Procedures for Raffle Lottery Licencing (Draws)

A raffle is an event for which tickets are sold and the winner of a prize is determined through random selection by draw of one or more tickets from all those sold. The draw must take place in the City of Sarnia.

Lotteries for charity can be a lot of fun – especially for the winners. But, certain rules must be followed in order to run a charitable lottery in Sarnia. We work together with the Sarnia Police and AGCO to ensure games are run in a legal and fair way. Eligible groups are able to submit an application for lottery licence. 3rd party groups wishing to help a charitable group are encouraged to speak directly with the organization, as licences are only able to be issued to the licenced group. Email us at lottery@sarnia.ca or call 519-332-0330 Ext. 3350 for more information.

Prizes may consist of:

  • Merchandise or cash, or a combination of the two
  • Alcohol may be awarded as a prize for a raffle lottery provided the licensed organization assumes responsibility for ensuring that the prize is awarded only to those persons 19 years of age or over.

Only approved charitable organizations are eligible for lottery licenses as per the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.  If your charitable organization is interested in applying for a lottery licence an eligibility review must first be conducted.

Please download the document Requirements for Running Lotteries for further information.

Please Note: Prior to applying for any lottery licencing, please be advised that all organizations must be in existence for a 12-month (1-year) period and that lottery fundraising is not the only source of generating revenue.

After review of the information presented and approved the organization will submit:

  • A completed application form
  • The licence fee is 3 percent of the total prize value or a minimum of $25.00, payable by cheque only from the lottery trust account to the City of Sarnia.
  • A copy of a ticket (can be hand drawn) must be attached to the application

A report must be submitted to the City of Sarnia 30 days after the event has been held.

When any prizes awarded have a combined total of $10,000 or greater the organization must submit, along with the application, an irrevocable letter of credit from a bank, made payable to the City of Sarnia. The letter of credit should be in the amount of the total value of the prizes with a minimum expiry date of no less than 45 days after the date of the event.

The organization must comply with the Terms and Conditions set out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

For further information, please contact Customer Service at 519-332-0330 Extension 3350 or customerservice@sarnia.ca.

Rules of Play

Things to consider when creating your rules of play.
Rules of play are for the group’s protection.

  • What type of raffle is it? 50/50, prize raffle, auction raffle, meat raffle, cash calendar, elimination draw, etc.?
  • Who is conducting the raffle (organization)?
  • Where is the raffle taking place, date & time of draw?
  • The max number of tickets available and the price of the tickets (the odds of winning are dependent on the number of valid entries).
  • Winning tickets must be presented to claim the prize.
  • Winners must agree to allow the use of their name.
  • Purchasers of Stub tickets must legibly write their information on the stub.
  • State whether or not ticket holders are required to be present to win the draw.
  • How will winners be notified?
  • How will winners be publicly posted? Website, Facebook, Media, displayed on location?
  • Purchasers must be over the age of 18 to play.
  • Problem Gambling Hotline 1-888-230-3505 must be in all advertisements, posters and on the rules of play.
  • List of the prize(s) and the value, if applicable.
  • Board members, executives, and employees of the organization directly involved with charitable gaming, employees of the event location, and prize donors, are not eligible to win.
  • How will tickets be stored throughout the raffle?
  • How will winning ticket(s) be drawn (from drum by volunteer or organization member)?
  • Contingency plan if the draw cannot happen due to a disaster or emergency?
  • Once a winning ticket is drawn, how long does the winner have to claim the prize before another ticket is drawn, if applicable (ie. 50/50, raffle, meat raffle)?
  • Any additional fees above and beyond the stated prize and value will be the prize winner’s responsibility, if applicable.
  • Contact info for all winners will be shared with the licencing authority.
  • Any unclaimed prizes must be held for 6 months from the date of the draw, unless otherwise stated in rules of play. Every reasonable effort to contact the winner will be made; including, attempting to locate the winner using the contact information provided on the ticket stub, by sending a registered letter if address is available, telephoning the individual, posting on website or Facebook page. Any unclaimed prize will be donated to a charitable organization approved by the group and licencing authority.

Application

The application must be completely filled out.

  1. If there are multiple prizes; a list of the prizes, with values, must be submitted proof of value may be requested).
  2. If multiple draw dates apply, list all dates.
  3. The application must be signed by 2 of the organizations signing authorities.
  4. A minimum of 5 business days is required to process any application.
  5. Include a list of members/volunteers involved in the lottery event.
  6. A copy of the rules of play are required for every application submitted.
  7. The prize value must be a minimum of 20% of the total ticket sales (unless it’s a 50/50 raffle).
  8. The licence fee will be 3% of the TOTAL PRIZE VALUE.
  9. A sample copy of the ticket is required (hand drawn is acceptable).
  10. Identify what the funds raised are going to be used for.
  11. The organization understands when signing the application that they are responsible for the licensed lottery event; any misconduct can result in cancellation of the licence and possibly revoke any future eligibility for licensed lottery events.

Please make sure all information is complete; reports cannot be processed without all information!

Completing Reports

  1. Reports are due 30 days after the event date.
  2. Complete all sections, including:
    • The organizations name
    • Total number of tickets that were available, sold, unsold and price(s) per ticket
    • Total Gross Receipts is the amount of money raised from the ticket sales. (Total value of prizes – use only if the prize was purchased by the organization, donations are not included in this total.)
    • Administrative costs include ticket printing, advertising, licence fee, etc.
    • If any money has been donated, at the time of the report, please provide details
  3. Copies of all bank statements affiliated with the licence period must be included, images of cheques on the bank statement are required, and deposits must be clearly identified.
  4. All receipts/invoices/bills must be submitted with the report.
  5. Application must be signed by both signing authorities that originally signed the application.

Please make sure all information is complete; reports cannot be processed without all information!

  1. Advertising materials should not appeal to individuals under the age of 18.
  2. The following information must be included:
    • Name of the licenced organization must be prominently displayed.
    • Licence number.
    • Location, date, and time at which the draw(s) is/are to be held; including location, date, and time of any early bird draws.
    • Total number of tickets printed.
    • Price of the ticket.
    • Description of the prizes to be awarded, including the value of the prize(s). – If all prize information will not fit on the ticket, or in advertisements then it must state where the ticket purchaser can view a complete list and value of prizes, for example: website or Facebook page.
    • Where the rules of play can be reviewed.

Please make sure all information is complete; reports cannot be processed without all information!

Downloads

Raffle Application Form
Raffle Report
Blanket Raffle Application
Blanket Raffle Lottery Report