INFORMATION BULLETIN No. 75
On August 26, 2013, the Registrar of Alcohol and Gaming introduced a pilot program that allowed third party retailers, charity licensees selling from their own premises and operators of a charitable gaming site operating under s.207(1)(b) of the Criminal Code (Canada) to accept debit cards as a form of payment for charitable gaming products.
Due to the overwhelming support and success of the pilot, the Registrar is pleased to announce that debit cards may be used as a form of payment for charitable gaming products on a permanent basis, effective immediately. The changes support the Ontario government’s commitment, in consultation with industry stakeholders, to modernize the charitable gaming industry.
Details
- Debit cards may be accepted as a form of payment for charitable gaming products in third party retail locations, premises owned by the charity licensee and the operator of a charitable gaming site under subsection 207(1)(b) of the Criminal Code (Canada)
- The prohibition on the use of credit cards and personal or employee cheques as a form of payment for charitable gaming products will remain in effect as per section 1.1 of the Lottery Licence Terms and Conditions
- Section 1.11 of the Lottery Licence Terms and Conditions has been revised regarding the sale of charitable gaming products by debit card transaction
- As per the rules governing the use of proceeds, the costs associated with accepting debit cards for the purpose of charitable gaming products cannot be passed on to the charity licensees by third party retailers and bingo hall operators
- There are no changes to the lottery reports required to be submitted to the licensing authority at the end of the licensing period nor to the fee structure
Additional information
If you have any questions or require further clarification regarding this Information Bulletin, please contact Tanya Godinho, Senior Gaming Registration Officer, at 416 326-8707 or contact the AGCO’s Customer Service Department at 1 800 522-2876 (toll-free in Ontario) or 416 326-8700 (in the Greater Toronto Area).