# MSG-210 — A political donation programme may not include gaming-related fundraising

> A campaign registered under the POLITICAL use case must not raise funds through lotteries, sweepstakes, raffles or any other game of chance.

- **Rule ID:** MSG-210
- **Layer:** Message content (`MESSAGE_CONTENT`)
- **Checks:** `campaign.sample[]`
- **Severity:** BLOCKING — Breaking this rule gets the submission rejected outright.
- **When it bites:** Gates approval — get this wrong and registration is refused
- **How it is detected:** AI judgement over the submitted form
- **Fix type:** Fix the field — a better value in the form clears it
- **Required by:** CTIA
- **Applies:** Applies when the use case is POLITICAL.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/message-content/msg-210/

## Why this rule exists

Political fundraising by text already sits under the most restrictive consent and vetting regime in the framework, and attaching a prize draw to it compounds two separate exposures: gambling regulation, which is state by state, and campaign-finance law, which requires every contribution to be attributable to a qualified individual giving their own money. A raffle ticket is not a contribution in that sense, so the mechanic breaks the record-keeping the programme is required to keep. Committees reach it because "enter to win dinner with the candidate" is a standard grassroots tactic on every other channel.

## How to fix it

Remove the draw from the text programme and ask for the contribution directly. Where the prize event genuinely exists, describe it as an event with an entry price handled on the web, not as a chance the message sells. Done when every fundraising sample asks for a contribution and nothing in the campaign offers a chance to win.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
Riverside Shelter Action Fund: we are $4,000 short of our filing deadline. Chip in at https://riversideshelter.org/contribute Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.
```

## Notes

CTIA states the prohibition for political donation programmes specifically. MSG-209 is the same gaming ban for charities and adds the recurring-donation limb, which is not part of this one — the two are kept apart because they are gated on different use cases and do not say the same thing.