Effective April 1, 2014, a permit will now be required for anyone hosting a raffle at socials or charity fundraisers.
The existing Social Occasion Permit required to serve liquor at a Manitoba social will now include a raffle option. This option must be selected if you will be hosting a 50/50 raffle or a players choice raffle at your event.
An approved permit will allow you to hold your raffle and will require you to comply with limits set by the Criminal Code (Canada):
- The amount of or value of each raffle prize must not exceed $500
- Each ticket cannot cost more than $2
Value of prizes you purchase for your raffle can not exceed $500. However, if a prize is donated (like a $800 Big Screen TV donated by the Best Man and Maid of Honour), it is valued at $0.
Each raffle ticket can’t cost more than $2, so you won’t be able to sell a package of 5 Grand Prize Raffle Tickets for $20 ($4 each). The package must be sold for $10.
You can still sell an arms length of 50/50 tickets for $10, as long as there is a minimum 5 tickets in that arms length (making it $2 each).
On the plus side, Liquor can now be legally raffled off at socials, but it can’t be opened or consumed until the winner gets it home. There’s no need to call it “perfume” anymore.
The point of the new approval is to ensure the events are fair and that people enjoy the social. Any permit obtained before April 1, 2014 will not be subject to the new law.
For more information, visit the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba website.
