Arkansas fans getting key piece back for opener that fans were really wanting

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Daniel Shi | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 8:58 PM ET

The long wait is finally over. The first game for Arkansas is now less than 24 hours away, which also means the return of the Razorback Raffle for the second straight academic year.

Originally launched during the final weekend of the 2025 baseball regular season, the Razorback Raffle is just one of many ways that the Razorbacks are generating money to keep up in a time where money plays a huge role in the success of an athletic department as a whole.

Made legal by the passing of HB 1634 by the state legislature in the most recent general assembly, the law allows for schools in Arkansas to conduct a 50/50 raffle to fundraise for their respective athletic departments.

The law was initially controversial, requiring two attempts to get of the legislature and even needed athletic director Hunter Yurachek to testify in front of the House Rules Committee in support of the bill.

It's all part of an effort to come up with creative ways to keep up with the increasing financial strain to run an athletic department. $20.5 million will now be allocated to directly paying players, following the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement by a federal judge.

Jackpot Update = $68.5K…and growing!

Still time to enter or grab more to stack your odds of becoming our first football raffle winner

️ https://t.co/rFRjbFcenH https://t.co/cqxIYJrGCy
— Arkansas Razorbacks (@ArkRazorbacks) August 30, 2025

A recent report by OpenDorse, a leading NIL platform, estimates that all college football players are estimated to make $1.9 billion, and will increase to $2.7 billion by 2027. The market has nearly quintupled since the NIL market opened in 2021.

Arkansas' partner in the raffle BUMP, a parent company of Canadian Bank Note, is also back for a second year. A common misconception is that the raffle's funds goes towards NIL, but the funds go to the athletic department at-large. Half of the funds will go to the department, while the other half will go to the winner of the raffle.

The enthusiasm also seems to be dampened compared to the stretch run for baseball. The first two pots managed to raise $282,000 and $191,000 respectively. With less than 24 hours to go before the drawing, the jackpot stands at just under $70,000. The raffle has been open since Tuesday. Yurachek chimed in with a succinct promotional tweet.

https://t.co/85A78KCBfe
— Hunter Yurachek (@HunterYurachek) August 26, 2025

The winner will be announced towards the end of the game against Alabama A&M Saturday. According to the countdown timer on the site, sales will remain open until 5:30 p.m., roughly 2 hours after kickoff on SEC Network.

Fans can purchase tickets online here.