Vehicles capture attention in ways that smaller prizes often cannot. The excitement generated by the possibility of winning a vehicle encourages supporters to buy tickets and share the campaign with others.

Securing a vehicle sponsor becomes much easier when organizations follow a structured approach.

Car shows are one of the most effective places to promote a car raffle fundraising campaign. The audience attending these events already shares a strong interest in vehicles, making them highly receptive to the opportunity to win a classic car, collector vehicle, or new automobile.

Choosing the right prize vehicle is one of the most important decisions when planning a successful car raffle fundraising campaign. The vehicle itself becomes the centerpiece of the marketing strategy, influencing ticket demand, sponsorship opportunities, and overall fundraising potential.

Bundle pricing is one of the most effective ways to increase 50/50 participation in online raffles for cars. Instead of offering 50/50 tickets as a separate add-on, bundle pricing integrates both car raffle tickets and 50/50 entries into tiered package options.

Adding a 50/50 draw to online raffles for cars is one of the most effective ways to increase total fundraising revenue without increasing marketing costs.

Online raffles for cars have become one of the most powerful fundraising strategies for charities, nonprofits, sports foundations, and community organizations across Canada. A well-structured car raffle does more than give away a vehicle.

Rules of play are not marketing language, boilerplate text, or a formality added at the end of the licensing process. They are a core regulatory document that defines exactly how a raffle will operate.

In Canada, raffle licensing is provincial, not federal. There is no national raffle license and no centralized approval process for online raffles.Each province has its own gaming regulator with authority to determine eligibility, issue raffle licenses, set operating conditions, and enforce compliance. Selling raffle tickets online does not change this structure. If tickets are sold to residents of a province, that province’s regulator governs the raffle.

The Short Answer Not every nonprofit or community group is eligible to run a raffle in Canada. Raffle eligibility is determined by provincial gaming regulators, and eligibility depends on an organization’s purpose, governance, and who ultimately benefits from the proceeds — not simply whether the organization is incorporated or operates on a nonprofit basis.

The Short Answer Yes — online raffles are legal in Canada, but only when they are run by eligible organizations and licensed by the appropriate provincial gaming regulator. There is no federal “online raffle license,” and selling raffle tickets online without proper provincial authorization is not legal.

To run an online raffle in Canada, an organization must first confirm it is eligible, apply for and obtain a raffle license from its provincial gaming regulator, work through any regulator-requested changes during the review process, and only then launch ticket sales using software that exactly matches the approved rules. The charity—not the raffle software provider—must apply for and hold the license.

Geolocation is met with unrealistic expectations. For instance, ordering an Uber or pizza and watching a moving dot on your phone as the car drives into your drive is just a fantasy. The Uber or pizza driver has a smartphone with an accelerometer and gyroscope in it, and that phone or app is using GPS satellite positioning. GPS is a fairly accurate technology, but unfortunately often not accessible for online applications.

I’ve always said Western Canada is the epicenter of 50/50 raffles. We’ve seen some very big jackpots in Western Canada and it seems Edmonton is in the center of the epicenter if that is possible…it certainly appears to be.

Machine to machine (M2M) is direct communication between devices using any communications channel, including wired and wireless. Telcoms have created M2M programs due to the growth of the Internet of Things. These programs can be used to add cellular connectivity to our raffle terminals and centrally manage multiple devices.

Researchers from Singapore say they have found security flaws in more than 480 Bluetooth devices including smart home gadgets, fitness bracelets and medical instruments. The vulnerabilities, which were found in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) software development kits, could cause crashes or permit hackers to gain read/write access to devices.

Regulators, developers, operators and charities don't always talk the same language and confusion can occur.  For purposes of this blogsite

This article is meant to cover the basics for legal 50/50 raffles for pro sports teams and their foundations in Texas.  As with any law the devil is in the details, and I will be covering those details in future articles.

The Charitable Raffle Enabling Act, effective January 1, 1990, permits "qualified organizations" to hold up to two raffles per calendar year, with certain specified restrictions. A raffle is defined as the award of one or more prizes by chance at a single occasion among a single pool or group of persons who have paid or promised a thing of value for a ticket that represents a chance to win a prize.

Did you know 50/50 raffles are illegal in Texas except for professional sports teams' foundations?  Most people wouldn't know this because 50/50's are prolific in the state.  Every 50/50 that you see (except at pro sports games) are in fact illegal.  Money cannot be offered as a prize in a Texas raffle.