We use cookies to improve your experience on our platform. By clicking “Accept all cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies required for basic website functionality.
Cookies used to deliver content most relevant to you and your needs.
Cookies used to deliver content most relevant to you and your needs.
Cookies that help understand the performance of the website, how users interact with it and to identify bugs.
How is Zeffy free?
How is Zeffy free?
Zeffy relies entirely on optional contributions from donors. At the payment confirmation step - we ask donors to leave an optional contribution to Zeffy.
Nova Scotia Lottery Licence 2026: The $4,000 Split
August 4, 2026
⚡TL;DR — The Short Answer
Verdict: In Nova Scotia, the number that decides everything is $4,000. At or below $4,000 of retail prize value you get a Permit and you cannot sell tickets online or take any electronic payment. Above $4,000 you get a Licence, online sales are possible with AGFT approval, and you pay a 2.13% fee on prizes awarded within 30 days of the draw.
What works: The application itself is free on both tiers. Above $4,000, online sales are allowed if AGFT approves your proposed technology and you use an AGFT-registered Ticket Lottery Supplier whose fee is capped at 15% of net.
What does not work: The permit tier is a hard no on cards, debit, e-transfer, and online payment services. Nova Scotia does not publish its approved supplier list, so a charity has to phone AGFT to confirm who is on it.
Ideal for: Small Nova Scotia charities, religious groups, and community organisations running one raffle or a series who want to know, before selling a ticket, whether they qualify for the permit or need the licence.
Worth considering if: Your prize value is close to the $4,000 line. If it is, and you want to accept card or online payment at all, plan for the licence tier from the start and contact AGFT early.
Do you actually need a lottery licence in Nova Scotia?
Almost certainly yes, if you are selling tickets to the public and there is a prize. Under Nova Scotia's Ticket Lottery Regulations, any activity with a chance to win, a cost to enter, and a prize is a lottery scheme. That covers 50/50 draws, prize draws, raffles, and most games of chance a charity or community group would run to raise money.
What differs is which authorisation you need, and that comes down to one number.
The regulator is Service Nova Scotia's Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division (AGFT). Older Zeffy copy and older Nova Scotia documents sometimes say "Alcohol and Gaming Division." The current, correct name is AGFT, and it is confirmed on the regulator's own service pages and in the division's 2024 to 2025 annual report.
A note on how fresh the rules are: Nova Scotia's Ticket Lottery Guidelines are stamped "Revised September 2015," and the Ticket Lottery Regulations are only amended to O.I.C. 2018 to 107. Neither instrument fully reflects modern online raffling. The operative online rules live in AGFT policy and in the current application form, not in the older regulation. When in doubt, the application form and the AGFT service page win.
For a small nonprofit: before you print a single ticket, work out your total retail prize value. That single number tells you whether you can accept a card, whether you can sell online, and how much paperwork the event will take.
Permit vs. licence: the $4,000 split
Nova Scotia issues two different authorisations depending on your total retail prize value.
Ticket Lottery Permit: prize value up to and including $4,000
Retail prize value is $4,000 or less.
There is no cost to apply.
You cannot sell tickets online. You cannot accept credit card, debit card, e-transfer, or any online payment service such as PayPal. Tickets must be sold in person and paid for in person. This is the single most important sentence on this page: AGFT states it in plain language on the permit service page, and it is not a soft rule.
Ticket Lottery Licence: prize value over $4,000
Retail prize value is $4,000.01 or more.
There is no cost to apply.
Online sales may be permitted, but only if you tell AGFT what technology you plan to use in your application and AGFT approves it. Approval is not automatic.
After the draw, you owe a fee of 2.13% of the value of all prizes awarded, due within 30 days of the draw and submitted with your Ticket Lottery Report.
For a small nonprofit: if your prizes total $4,000 or less and you can only sell in person, the permit tier is genuinely the simpler legal path. Some organisers actively prefer paper tickets and cash or cheque anyway. The permit is not a second-class option. It is just the option that closes the door on online and card sales.
The four gates for a Nova Scotia raffle
Every province in Canada regulates raffles through four separate questions. It is worth answering all four before you plan the event, because passing one does not mean you have passed the others.
1.Can a registered charity or nonprofit run a raffle at all in Nova Scotia? Yes, with a permit or a licence from AGFT.
2.Can tickets be sold online? Only on the licence tier (over $4,000), and only with AGFT approval of the technology you propose to use. Never on the permit tier.
3.Can tickets be paid for by card or electronically? Flatly no on the permit tier. On the licence tier, electronic payment is possible as part of an AGFT-approved online setup. Nova Scotia's rules do not carry a separate verbatim rule affirmatively authorising buyer card payment, so treat this as conditional and confirm your specific setup with AGFT before you launch.
4.Can a third-party platform be the channel for the sale, and does the platform itself need to be authorised? Yes, and this is the gate most articles skip. For an online lottery, you must submit a signed contract with an AGFT-registered Ticket Lottery Supplier with your application. The supplier is capped at collecting a maximum fee of 15% of the net, where net means revenue minus prizes. AGFT is explicit that a third-party service cannot be used to operate the lottery: the charity keeps complete control over conduct and management.
For a small nonprofit: the fourth gate is where Nova Scotia raffles most often go wrong. Holding a valid licence is not enough. The platform you use to sell tickets online has to be on AGFT's approved supplier list, and Nova Scotia does not publish that list. You have to phone AGFT and ask.
Who can apply
AGFT will consider a permit or licence application from:
A charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency.
A religious organisation, sports team, or community group registered with the Registry of Joint Stocks (RJSC) as a Society or a not-for-profit organisation in Nova Scotia.
An educational institution.
Private clubs or groups not registered with RJSC, if either (a) they provide a letter from a Registered Charity or Society stating that 100% of the money raised goes to that charity, or (b) they meet the Community Benefit Organizations Lottery permit rules: tickets sold only to members with no public advertising, and total prize value at or below $4,000.
Two designated members aged 19 or over are named on the application. First-time applicants should have their Certificate of Registration, bylaws, memorandum of association, and a list of executives ready.
How to apply for a Nova Scotia lottery licence
Apply through Service Nova Scotia. Give yourself time: AGFT asks that you submit at least 10 business days before your first day of ticket sales, and the division says the licence itself typically takes about two weeks to issue.
3. If you plan to use computer software, electronic technology, or online or internet services (for ticket sales, distribution, or the draw itself), attach a written explanation. This is section 5 of the form.
4. For an online lottery, attach a signed contract with an AGFT-registered Ticket Lottery Supplier. The supplier's fee must be capped at 15% of the net in the contract.
5. Attach verification of charitable or religious status, a resolution confirming your mandate, a copy of your Lottery House Rules, and (if applicable) the Official Rules and a Sample Entry Form for a sport pool.
6. If your organisation is registered under the Nova Scotia Societies Act, attach a copy of the registration, plus any relevant bylaws, constitutions, and memorandums.
7. If total prize value exceeds $5,000, attach a financial guarantee that you have sufficient funds to cover the prize value.
8. Submit the application by mail, email, fax, or in person at AGFT.
9. Complete an interview and provide additional information if AGFT asks.
If you have not heard back after 10 business days, AGFT recommends calling to check status.
For a small nonprofit: the most useful thing you can do on the licence application is describe your online setup in plain language: how tickets will be sold, who will handle payments, and which supplier you plan to contract with. AGFT approves technology at the application stage, not later.
The fee: no application cost, 2.13% on prizes awarded
Nova Scotia's fee structure is unusual, and the live article got two details wrong that matter. Here is the correct version.
There is no application fee on either the permit tier or the licence tier.
There is a post-event fee on the licence tier only: 2.13% of the value of all prizes awarded in the ticket lottery. The word "awarded" is deliberate. If a prize goes unclaimed, it is not part of the 2.13% base. This wording comes straight from Ticket Lottery Regulations section 6(2) and AGFT's service page.
The fee is due within 30 days of the draw, submitted with your Ticket Lottery Report.
For a multi-year Ticket Lottery Licence, the 2.13% is due within 30 days of each draw or annually, depending on how the licence is structured.
There is also an economic cap on what a supplier can charge you. A Ticket Lottery Supplier is limited to collecting a maximum fee of 15% of the net, where net means revenue minus prizes. Anything above that is not permitted under the AGFT rules. A platform that costs the charity nothing sits comfortably inside that cap.
For a small nonprofit: if your prize is a single item worth $6,000 and it is claimed, you owe AGFT $127.80. If two of your prizes go unclaimed, you owe the 2.13% only on what was actually awarded. Keep clean records of which prizes were claimed and when.
What must appear on every ticket
The Ticket Lottery Regulations require the assigned lottery licence number on every printed ticket. That is the ticket-face rule. Beyond that, the AGFT guidelines and the licence conditions expect tickets to carry the following practical information:
Your organisation's name and address.
Your licence or permit number.
The price per ticket, or per group of tickets.
A description of the prize.
The exact location, date, and time of the draw.
Any house rules or restrictions on the conduct and management of the ticket lottery.
A separate rule applies to broadcast advertising, not to the tickets themselves. Under the current AGFT rules, broadcast advertisements must state (a) the name of the licensee, and (b) that approval has been granted by "The Alcohol, Gaming, Fuel and Tobacco Division." Use that full, current name in any radio or TV advertising you run.
Exceptions to the licence-number-on-ticket rule are sometimes granted for shorter events where participants are present for the draw, such as a 50/50 at a hockey game. Each exception needs AGFT approval in advance.
For a small nonprofit: older Zeffy copy told readers to print "licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Division" on every ticket. That instruction is out of date and no current Nova Scotia rule requires it. The licence number is what has to be on the ticket. If you have templates carrying the older phrase, update them.
Where the money has to land
This is the trap that shows up in real conversations with treasurers and it is almost never covered in raffle guides. Under the Nova Scotia Ticket Lottery Regulations, "the licensee may be required to open and maintain designated lottery trust accounts to administer all funds related to the conduct of lottery events."
What that means in practice:
Raffle proceeds cannot be commingled with your general operating account by default.
If AGFT tells you to open a designated lottery trust account, you have to do it before you sell a ticket, not after.
Prize funds and expense records for the lottery need to be traceable to that account.
Financial records, ticket stubs, and reports must be retained for three years.
Nova Scotia treasurers we have heard from say the account requirement is easy to miss on the first raffle and impossible to fix retroactively. The Ticket Lottery Report you file after the draw expects the numbers to reconcile to a specific account, and reconstructing that from a general chequing account is painful.
For a small nonprofit: ask AGFT at the application stage whether your event requires a designated trust account. If it does, open it before you accept the first dollar.
50/50 draws in Nova Scotia
A 50/50 draw is a lottery scheme in Nova Scotia. The same permit vs. licence split applies: if the winner's cash share is projected to stay at or below $4,000 in retail prize value, you are in permit territory (in person only, no cards, no online payment). If it will exceed $4,000, you need a licence, and online sales become possible with AGFT approval.
Chase the Ace, a progressive Maritime format built on top of a 50/50, has demand in Nova Scotia and neighbouring provinces. AGFT has specific expectations around progressive draws that go beyond the standard 50/50 rules, and Nova Scotia's exact treatment of the format was not part of what we verified for this article. If you are running a Chase the Ace in Nova Scotia, contact AGFT before you set the rules.
For a small nonprofit: the useful mental model for a 50/50 is that the prize is a moving target. Estimate the highest realistic take, and if that number could plausibly exceed $4,000, apply for the licence, not the permit. Coming in under is fine. Selling a permit-tier 50/50 that grows past $4,000 during the event is not.
Can you use Zeffy to sell raffle tickets online in Nova Scotia?
The honest answer is: it depends on two things, and one of them we cannot tell you from public sources.
First, the tier. If your total retail prize value is $4,000 or less, you are on the permit tier and you cannot sell raffle tickets online at all. Not through Zeffy, not through any other platform, not through your own website. Every ticket has to be sold and paid for in person. This is a hard rule set by AGFT, not a platform choice.
Second, the supplier list. If your prize value is over $4,000 and you want to sell tickets online, AGFT requires a signed contract with an AGFT-registered Ticket Lottery Supplier, attached to your application. Unlike Ontario, Alberta, and New Brunswick, Nova Scotia does not publish the list of approved suppliers. It is "available by contacting our office." That means we genuinely do not know from public sources whether Zeffy is on Nova Scotia's approved supplier list. A charity that wants to use Zeffy for online raffle ticket sales in Nova Scotia should contact AGFT and ask directly.
To be straightforward: Zeffy is not marketed as a licensed, registered, certified, or approved raffle system in any province, and we do not claim otherwise. Where Nova Scotia requires an AGFT-registered Ticket Lottery Supplier for the online sale itself, that requirement is the regulator's, not ours, and you would need a supplier that AGFT confirms is on its list for the ticket sale channel.
What Zeffy is genuinely useful for around a Nova Scotia raffle:
Selling event tickets to the fundraiser, dinner, or draw night around the raffle, 100% free. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever.
Accepting general donations tied to the campaign.
Issuing CRA-compliant donation receipts for eligible gifts (raffle ticket purchases themselves are not tax-receiptable in Canada, but ancillary donations often are).
Keeping a clean donor record for follow-up, thank-yous, and next year's campaign.
For a small nonprofit: use Zeffy for the event, the donations, and the receipts. For the raffle ticket sale itself, ask AGFT which suppliers are on the approved list and pick one from that list.
Pay the 2.13% fee on the value of prizes awarded with the report.
If a prize is unclaimed, Nova Scotia's rules generally require you to hold a second draw after 90 days. Confirm the exact procedure with AGFT for your specific prize before you announce it.
Keep all records for three years.
Draws must be conducted publicly and with the witnesses AGFT specifies in your licence conditions. Random number generators cannot be used to pick winners for lotteries with printed tickets without prior AGFT approval.
Yes. A 50/50 draw is a lottery scheme in Nova Scotia. You need either a Ticket Lottery Permit (projected winner's share at or below $4,000, in-person sales only) or a Ticket Lottery Licence (over $4,000, online sales possible with AGFT approval). Contact AGFT before the event.
Nothing to apply, on either tier. On the licence tier only (prizes over $4,000), you owe a fee of 2.13% of the value of prizes awarded, due within 30 days of the draw and submitted with your Ticket Lottery Report.
Only on the licence tier, and only if AGFT approves the technology in your application. The permit tier ($4,000 and under) does not allow online sales or any electronic payment.
The retail prize value. At or below $4,000, you get a permit and sales must be in person and paid in cash or cheque. Above $4,000, you get a licence, online and card sales become possible with AGFT approval, and a 2.13% post-event fee applies.
AGFT asks for at least 10 business days before your first day of ticket sales and says the licence usually takes about two weeks. Incomplete applications take longer. Apply early.
CRA-registered charities, religious organisations, sports teams, and community groups registered with the Registry of Joint Stocks, educational institutions, and certain private clubs meeting AGFT's Community Benefit Organizations criteria.
The licence number is the ticket-face rule set out in the Ticket Lottery Regulations. AGFT also expects the organisation's name and address, the ticket price, a prize description, the draw's date, time, and location, and any house rules. The older phrase "licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Division" is not a current requirement.
Nova Scotia does not publish its list of approved Ticket Lottery Suppliers, so we cannot confirm one way or the other from public sources. If you want to use Zeffy for online raffle ticket sales in Nova Scotia, phone AGFT and ask which suppliers are currently on the approved list. Zeffy remains free to use for event tickets, donations, receipts, and donor management around your raffle regardless.
AGFT may require a designated lottery trust account for administering funds tied to the event. Ask AGFT at the application stage. If a designated account is required, open it before you sell the first ticket. Records must be kept for three years.
Nova Scotia's rules generally require a second draw after 90 days if a winner does not come forward. Confirm the exact procedure with AGFT for your specific prize and licence conditions. The 2.13% fee is calculated on prizes actually awarded, not on prize value that goes unclaimed.
Some helpful links for a charity lottery in Nova Scotia.
Here’s a recap of all the documents mentioned in this article:
Get weekly fundraising tips from nonprofits experts
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Keep reading :
Nonprofit software
Free Online Raffle Generator & 12 Best Raffle Apps for Fundraisers
Use our free online raffle generator to draw winners instantly. Plus, compare the 12 best raffle apps and websites for nonprofits — with pricing, features, and reviews.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
.webp)
