May 29, 2019
Fee removal effective June 1, 2019
In the April 2019 budget, the Government of Ontario announced that it would continue to support Ontario charities and their fundraising efforts by eliminating the 4.46% Provincial Break Open Ticket (BOT) fee charged to BOT licensees in third-party locations.
By removing this fee, charities will have an opportunity to keep more of the revenue raised through the sale of BOTs. It is estimated that charities throughout the province will save more than $4 million a year through the elimination of this fee.
The AGCO will stop collecting this fee as of June 1, 2019. This fee will be removed for any BOT purchases invoiced on or after June 1. This means that the AGCO will continue to collect the Provincial BOT fee for all purchases invoiced prior to June 1.
In accordance with the established rebate procedure, unsold tickets purchased prior to June 1 will be eligible for a rebate for the 4.46% Provincial BOT fee until December 31, 2019.
The removal of this fee will not affect the charitable gaming regulatory framework or result in any changes to charities’ BOT reporting requirements, terms and conditions or how other BOT expenses are calculated at this time.
The AGCO is committed to continuing to work collaboratively with the charitable gaming sector to address key issues in the BOT industry. If you have any questions or require further clarification regarding this change, please contact Rusty Parr, Gaming Registration Officer at 416-314-0539.
For more information, see the Break Open Ticket Licensing Overview, submit your questions online at iAGCO or call (416) 326-8700 or toll free 1 (800) 522-2876.