Verdict: In Canada a registered charity can almost always run a raffle, but the harder question is whether the system you sell tickets through has to be licensed by the province. In several provinces it does, and the list of approved suppliers is short.
What works: Paper raffles run under a provincial (or, in Ontario under $50,000, municipal) licence, with proceeds paid into a designated gaming or trust account.
What doesn't: Electronic and online raffles sold through a platform that is not on the province's approved-supplier list. Ontario and Alberta both publish closed public registries, and platforms not on them cannot be used for the ticket sale.
Worth considering if: You are planning a 50/50, a Chase the Ace, or any online raffle, and you have not yet confirmed whether your ticket-sale platform is on your provincial regulator's approved list.
Table of contents
Raffles are one of the most reliable ways for Canadian charities to raise money, and they are also one of the most regulated. In Canada, raffles are lawful only because Criminal Code section 207 permits provincially licensed charitable lottery schemes. Every province's authority to licence a raffle flows from that section, and every province writes its own rules on top of it.
The question this guide answers is not really "are raffles legal in Canada." They are. The real questions are: does your organisation need a licence, which regulator issues it, where does the money have to land, and does the platform you sell tickets through itself have to be approved by the province. That last one is the trap most guides skip.
Do you need a licence to run a raffle in Canada?
Almost certainly yes, if you are a charity selling tickets for the chance to win a prize. There is no single national threshold and there is no "under $X you can skip the licence" rule that holds across the country. Every province verified for this guide requires a licence for a charitable raffle, and the type of licence turns on three things:
- The prize value or the gross ticket revenue, depending on the province.
- Whether the draw is electronic or paper.
A common piece of internet advice, that raffles under about $5,000 only need a municipal permit and larger ones need a provincial licence, is wrong for every province verified here. Ontario's split with municipalities is at $50,000 of prize value and any electronic raffle is provincial no matter the size. Alberta does not delegate to municipalities at all. British Columbia licences all classes through one provincial regulator. Quebec's regime is entirely provincial. Do not apply to the wrong authority because you read a general rule online.
The federal frame: Criminal Code s.207
Federally, gambling in Canada is prohibited by the Criminal Code, with a narrow exception in section 207 that lets provinces licence charitable and religious organisations to run lottery schemes. Everything below, every provincial regulator, every licence class, every threshold, sits under that one section. If you are curious about the source, the section is short and readable on the Justice Laws website. For a small nonprofit: you do not deal with the Criminal Code directly, you deal with your province.
The four gates every Canadian raffle has to clear
Working from the top of the funnel down, a charitable raffle in Canada has to clear four separate questions. Most guides answer the first one and stop. The binding constraint in this country is almost always the fourth.
- 1. May a registered charity or nonprofit run a raffle at all in this province? Yes, in every province verified here, subject to being eligible (usually a charitable or religious purpose, sometimes a minimum period of operation).
- 2. May tickets be sold online? Yes in most provinces, but usually only through a system the regulator has approved.
- 3. May tickets be paid for by credit or debit card, or electronically? Yes, subject to the same approved-system requirement.
- 4. Must the platform itself be licensed, registered, certified or approved by the regulator? In several provinces, yes. Ontario and Alberta both publish closed public registries of approved electronic raffle systems, and a charity that holds a perfectly valid licence can still be in breach because it used a platform that is not on the list.
For a small nonprofit: hold the licence, and separately confirm the ticket-sale channel is on your regulator's approved list. Those are two different questions and both have to be yes.
Raffle vs draw vs lottery vs 50/50
The words get used loosely. The legal definitions matter because they change which rules apply.
- Lottery scheme: the umbrella term in the Criminal Code. A game of chance where you pay to enter for a chance to win. Raffles are a form of lottery scheme.
- Raffle: a lottery where participants buy numbered tickets and a winner is drawn from the sold tickets.
- Draw: in everyday language, a synonym for a raffle. In competition law, a "drawing" or sweepstake with no purchase required is a different animal (a promotional contest) and is regulated under the Competition Act rather than the provincial gaming statute. If people are paying to enter, it is a raffle and it needs a licence.
- 50/50: a specific format where the prize is half the gross ticket revenue. Legally it is still a raffle and it still needs a licence.
For a small nonprofit: if someone pays to enter and someone wins by chance, treat it as a raffle and licence it.
50/50 draws in Canada
The 50/50 is the most common charitable raffle format in Canada. The prize is half of gross ticket sales, the charity keeps the other half, and the winner is drawn from the sold tickets. Every province verified here permits 50/50 draws under its raffle licensing regime, and in every case they are treated as raffles, not as a lighter-touch category.
A 50/50 sold electronically almost always requires the ticket-sale system to be approved by the province. In Ontario, an electronic 50/50 is provincial regardless of prize size and can only be conducted through a system the Registrar has approved. In Alberta, an electronic 50/50 sold through an Electronic Raffle System has to use an ERS supplier from the AGLC's approved list.
For Ontario-specific 50/50 rules (eligibility, the CGE step, ticket wording, ticket sales boundaries), the detail sits in the Ontario charitable lottery guide.
For a small nonprofit: a paper 50/50 at your event is the simpler legal route in most provinces. Going electronic multiplies the requirements.
Chase the Ace and Catch the Ace
Chase the Ace is a progressive charitable raffle that grew out of the Maritimes and has spread across the country. Tickets are sold each week; one ticket is drawn from the week's sales; the holder picks a card from a shuffled deck. If they draw the ace of spades, they win the accumulated jackpot. If they draw anything else, the pot rolls to next week and the deck loses one card. It is a raffle, and it needs a licence.
Ontario uses the name "Catch the Ace," which is the term the AGCO's approved-supplier table uses ("Progressive (Catch the Ace)"). Everywhere else it is generally "Chase the Ace."
Because Chase / Catch the Ace runs for many weeks and the jackpot climbs, the licence application looks more like a series than a single event. Expect the regulator to want the full weekly draw schedule, the ticket format, and the rules for what happens at the end of the deck.
Province-by-province comparison
The table below is a starting point. For any province, confirm the details with the regulator's own page before you file: fees, forms and thresholds are the fields that change most often.
|
| British Columbia | Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO) | Classes A, B, C (no Class D) by size | Yes, through licensed channels | Yes, for electronic raffles |
| Alberta | Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) | Single threshold at $20,000 total ticket value; no municipal delegation | Yes, via an approved ERS | Yes; supplier must be on the AGLC ERS Gaming Supplier List |
| Ontario | Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), or municipal councils | Prize value split at $50,000 (municipal below, AGCO above); electronic raffles are AGCO regardless of amount | Yes, for electronic raffles licensed by the Registrar | Yes; supplier must be on AGCO's List of electronic raffle suppliers and solutions |
| Quebec | Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ) | Classes A, B, C on gross annual revenue (thresholds at $5,000 and $20,000); regime changed 2024-04-11 | Yes, subject to RACJ approval | Yes; systems licensed by the Régie |
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) | Confirm current thresholds with the SLGA | Confirm with the SLGA | Confirm with the SLGA |
| Manitoba | Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) | Confirm current thresholds with the LGCA | Confirm with the LGCA | Yes; electronic raffle systems must be LGCA-approved and tested by an accredited facility |
| Nova Scotia | Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division | Confirm current thresholds with the Division | Confirm with the Division | Confirm with the Division |
| New Brunswick | Department of Public Safety | Confirm current thresholds with the Department | Confirm with the Department | Confirm with the Department |
| PEI | Financial and Consumer Services / Access PEI | Confirm current thresholds with Financial and Consumer Services | Confirm with Financial and Consumer Services | Confirm with Financial and Consumer Services |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Department of Digital Government and Service NL | Confirm current thresholds with the Department | Confirm with the Department | Confirm with the Department |
For a small nonprofit: this is the table to send to your treasurer before you print tickets. The wrong regulator is the most common way a well-intentioned raffle goes sideways.
Provincial rules in detail
Ontario
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is the provincial regulator. Municipal councils issue licences for raffles up to $50,000 in prize value; the AGCO issues licences above that threshold and for any electronic raffle, regardless of prize amount. Only the Registrar issues licences for electronic raffles.
To use an electronic raffle system in Ontario, the AGCO says charities "must satisfy themselves that: any potential gaming supplier is registered, the solution, including the features they would like to use, is approved by the Registrar, and the related approval terms and conditions are met." As of the AGCO's own last-updated date of 2025-07-31, ten suppliers hold registration on the List of electronic raffle suppliers and solutions: Ascendfs Canada, Bump Worldwide, Canadian Bank Note Company, MNP LLP (RNG only), Rafflebox, Raffle Nexus Canada, Rosewood, S.O. Asher, Stride Management, and Trellis.
Eligibility: a charitable or religious organisation must have been in operation in Ontario for at least one year and be granted charitable gaming eligibility (CGE).
Formats commonly permitted include 50/50, elimination, calendar, electronic and Catch the Ace raffles.
For a small nonprofit in Ontario: if your prize is under $50,000 and your raffle is paper, your municipal clerk is your first call. Anything electronic goes to the AGCO.
British Columbia
British Columbia's raffle licensing is administered by the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO), which replaced the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) in 2026. BCLC operates provincial gambling; it is not the licensor for charitable raffles.
Licences are issued in Classes A, B and C. Older summaries that describe a "Class D" for very small raffles are out of date.
Eligibility: nonprofit organisations operating for religious, charitable or community-benefit purposes.
For a small nonprofit in BC: everything goes through IGCO. There is no municipal shortcut.
Alberta
Raffles in Alberta are regulated by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC). There is one threshold: total ticket value of $20,000. Below it the eligibility path is lighter; above it the AGLC requires an application, typically well in advance of ticket sales. Alberta does not delegate raffle licensing to municipalities.
For electronic raffles, the AGLC maintains an ERS Gaming Supplier List (Form 5397, dated 2026-07-22): 13 approved suppliers of Electronic Raffle Systems and Random Number Generators. If you plan an electronic raffle in Alberta, the supplier of the ticketing system has to be one of those 13.
Formats commonly permitted include traditional raffles, 50/50, and progressive or Chase the Ace raffles.
For a small nonprofit in Alberta: the $20,000 line is the one to know, and it applies to total ticket value, not prize value.
Quebec
Quebec's raffle regime is administered by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ). It changed materially on 2024-04-11. Licence classes now turn on gross annual revenue from lottery schemes: broadly, Class A applies below $5,000, Class B between $5,000 and $20,000, and Class C above $20,000. The regime is entirely provincial; there is no municipal delegation.
The RACJ-4200 form some older guides link to has been superseded; the current Régie forms for charitable raffles are Class B (Form 4245) and Class A (Form 4235). Confirm the current forms on the RACJ site before you file.
La version française de ce guide est disponible sur le blog Zeffy.
For a small nonprofit in Quebec: your class depends on your expected gross ticket revenue, not on the value of the prize.
Saskatchewan
Raffles in Saskatchewan are administered by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA). Current thresholds, licence categories and application steps: confirm with the SLGA.
Manitoba
Raffles in Manitoba are administered by the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA). For electronic raffles, the supplier of the raffle system must be licensed by the LGCA and the system tested by an accredited testing facility approved by the LGCA. Current thresholds and fees: confirm with the LGCA.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia raffles are administered by the province's Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division. Current permit and licence categories, thresholds and any applicable fees: confirm with the Division.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick raffles run under the Department of Public Safety. Current class thresholds and application fees: confirm with the Department.
Prince Edward Island
PEI issues lottery-scheme licences via Access PEI locations for smaller raffles and Financial and Consumer Services for larger ones. Current thresholds and forms: confirm with Financial and Consumer Services.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador's raffle licensing runs through the Department of Digital Government and Service NL, under the province's Lottery Licence Regulations. Chase the Ace is a well-established format here. Current classes, fees and application steps: confirm with the Department.
The territories: Yukon, NWT, Nunavut
Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are not covered in the provincial table above because each territory sets its own charitable-gaming rules. If your organisation is based in a territory, contact the territorial licensing authority directly before you plan a raffle. The four gates above still apply: eligibility, online sales, electronic payment, and whether the system itself needs approval.
Where the money has to go: gaming and trust accounts
This is the part of Canadian raffle law that catches organisers most often, and it is worth reading before you sell a single ticket. In most provinces raffle proceeds cannot go into your organisation's operating bank account. They have to go into a designated account, kept separate, with its own records.
What that looks like by province:
- British Columbia: a designated gaming account is generally required, with proceeds directed to approved charitable purposes within a set period.
- Alberta: a designated raffle account is generally required, kept separate from operating funds, with records the AGLC can audit.
- Ontario: a designated lottery trust account is generally required; proceeds go in, disbursements come out only for approved purposes, and the account is reportable.
- Quebec: raffle proceeds require separate accounting and financial reports.
Confirm the exact rule with your regulator; the specifics on when the account is required, and how long it has to be held open, vary. But the direction is the same everywhere: raffle money is not general revenue and cannot be treated as such.
One reason this matters beyond the regulator is trust. Donors and ticket buyers are already sensitive to money touching too many hands; the separate-account rule is the regulator's version of the same instinct, and it protects your organisation as much as it constrains it. Set up the account before you sell tickets, not after. Discovering the requirement after the raffle is over is the version of this story we hear most.
For a small nonprofit: talk to your treasurer or your bank about opening a designated raffle or gaming account as part of your licence application, not as an afterthought.
Can you use Zeffy to sell raffle tickets online in Canada?
The honest answer, province by province, comes down to gate 4 above: does the platform that sells the ticket itself have to be on the regulator's approved list.
Zeffy is not on the AGCO's List of electronic raffle suppliers and solutions in Ontario, and Zeffy is not on the AGLC's ERS Gaming Supplier List in Alberta. In provinces that require an approved raffle system for the ticket sale (which certainly includes Ontario and Alberta for electronic raffles, and applies in Manitoba for electronic raffle systems), you would need a supplier from the regulator's approved list to conduct the ticket sale itself. For other provinces, confirm the electronic-raffle rule with the regulator before choosing a platform.
What Zeffy is genuinely useful for around a Canadian raffle event: selling event tickets to the fundraiser the raffle is attached to, taking general donations, issuing donor tax receipts through the CRA-eligible workflow, and keeping the donor record in one place. Those are separate transactions from the raffle ticket sale, they do not carry the same licensing requirements, and Zeffy is 100% free for the nonprofit for all of them. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever.
Zeffy is used by 100K+ nonprofits across North America, who have raised $2B+ on the platform. Concretely, around a raffle-anchored fundraiser you can use Zeffy for:
Raffles on Facebook and other social media
Selling raffle tickets on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or another social platform is not a legal route for a Canadian charitable raffle. Social media platforms are not licensed raffle systems in any Canadian province, so an "enter my raffle in the comments" post does not meet the provincial requirements for licensed lottery schemes. It also fails the four gates above at gate 4 in most provinces.
Social media is fine for advertising a licensed raffle. It is not a channel for selling the ticket.
Penalties for running an unlicensed raffle
Penalties vary by province and include monetary fines, licence suspension or revocation, forfeiture of proceeds, disqualification from future licences, audits and, in serious cases, legal action. The regulators' pages linked above spell out the specific range for each province. The more common outcome for a first-time compliance mistake is a warning and remediation, but a raffle run entirely without a licence, or through an unapproved system, is treated more seriously.
Closing thoughts
Running a raffle in Canada is very doable, and the rules are more predictable than they look once you separate the four gates. Pick the right regulator for your province, confirm whether the ticket-sale system needs to be on an approved list, set up the designated account before you sell a ticket, and keep the records the regulator will ask for. Everything else is planning.
Do you need a licence to run a raffle in Canada?
In every province verified for this guide, a charitable raffle requires a licence. The licensing authority is provincial, sometimes with a municipal path for smaller paper raffles (notably in Ontario under $50,000 in prize value). There is no national threshold and no general "under $5,000 is exempt" rule.
Can I hold a raffle without a licence in Ontario?
No. Ontario requires a licence for a charitable raffle. Municipal councils issue licences for raffles up to $50,000 in prize value; the AGCO issues licences above that, and for any electronic raffle regardless of prize amount. The organisation also needs charitable gaming eligibility (CGE) before applying.
Do you need a licence for a 50/50 raffle in Ontario?
Yes. A 50/50 is a raffle under Ontario law and needs a licence like any other. If the 50/50 is sold electronically, the AGCO is the licensor and the ticket-sale system has to be on the AGCO's List of electronic raffle suppliers and solutions.
What is the difference between a raffle and a draw?
In everyday Canadian English, they are used interchangeably. Legally, if participants pay to enter a game of chance, it is a raffle (a lottery scheme under Criminal Code s.207) and it needs a provincial licence. A "no purchase necessary" sweepstakes-style drawing is a different thing (a promotional contest, regulated federally under the Competition Act) and follows different rules.
Are Facebook raffles legal in Canada?
Selling raffle tickets on Facebook or other social platforms is not a legal route for a Canadian charitable raffle. Social platforms are not on any province's list of approved raffle systems, and the platform is not a substitute for the provincial licence.
How do I get a raffle licence in Canada?
You apply to your provincial regulator. The specific form, fee and lead time depend on the province and, in some provinces, on the prize value or gross ticket revenue. Start with the provincial guide linked in the section above for your province.
What is Chase the Ace?
Chase the Ace (called Catch the Ace in Ontario) is a progressive raffle. Tickets are sold weekly, one is drawn, the holder picks a card from a shuffled deck, and the accumulated jackpot is won only when the ace of spades is drawn. It is licensed as a raffle in the provinces that permit it.
Where does the money from a raffle have to go?
Into a designated gaming, lottery or trust account, kept separate from the organisation's operating funds, with records the regulator can audit. The specific name and rules vary by province; the requirement to keep raffle proceeds separate is consistent.
Can I use Zeffy to sell raffle tickets online in Canada?
Zeffy is not on the approved-supplier lists for electronic raffle systems in Ontario or Alberta, and provinces that require an approved system need one from the regulator's own list to conduct the ticket sale. Zeffy is a good fit for the event ticketing, donation page, tax receipts and donor management around a raffle-anchored fundraiser, all of which are free for the nonprofit.
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