Lottery Licences

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is responsible for administering the charitable lottery licensing program in the province. Municipalities and the AGCO are responsible for issuing lottery licences to eligible charitable and religious organizations. Eligible charitable and
religious organizations may raise funds through provincially or municipally licensed lottery events.

Lottery licensing refers to lottery schemes permitted by a licence under the Criminal Code of Canada. Typically, these may include bingos, raffles, break open tickets and social gaming events held by charitable or religious organizations. In Ontario, Order in Council 1413/08 authorizes the licensing
framework for eligible charitable or religious organizations to hold lottery events and sets out the limits of municipal and provincial licensing. Licensed charitable or religious organizations must conduct and manage their events in accordance with licensing policies and the terms and conditions of the licences and fulfill all prescribed reporting requirements.

The Order in Council provides municipalities with licensing authority for:

bingo events, with prize boards of up to $5,500;
media bingo events with prizes up to $5,500;
break open tickets for local organizations;
raffle lotteries for total prizes of $50,000 and under; and
bazaar lotteries which include: wheels of fortune with a maximum bet of $2.00, raffles
not exceeding $500, and bingo events up to $500.

The municipality may attach terms and conditions to a licence, in addition to those established by the
province, provided that they do not conflict with provincial Terms and Conditions or policies.

To be eligible to obtain a lottery licence, an organization must first demonstrate their charitable
purposes and objectives that fall within one of the four classifications of charitability:

The Relief of Poverty
The Advancement of Education
The Advancement of Religion
Other Charitable Purposes Beneficial to the Community that do not fall under the above

An organization must also have been in existence for at least one complete year prior to being considered eligible for a lottery licence.

Organizations either applying for the first time or when requested by the Corporate Services Department will need to complete the following Eligibility Questionnaire and submit prior to a licence being issued along with the requested information:

Eligibility Questionnaire

If the Organization is deemed eligible to obtain lottery licences under the requirements, the organization is required to open a Lottery Trust Bank Account.  All money generated through the lottery is to be deposited into the lottery trust bank account and only approved expenditures
may use funds from the lottery account.

OBTAINING A LOTTERY LICENCE
Applications are available online or at the Municipal Office. Please ensure the application is completed in full including a copy of the sample ticket, if applicable.  Applications should be submitted to the
Municipal Office no less than 30 days prior to the lottery event. The licence must also include specifics as to what the funds generated from the lottery scheme are going to be used for.

Click on the following links to obtain applications, report forms and terms and conditions:

Raffle Events:
Application Form
Lottery Report
Terms and Conditions

Bingo Events:
Application Form
Lottery Report
Terms and Conditions

Break Open Tickets:
Application Form
Lottery Report
Terms and Conditions

For more information, please contact Chandra Alexander at 519-236-4351 ext. 223 or Jodi Overholt at 519-236-4351 ext. 229

To access the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario's website, click on the following link:  www.agco.ca