Contest to sell Saskatoon house cancelled, not licensed by the SLGA

A contest intended to help a man sell his house has been cancelled.

Saskatoon's Adalbert Ozsvath put up his house as the prize in a $10-per-online-entry contest to promote his son Erik's business, Luxikum, which administered the contest.

On Thursday, the contest website replaced its original content with a message that reads "This promotional contest has been cancelled due to technical difficulties."

The website noted that all entrants would receive a refund.

Not licensed by SLGA

The Win My Place contest was not a licensed raffle through the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority. 

While the organizers say it was a contest and therefore shouldn't be considered gaming, SLGA spokesperson David Morris said the process sounded like an activity that did need to be licensed.

"If a person is paying for a chance to be considered for a prize, then that activity is most likely gaming. However, the actual interpretation is more for the police and the courts to consider," Morris said.

Under SLGA rules, only charitable or religious groups can receive a gaming licence, and the proceeds must go to charity.

Skill-based contest, organizers say

Adalbert and Erik Ozsvath declined a follow-up interview, though they did speak to CBC earlier in the week.

"We consulted with a lot of lawyers and we figured out that we could make a skill-based contest by asking people a question before they enter as well as letting people enter for free [by mail]," Erik told CBC. "We [also] checked it out with the Competition Bureau."

If the contest failed to generate enough interest, Erik said a randomly drawn winner would have received $5,000 instead of the keys to a new home.