The puck has dropped on a new era for the Vancouver Canucks’ popular 50/50 raffle that the franchise hopes will score more money for charities and cause fewer draw hassles.
A new, play-anywhere-in-B.C. version is available on PlayNow.com, the BC Lottery Corp.’s legal online gambling website. It is separate from the version played on game nights in Rogers Arena, where the Canucks are doing away with the old-fashioned draw from a barrel full of tickets in favour of a computer-generated random set of numbers.
“The idea stemmed from the momentum that was building for our in-game 50/50 draws,” said Chris Brumwell, Canucks Sports & Entertainment vice-president of communications and community partnerships. “There was an idea at one point that ‘What if we could extend this 50/50 program to every Canuck fan in the province and everyone who wants to play?”
The Canucks Autism Network, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and BC Children’s Hospital Foundation remain the three main beneficiaries. The PlayNow version will be promoted during Canucks broadcasts on Sportsnet and TSN 1040 and be drawn just before midnight after both home and away games. It means that Canucks for Kids Fund fundraising will no longer be affected by the recent declines in Rogers Arena attendance.
“What we’re hoping to create is a routine, when they’re home, at the end of the workday and they sit down to watch a game they buy a 50/50 ticket from their couch, in the same way they participate when they come to a game here,” said Brumwell.
The Canucks began using hand-held devices to sell tickets at Rogers Arena in 2011-12. Buyers received instantly printed tickets, and corresponding tickets were printed individually, elsewhere in the building, directly into the draw bin. As the jackpot increased, updates were provided on the arena’s scoreboard.
The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) initially deemed the system point-of-sale equipment and didn’t require certification of the technology or registration of the Canucks’ original provider Bump or competitor Pointstreak.
The Canucks had a double dose of bad luck on April 22, 2012. The Los Angeles Kings eliminated them from the Stanley Cup playoffs and the 50/50 draw suffered a major system error.
The Canucks initially estimated 10,000 tickets were not printed into the draw barrel that night. A further investigation found 43,000 tickets missing. It was a disappointing end to a season in which the draws grossed $3,593,828 and $1,796,914 went to winners.
GPEB issued a warning to the Canucks for Kids Fund for failing to file a timely report, as required under its licence. It was also ordered to notify the public of the snafu before its next raffle, which didn’t come until January 2013 after the National Hockey League lockout was resolved.
According to an August 2013 briefing note to Finance Minister Mike de Jong, who is also responsible for the marketing and regulation of gambling, GPEB suspended use of Bump 50:50 in September 2012.
The BC Lions, however, were using the system in October 2012 until it had a printing system error and reverted to selling tickets from detachable paper rolls.
“The equipment for both Bump 50:50 and Pointstreak 5050 has been tested, adjusted and now certified for use, and both companies have been registered,” said GPEB’s briefing note.
The Canucks switched to Pointstreak in 2014. In the 2015-16 hockey season, the draws grossed $2.92 million, which meant $1.46 million in prizes. Brumwell said he did not have the detailed financial report available.
A March 10, 2014, report of compliance audit findings covered January 19-June 30, 2013, the period that included the lockout-shortened NHL season. It showed the Canucks grossed $1,887,969 from 50/50 and gave away $937,437 in prizes. Charities got approximately 30% of the gross; 20% went to various administration costs. GPEB caps raffle expenses at 25% of other gross revenue.
Net proceeds were $574,332 after $376,201 in event-related expenses. Those expenses included contract fees for gaming service providers ($78,768); wages ($63,837); miscellaneous supplies ($12,338); and printing costs ($10,372). The biggest line item was marked “other” ($208,826). •
