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Delegate Edelson urges committee to let Orioles run 50/50 raffles at every Camden Yards home game
Summary
A Baltimore-focused bill heard Feb. 10 would raise the annual limit on 50/50 raffles from 12 to 81 for the Baltimore Orioles, allowing mobile ticketing and directing proceeds to the Orioles Foundation. Supporters say the change will expand charitable giving; committee took testimony but recorded no vote.
Delegate Mark Edelson asked the House Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 10 to allow the Baltimore Orioles to hold 50/50 raffles at every home game at Camden Yards, amending a state limit that now restricts charity partners to 12 raffles per year.
The bill would create a single seasonal permit allowing raffles at all 81 regular-season home games, permit mobile ticket purchases, and designate proceeds for the Baltimore Orioles Foundation and its partner charities, supporters told the committee.
What the bill would do and why supporters want it
Edelson told the committee the change is “a hyper local bill for Baltimore City” and that legislators from Baltimore “have had the opportunity to see our work firsthand.” He described the mechanics: “What we're looking to do here is allow the Baltimore Orioles to conduct fiftyfifty raffles, at the stadium and in the city, for home games.” He said raffles would run from one hour before first pitch through the seventh inning and that mobile ticketing would be permitted.
Jack Mitchell, who identified himself as a Baltimore resident and an intern with the Orioles’ leadership team, said the bill “will grant the Baltimore Orioles a permit to operate a fiftyfifty raffle within Camden Yards for every home game during the season” and described the foundation’s community work in Harlem Park.
Committee members asked how the existing statutory limit works. Lisa Harris Johnson, representing the Orioles, explained that under current state statute each charitable organization is capped at 12 raffles a year; the bill would create a separate permit limited to the Orioles at Baltimore home games so one charitable partner could run raffles across the full season without exhausting its 12-event allotment.
What the legislation does not change
Supporters stressed the proposal does not route money to the ballpark operator or to stadium redevelopment. “No, it only goes to the Baltimore Orioles Foundation, which is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit,” Edelson said, adding that the foundation works with other nonprofits across the city.
Committee action and next steps
The committee heard testimony from Edelson and Orioles representatives and asked several clarifying questions. The hearing concluded with no committee vote recorded on House Bill 399.
Ending
Committee members offered brief remarks and moved on to the next agenda item, House Bill 17, which drew an extended panel of witnesses. No formal committee action on HB 399 was recorded in the transcript.
