I used to enjoy participating in the EAA airplane raffles each year - the cost was low, the odds were mighty long, but I felt it let me - a lower income mope - be a part of the greater whole of the aviation community. A 'member' of the club, so to speak. Now with a $100 cover charge to enter the club? Not so much. It sends a rather negative exclusionary message to me, actual financial end results be damned. It is not uncommon for 'Grand Prize' winners of things to end up needing to quickly sell off the wonderful thing to pay the enormous tax liability of the unbudgeted prize.
I've always been a fan of grand prizes that offered a cash alternative to the winner, eliminating the worries.
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