Convenience stores now selling tickets for RVH Auxiliary 50/50 and Split the Pot Lottery

Convenience stores now selling tickets for RVH Auxiliary 50/50 and Split the Pot Lottery in Barrie Ont. on April, 17 2025. (CTV News / Luke Simard)

Tickets for the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) Auxiliary Community 50/50 and Split the Pot Lottery are now available at convenience stores across Barrie, marking the first time non-OLG lottery tickets have been sold in retail outlets in the region.

The initiative, launched in March at participating stores, brings two volunteer-led fundraising lotteries to a broader, local audience. Proceeds from both raffles support the RVH Auxiliary’s $5 million pledge to the hospital’s Keep Life Wild campaign.

“The first half of our $5 million pledge is going towards much needed renovations to our neonatal intensive care units,“Lise McCourt, president of RVH Auxiliary said, “The second half of the pledge is going to a third MRI for RVH which will be a huge help for our patients in reducing wait times to get an MRI.”

Lottery tickets will be available at 11 local convenience stores around the city of Barrie including Zel in the north end of Barrie.

The owner of Zel Convenience, Majo Sebastian said residents are taking advantage of buying the lottery tickets in his store.

“We have already sold $1,000 worth of tickets within a few weeks, all the customers are excited,” Sebastian said. “They usually go online to get their tickets, now they can purchase the tickets here along with their other purchases.”

The RVH Auxiliary Community 50/50 has been running monthly since 2020 with over 180 winners taking home a total of over $10 million in cash prizes.

The Split the Pot Lottery has raised over $11,000 for the RVH Auxiliary with a former winner taking home more than $22,000 in prize money. All Split the Pot Lottery tickets purchased in Barrie will directly benefit the hospital.

“Our first one was in the middle of the pandemic, and this has really helped raise important funds for our hospital and thanks to the community for their support, and this draw, we are getting very close to completing that pledge,” McCourt said.

Sixty per cent of each monthly jackpot goes to a grand prize winner, while two secondary winners share 20 per cent and 10 additional winners spilt the remaining 20 per cent.

Lottery proceeds go directly to the RVH Auxiliary, which funds equipment and services to improve patient care at RVH.

“The volunteers have been raising money for the hospital since 1897 and we have raised about $20 million so far, it’s a huge commitment that our volunteers have made to our hospital,” McCourt said. “What an honour to be able to raise money for our community, for our hospital, for our patients, we are dedicated to our hospital.”