Skill testing questions are a legal requirement attached to many contests in Canada. Contest may refer to: A contest, is an event in which two or more individuals or teams compete against each other, often for a prize or similar incentive. ...

The combined effect of Sections 197 to 206 of the Canadian Criminal Code bans for-profit gaming or betting, with exceptions made for provincial lotteries, licensed casinos, and charity events. Many stores, radio stations, and other groups still wish to hold contests to encourage more purchases or increase consumer interest. A classic example is Tim Hortons' Roll up the Rim to Win, a contest that offers a chance to win with every cup of coffee purchased, with prizes ranging from vehicles to doughnuts. These organizations take advantage of the fact that the law does allow prizes to be given for games of skill, or mixed games of skill and chance. In order to make the chance-based contests legal, such games generally have mathematical skill-testing questions incorporated. The Canadian Criminal Code (formal title An Act respecting the Criminal Law) is the codification of most of the criminal offences and procedure in Canada. ... A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Tim Hortons is a coffee-and-doughnut fast food restaurant chain largely based in Canada. ...

The most common form that these questions take is as an arithmetic exercise. A court decision ruled that these must contain at least three numbers to actually be skill testing; for example, a common question might be "(2 × 4) + (10 × 3)" (Answer: 38). Enforcement of these rules is not very stringent, and especially for small prizes, the player may not be required to answer the skill-testing question to claim a prize. Anecdotally, getting the answer wrong is also often not an obstacle to claiming a prize. For contests held in the United States or other countries that are open to Canadians, the questions must also be asked of any Canadian winner.

The same section of law prohibits receiving consideration in exchange for playing the games, resulting in a related peculiarity of Canadian contests: the "free entry alternative", which is usually telegraphed by the fine print "No purchase necessary". Generally this means that it is possible to enter the contest for free by, for example, writing a letter to the entity sponsoring the contest and requesting a game piece or entry form. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

External links

http://www.gaminglawmasters.com/jurisdictions/canada/SkillvsChanceOct2004.htm