (a microblogging site) to get the announcements. You become eligible to win by becoming a site sponsor via a small donation and following me on Twitter (which is free). The wording is very specific.
From a practical standpoint, I won't say that you are wrong. From a legal standpoint, it makes a world of difference.
PBS does this every year and twice on leap years. I don't see anyone giving them heat about it.
I have to do this to keep the sites operational. My site income dropped in the last 18 months from $1200-$1500/month to $85 every other month and NO ONE is buying ads from sites directly, only via ad syndication services who are no longer paying very much. I have cut corners everywhere I could, but I now need my membership (185K strong) to step up and help me out if they want to keep the site going.
Thanks for reading the review and giving it a thumbs up!