Saskatchewan Lotteries: A History of How Amateur Sport Volunteers Secured the Provincial Lottery as a Fundraiser for Sport, Culture and Recreation

Date
2011-04-02
Authors
Gidluck, Lynn
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Publisher
University of Regina Graduate Students' Association
Abstract

Saskatchewan is the only jurisdiction in Canada where the nonprofit sector manages, operates and distributes the proceeds from a state lottery (Azmier 1999 and Canadian Partnership for Responsible Gambling 2010). Since 1974 Saskatchewan Lotteries has been the official fundraiser for amateur, nonprofit sport, culture and recreation. In this system, volunteers determine which groups receive grants and what the funds can be used for. This paper explores why and how the amateur sport sector secured the provincial lottery as a fundraiser for sport, culture and recreation. Historical data, including Hansard, newspaper accounts, annual reports and working papers, and private and public archival sources serve as the starting point for this research. Semi-structured interviews with volunteers, staff, civil servants and political leaders who played a role in the development of the lottery system in Saskatchewan will provide additional, and perhaps alternative, insight to the historical written data. Despite the fact that the lottery system remains the primary fundraising vehicle for such an important part of Saskatchewan’s voluntary sector, very little is known about the origins of this system.

Description
Keywords
Lotteries, Nonprofit sector, Amateur sport, Volunteers
Citation