50/50 Draws in Canada: The Law, the Split and Online Sales

Hockey fans gathered outside a Toronto arena before a game — Photo: KatieThebeau, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A 50/50 draw is a raffle in which the prize is a share of the money raised from ticket sales, traditionally half, with the other half kept by the organization running it. In Canada it is legal only when a charitable or religious organization runs it under a licence from the province where the tickets are sold, and the proceeds go to a charitable or religious purpose. Online 50/50s are allowed on the same footing, provided the province has approved the electronic system and the system confirms that each buyer is inside the province.

This article reads the federal provision together with published rules from Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. It explains how those rules work; it is not legal advice for an organizer, and each draw's own licence and rules of play govern the details.

The federal law: section 207(1)(b)

Selling tickets for a cash prize decided by chance is a lottery scheme under Part VII of the Criminal Code. Section 207 lists the exceptions. Paragraph 207(1)(b) allows a charitable or religious organization to conduct and manage a lottery scheme in a province "pursuant to a licence issued by the Lieutenant Governor in Council of a province", as long as the proceeds "are used for a charitable or religious object or purpose".

Two points follow. A 50/50 run by an individual, a business or a social club without a licence is not covered by the exception. And because licensing is provincial, the rules on percentages, claim periods and online sales vary across the country.

Why online 50/50s are possible at all

Paragraph 207(4)(c) takes out of the charitable and other licensed categories in paragraphs 207(1)(b) to (f) any scheme "operated on or through a computer, video device, slot machine or a dice game". On its own, that would shut charities out of selling tickets by computer. Subsection 207(4.1) creates the exception: the use of a computer for the sale of a ticket, selection of a winner or the distribution of a prize in a raffle, "including a 50/50 draw", is excluded from that restriction, so long as the raffle is licensed under paragraph 207(1)(b) and the proceeds are used for a charitable or religious purpose. Online and in-stadium electronic 50/50s rest on that carve-out.

The overview of gambling regulation in Canada sets this alongside the other permitted forms of gambling.

How the pot is split

The name describes the classic arrangement. The AGCO's Lottery Licensing Policy Manual defines a 50/50 draw as a raffle lottery in which the prize is one half the value of all tickets sold during an event or a defined period of the licence. Any early-bird or consolation prizes come out of the charity's half, not the winner's.

Not every province holds organizers to exactly half. Alberta's raffle terms and conditions call this a percentage draw, "a raffle where the cash prize is a percentage of the gross raffle revenue", and allow the prize to be anywhere from 20 to 80 per cent of ticket sales.

Illustrative example	Gross ticket sales	Prize	Kept by the organization
Classic 50/50	$20,000	$10,000	$10,000
Percentage draw, prize at 60% (where the province allows it)	$20,000	$12,000	$8,000
Split the Pot: 50% shared by three winners (e.g. 60/25/15 of the pot)	$20,000	$6,000 / $2,500 / $1,500	$10,000

The figures are round numbers chosen to show the arithmetic. The organization's share is not all profit: it pays allowable expenses such as the ticketing system before the net proceeds reach the cause.

Split the Pot in Ontario

Ontario's version used to have a single winner. On September 20, 2024 the AGCO began allowing charities to divide the 50% prize pot among multiple winners. A charity has to say so when applying for its 50/50 licence and must clearly show players how the pot will be divided, including in the rules of play.

The advertised number

Because the prize is a share of sales, the prize and the total sales are different numbers. The AGCO's checklist for electronic raffles tells licensees to advertise the actual prize amount, not the total sales. Alberta likewise requires percentage-draw prizes to be based solely on gross ticket sales. A board that shows only a large "pot" figure without saying whether it is the prize or the total is worth a second look.

Who issues the licence

Ontario: the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario licenses eligible charitable and religious organizations to conduct and manage electronic raffles, meaning raffles in which computers sell tickets, select winners or distribute prizes.
Alberta: Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) issues raffle licences. Its terms and conditions require the licensed charity to have a mechanism to verify that each buyer is 18 or older and located in Alberta at the time of purchase, and limit a raffle licence to a period of no more than two years.
British Columbia: the provincial government states plainly that "charitable gambling, like 50/50 draws or raffles, is only legal when licensed". It also reports that the former Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) is transitioning to the Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO), which now regulates all gambling in the province, under a modernized Gaming Control Act that came into force on April 13, 2026.

How electronic raffle systems work

An online 50/50 is a licensed raffle with software doing the selling and the drawing. Ontario publishes minimum technical standards for these electronic raffle systems, and the AGCO must approve a sales portal before it is used and again after later modifications. A charity can submit its own solution or use one from the AGCO's list of approved electronic raffle suppliers. Under the standards:

the draw must be conducted through a random selection process;
a draw may take place only after raffle sales close at the scheduled time;
numbers from unsold, voided or cancelled tickets are excluded from the draw;
the system must confirm that a buyer is eligible to play before the sale and collect age information sufficient to confirm it; the AGCO checklist sets the minimum at 18.

Alberta takes a similar line. Its terms and conditions cover equipment approval and registration for electronic raffle systems, online ticket ordering and online prize distribution.

Geolocation: the buyer must be in the province

A provincial licence covers sales in that province, and the software has to enforce it. Ontario's technical standards state that raffle sales "shall occur only within Ontario" unless the licence names other provinces. The system must detect and dynamically monitor where each purchase is being attempted, block the sale if the location cannot be verified or is outside the permitted area, and detect software, programs and virtualization that could be used to disguise a location.

The test is where the buyer is at the moment of purchase, not where they live. Alberta's rule is framed the same way: located in Alberta at the time of purchase. A resident who is travelling cannot buy into the home-province draw from outside it. A site that sells a provincial 50/50 to anyone, anywhere, without a location check, is not following these standards; the casino scams page describes other signs of an imitation.

How to check that a draw is licensed

Find the licence number. Alberta requires the raffle licence number on the ticket, and the AGCO checklist tells Ontario licensees to make the electronic raffle licence available to the public.
Read the rules of play. They should name the charity, the draw time, the share of sales paid as the prize and how winners are contacted.
Look for responsible gambling messaging. In Ontario it must appear on the rules of play, all print advertising and all stub tickets.
Check the location prompt. A licensed online draw asks for location access or verification before it sells you anything.
When unsure, ask the regulator. The provincial body that issued the licence can confirm whether a draw is licensed.

Claim periods and unclaimed prizes

Claim windows are short in some provinces and long in others, and the rules of play for each draw state the one that applies. Alberta's terms and conditions set specific limits for bearer-ticket raffles such as 50/50s: the charity may allow up to, but no more than, 30 days to claim; with paper bearer tickets the winner must have at least 10 minutes; and if any tickets were sold online, the winner must have at least 48 hours. The rules must also explain how an unclaimed prize is handled, for example carried into a future draw or kept as gaming proceeds.

In Ontario, the AGCO checklist requires unclaimed electronic raffle prizes to be held in safekeeping for 6 months, after which they are included in the gross proceeds of the lottery event. Whatever the province, keep your ticket or confirmation email until the claim period has passed.

A 50/50 is still gambling, even when the money goes to a hospital or a minor hockey team; the psychology of gambling page explains why a growing pot is hard to ignore. Real-money gambling in Canada is for adults: 19 and over in most provinces, 18 and over in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. Raffle purchase ages can differ: Ontario's electronic raffle rules and Alberta's raffle terms set the minimum at 18. For support by province, see our responsible gaming page.

Questions readers ask

Are 50/50 draws legal in Canada?

Yes, when a charitable or religious organization runs them under a provincial licence and uses the proceeds for a charitable or religious purpose, as paragraph 207(1)(b) of the Criminal Code allows.

Does the winner always get exactly half?

Not always. Ontario's 50/50 prize is half of ticket sales, while Alberta allows a percentage draw prize between 20 and 80 per cent of ticket sales.

Can I buy an online 50/50 ticket from another province?

Generally not. Ontario's technical standards require sales only within Ontario unless the licence names other provinces, and Alberta requires the buyer to be located in Alberta at the time of purchase.

How old do you have to be to buy a 50/50 ticket?

In Ontario electronic raffles and Alberta raffles the minimum is 18. Other provinces set their own rules, so check the draw's rules of play.

How long do I have to claim a 50/50 prize?

It depends on the province and the draw's rules. In Alberta, bearer-ticket raffles allow up to 30 days, with at least 48 hours if any tickets were sold online; Ontario holds unclaimed electronic raffle prizes for 6 months.

What is Split the Pot?

An Ontario option, allowed since September 20, 2024, in which the 50% prize pot is divided among several winners, with the division shown to players in the rules of play.

50/50 draws in Canada: the law, how the pot is split, and online 50/50s