Charitable Lottery Regulations in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan, like every province or territory in Canada, has its own set of rules and regulations governing lottery licences for charities, religious organizations and non-profit community organizations. We’ve broken down the Sask lottery licence regulations for you and done our best to explain a few of the more confusing aspects. If you’re planning on running a charitable lottery or gaming event in Saskatchewan and are wondering if, for example,  you need a lottery licence for 50/50 in Saskatchewan or you want to know how to apply for a Sask lottery licence, we’re here to help.

Before we get into the details, we just want to say that, you can use Zeffy’s 100% free lottery software for nonprofits (we don’t even charge transaction fees) to sell lottery tickets online in Saskatchewan. But there are a few conditions about online ticket sales for nonprofits that we go over in this article.

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What is a charitable gaming licence?

Well, in classic Canadian style, the official definition varies ever so slightly from province to province. In Saskatchewan, ticket lottery permits and licences for nonprofits are regulated by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA)—and the SLGA has detailed definitions for each draw type.

The SLGA offers licences for bingo, breakopen tickets, raffles, Texas Hold ‘em Poker and Monte Carlo Events (mock casino).

There are quite a few definitions, we’re going to summarize two:

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Standard (regular) draw/raffle fundraiser rules:

A raffle lottery with a two-part ticket: one part that the person who bought the ticket keeps and a second (usually called a stub) part that you, the organization, keeps.  All of the stubs from the sold tickets are then placed in a draw drum and the winner(s) determined by a random selection of stub(s) from the drum.

Additional, good-to-know rules:

• A guaranteed prize structure must be printed on the raffle ticket and all prizes must be awarded regardless of the final number and value of tickets sold.
• The total value of the prizes needs to be clearly visible on the ticket and any advertisements and communication pieces you produce.
• Your licence number must be visible on both parts (the part the purchaser keeps and the stub the organization keeps) of the ticket.
• Stubs must be returned to the drum after each draw to allow equal opportunity to participate in all draws.

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50/50 draw fundraiser rules:

A raffle with a prize that’s half (50%) the value of all the tickets you sold during the event. A ticket stub with a serial number corresponding to a sold ticket is placed in a drum or container for the draw.

Additional good-to-know rules:

• “50/50’s” are allowed as long as all other Terms and Conditions for a draw/raffle are met.
• The rules for the draw and the collection of prizes must be included in the application form, on the ticket and in any advertising and communications.
• If you don’t know the prize amount because you don’t know how many tickets will be sold (like at a hockey game), you must indicate on the application the maximum total prizes that can be given out. You can calculate this by, for example, having a maximum number of tickets available.

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Is your nonprofit eligible for a Sask lottery licence?

In Saskatchewan,  you must be a charitable or religious group to be eligible for a Sask lottery licence.  Plus, you are required to use the proceeds for a charitable or religious purpose. Both of these requirements must be met in order to be eligible for licensing. For more information, read Section 6 of the Charitable Gaming, Policy and Procedure Manuel.

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There are four categories of charitable or religious purposes:

1. Relief of poverty.
2. Advancement of education.
3. Advancement of religion.
4. Broad community benefits.

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When do you need a lottery licence in Saskatchewan?

All gaming is illegal, unless it’s licensed or operated by a government. All Sask lottery licences are handled by the SLGA and can only licence charitable or religious organizations.

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How to apply for a Sask lottery licence:

1. Read the SLGA’s General Information page.
2. Look over the Charitable Gaming, Policy and Procedure Manuel.
3. Fill out the application for the gaming licence you want to be issued. If it’s your first time applying, you will need to create and account and might have to attach a copy of your nonprofit’s incorporation papers, constitution, bylaws, and minutes of the formation meeting.
4. Make sure to include a written notification if you intend to sell tickets on the internet.
5. Have the following information ready:

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For all raffles:

1. Prize value and description(s)
2. Ticket sales dates and prices
3. Draw date(s) and location
4. How the winner(s) will be determined

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For raffles with a prize value greater than $2500:

1. Projected revenues and expenses
2. Price quotes for all merchandise prizes
3. Complete rules of play for the lottery
4. A copy of your draft ticket
5. A copy of all advertising (including internet)

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Online ticket sales for nonprofits are allowed in Saskatchewan.

In order to process your nonprofit event ticketing online using, off the top of our head,  Zeffy’s 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits, you’ll need to include a written request with your application and follow a few other conditions:

• If you want to advertise your nonprofit event online you’ll need to include written notification when you apply for your licence.
• All advertising and communications must include: “Tickets may only be sold within Saskatchewan.”
• Tickets may be sold on the Internet and the website, software or system can be used to:
• Accept orders to purchase tickets and to process payments.
• The sales must be restricted to ticket purchasers located within Saskatchewan.
• Receipts for online ticket sales may be emailed to customers if their place of residence has been confirmed as Saskatchewan.
• Tickets purchased online must be emailed to customers separately from the purchase receipt.
• Customers who purchase their tickets online may be provided with the option to have their tickets mailed to them instead of receiving them by email.
• If your nonprofit chooses to offer online ticket sales you can also offer alternative purchase options.
• If you choose to offer nonprofit ticket sales online, all websites, software and/or systems need to follow SLGA’s Integrity standards for Online Raffle Ticket Sales.

For more information see the SLGA’s Charitable Gaming, Policy and Procedure Manuel, Section 10.2.2 (page 127).

→ Check out our guide on how to sell raffle tickets effectively!

Lottery licence fees.

Saskatchewan’s Charitable Gaming Licence fees vary depending on the type of licence your applying for. But, in most cases there’s a fee of $52.50 per licence.

We’ve whipped up an example of a fundraiser ticket with all the info in the right places.

Side A:

Side B:

There are detailed conditions in the Raffle Terms and Conditions document on pages 3, 4 and 5.

There are two types of tickets: Basic and Standard.

Basic tickets are only allowed where ticket sales and draws will take place during the span of a single day’s event and can be used when the event is taking place in one or more venues, as long as all venues are controlled by the event organizer.

Standard tickets apply to any other raffle/lottery/50/50 situation and must include:

• Your organization’s name and address.
• The words “Tickets may only be sold within Saskatchewan.”
• Your licence number.
• The price per ticket or group of tickets.
• A description of the prize.
• The exact location, date and time of the draw.
• Instructions on how to claim prizes (for example, website or phone number);
• Any house rules or restrictions respecting the conduct and management of the ticket lottery.

→ Check out our guide on how to make raffle tickets!

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How long does it take to process a charitable gaming licence?

If all goes well, it can take up to 15 business days to process your nonprofit’s application, so apply in advance!