Woburn Club Gets Warning For Raffle That 'Got Out Of Control'

WOBURN, MA -- In 2017, the B.P.O.E. #908 Lodge in Woburn started a weekly raffle. About 70 members of the Elks club paid $5 each week to enter the raffle, and if the member drew an envelope with a Queen of Hearts in it, they would win the pot. But by the time investigators from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission conducted an inspection at the club in July, no one had won in over a year and the pot had grown to more than $100,000.

"The raffle got out of control and we didn't expect it to go on for this long," the club's manager, John Mulrenan, told the investigators, according to a ruling by the commission. Mulrenan also told investigators that the raffle had not been registered with the state and the club didn't have a license to hold such a fundraiser.

In October, the commission ruled to issue a warning to the Elks, in large part because the club immediately applied for a license after the investigators left. The club also filed the proper tax documents and sent notice to the City of Woburn. The commission also noted that the club had been in business for more than 100 years and had only one reported violation of its liquor license in the previous five years.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).