Attorney General's News Release

May 15, 2006

Preliminary injunction stops ticket sales for pending raffles by Gateway to a Cure

St. Louis, Mo. — A St. Louis-based charity must stop advertising and selling tickets for its pending raffles and raffle prizes and money raised for the raffles cannot be distributed, under an agreed preliminary injunction obtained today by Attorney General Jay Nixon.

Nixon filed a lawsuit last week against Gateway to a Cure over concerns that consumers who bought tickets were not being provided sufficient or accurate information about prizes and ticket drawings. Gateway to a Cure advertises its raffles for expensive items such as homes and luxury automobiles on its Web site and in other venues and says that proceeds are used to help fund spinal cord research.

Under the order signed by St. Louis County Circuit Judge Steven Goldman, Gateway must, until further order from the court:

• Stop advertising or selling tickets for its raffles, including the Grand Giveaway - St. Louis, the 7th Annual Dream Home Giveaway, the Dream Home National Raffle and the Scholarship Raffle;
• Remove from its Web site any advertising or soliciting for those raffles;
• Not proceed with scheduling or holding the drawings for those raffles; and
• Not transfer, spend, withdraw or disburse any money it collected, raised or received from donations from the sale of tickets for those raffles. Gateway, however, will be able to provide refunds to consumers who purchased tickets to those raffles. This portion of the order is effective for 30 days from May 12; at the end of 30 days, the Attorney General can seek another order from the court or obtain the consent of Gateway to extend the prohibition.

Gateway also cannot transfer, award or distribute any prizes for those raffles while the order is in effect.

Nixon is seeking a permanent injunction in the matter and says his office will continue to look into Gateway's current and past raffles as the lawsuit proceeds.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818