Organizations that have conducted raffle lotteries and are unable to find the holder of the winning ticket(s) are obligated to make every reasonable effort to contact the winner, including:
- attempting to locate the winner through the telephone number and address on the ticket stub of the raffle ticket kept by the licensee, by sending a registered letter and telephoning; and
- advertising in local newspapers and/or radio stations within 120 days following the draw, setting out a complete list of the names and city of residence of all the winners of any unclaimed prizes.
The organization must keep records of the attempts made to contact the winner, as part of the documentation retained under the terms and conditions of the licence.
The unclaimed prize must be held in trust by the licensee for a period not less than six (6) months from the date the prize was awarded. At the end of the six-month period, the total amount of the prize held in trust, including interest, or the value of a merchandise prize equal to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, must be included by the licensee in the gross proceeds of the lottery event.