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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Red Cross Gambles On Internet Lottery

Compiled From Wire Services

The Red Cross, one of the world’s most respected and conventional charities, has turned to the unconventional method of high-tech gambling to raise money for victims of war and disaster.

By running a lottery on the Internet, organizers hope to raise nearly $1 million a week.

But the venture itself is a gamble.

The charity must negotiate the legal mine fields of cyberspace, where gambling laws for the Internet differ from country to country. Already - three months after launching the lottery - the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has pulled the plug on the scheme in Finland, Austria and New Zealand.

And it is not yet actively promoting the lottery in other countries for fear of running foul of Internet laws still being written. For now, the lottery is advertised only on the Internet itself.