Skill-testing question

A question — typically a multi-step arithmetic problem — that a Canadian winner must answer correctly before receiving a prize.

Canadian promotions conventionally include a skill-testing question so the outcome is not determined purely by chance. The usual form is a four-step arithmetic problem, answered unaided and without a calculator, within a stated window after the winner is contacted.

It is market convention supported by the way lottery schemes are restricted, rather than a single line in a statute — which is why it is worth including even though nothing spells out its exact form. Ask it after the draw, and state in the rules what happens if the answer is wrong.

See Canadian giveaway rules for creators.

Sources

• Criminal Code, s. 206 — Offences in relation to lotteries and games of chance — Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada · Statute — Tier 1

Guides that use this term

• Sweepstakes vs contest vs lottery: what creators are actually running
• Canadian giveaway rules for creators (including the Québec change)