What is a Meat Raffle?

 

Ask yourself 3 questions….

Do you like winning meat?

Do you like free beer, soda, food and snacks?

Are you willing to accept meat from a stranger off of a table?

The meat raffle has evolved from a small gathering of people at a local bar in Wisconsin to 300 person events in the Buffalo region. In Buffalo, the meat raffle is a form of fundraiser for whatever non-profit organization is throwing it.

The usual admission is anywhere from two to six dollars to walk in the door.  This helps cover some of the overhead costs like food and beverages.

The usual fair at a meat raffle in the WNY area is sandwiches, beer, and soda with the occasional addition of wine being offered.

The beer is usually draft from a keg.  Bringing your own pitchers to the raffle is a highly recommended option.  Many times, the location handling the raffle will have only so many pitchers to go around.

Once you have gotten in the door, got a beverage, and found a seat and or table, the waiting begins.  As the seats fill, the more and more competition arrives.  During this time, it is good to formulate your plan of attack.

  • Depending on the number of the people you have coming with really plays on your ticket buying strategy.

Once a meat raffle around the Buffalo area starts, it’s a whirlwind of ticket selling and buying.  If anything comes close to the markets in Damascus, this is it!!!

Buying the raffle tickets is the whole reason that you are at a meat raffle in the first place.

To win meat, you need a ticket from a ticket seller, or “runner”.  The tickets in most raffles range from numbers 1 to 120, with a high and a low.  Depending on the wheel, some raffles offer 3 numbers to a ticket, ranging from 1-240.  The amount of raffle tickets that you buy ranges from 1 per round to 5+.

Obviously the more numbers that you possess, the more chances that you have to win.

Myself and group of close friends who have frequented raffles have seen it all.  Dropping $80.00 dollars in a night and coming up blank, while your friend who has bought 1 ticket a round has now won 5 times.  It really all comes to the spin of the wheel.  Once all the tickets have been sold, the person running the raffle gets the wheel spinning.  The wheel has the same numbers that correspond to the numbers on the tickets.  Here’s where the easy part comes in.

Once the wheel stops on a number, you win!  Simple as that!!!

It really is a massive game of chance!!!

Here is where coming with a good group of people is basically necessary.  Now, i am not saying that someone could not have a good time at a meat raffle without a large group, but it certainly adds to the enjoyment.  The more people you have, the more tickets the people in your group are getting, and what SHOULD happen, is that your group should win a good chunk of the time.

There are usually 4-6 or more winners in each round.  And there are 20 or so rounds per meat raffle. 

Each round more often than not, has 3 spins.  So, I know there is a lot of math here but try and stay with me.

 

$6.00 max to get in the door

1 dollar for a ticket that is good for 3 spins

20 rounds or so per meat raffle……

 

So…………if you were to pay the bare minimum of 26.00 dollars, you get a sandwich or piece of pizza, unlimited alcoholic drinks, soda, or water…….and a great time with friends, hoping for the next big win!