MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation is pleased to announce the return of its popular 50/50 raffles for the 2024-25 season, now with an improved format offering fans even more chances to win. Participants 18 and over across the province of Quebec can enter for a shot at the cash jackpot during every home game, as well as the early bird prize drawn following every road trip. Tickets can be purchased online at 5050.canadiens.com as well as in person during Canadiens games at the Bell Centre.
To kick off the new campaign, the Foundation launched a Mega Raffle in September that ran through the entire preseason schedule. Early bird prizes were drawn during all six exhibition games, home and away, and ticket sales were cumulated into a single massive jackpot that will be drawn at the end of the home opener on October 9 at the Bell Centre. The current Mega Raffle jackpot has already surpassed $250,000 and is poised to become the largest 50/50 jackpot in Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation history. Last year, the Mega Raffle jackpot climbed to an unprecedented $337,315.
Early bird prizes will continue to be drawn throughout the regular season when the Canadiens hit the road. Raffle tickets purchased during each road trip will be eligible to win an early bird prize drawn at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the next home game. The winner of each early bird prize remains eligible to win the next respective cash jackpot, giving fans who buy raffle tickets in advance two chances to win. Autographed memorabilia, exclusive merchandise, game and concert tickets, as well as money-can’t-buy experiences will be featured as early bird prizing this season, alongside other special promotions and surprises.
The success of the Foundation’s 50/50 raffles depends on the incredible generosity of fans and the dedication of volunteers selling tickets in person during home games. Additionally, the Foundation has entrusted BUMP, a division of Canadian Bank Note (CBN), to continue providing the technology that powers these large-scale electronic raffles with unlimited jackpots.
During the 2023-24 season, 50/50 ticket sales totaled a record-breaking $3.6 million at Canadiens games, resulting in over $1.8 million in cash prizing being awarded to 41 lucky winners. The other half of the proceeds benefit the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation's flagship BLEU BLANC BOUGE program, which promotes a healthy, active lifestyle among thousands of children across Quebec. Each year, over 250,000 underprivileged youth benefit from the initiative, which involves the construction and activation of outdoor, refrigerated community rinks in underserved areas. The 14 rinks—with a 15th currently under construction in Quebec City—are brought to life year-round with structured programming that introduces kids to various sports like ice skating and ball hockey.
