Ahead of the Flames highly anticipated game in NHL playoffs, the Calgary Flames Foundation announced the 50/50 raffle will be postponed until further notice.
On Thursday, the Flames defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the qualifying series to progress to the round of 16 — and since audiences can’t physically attend the game, fans have looked to the internet to participate in the online 50/50 draw.
However, Albertans will have to keep their money in their pockets for Tuesday’s game as the foundation announced the postponement of the online raffle system due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
“When we say unforeseen circumstances, we saw that there were problems,” executive director Candice Goudie said.
“We’re talking about multi-million dollar jackpots, so we’re preparing for that.”
The postponement comes following last week’s issues with the Edmonton Oilers online 50/50 draw which experienced “unprecedented issues” in large part thanks to enormous demand.
People buying tickets told Global News they experienced several problems, including geofence blocking them from buying tickets even though they were located in Alberta and the site crashing during purchases with the sale going through on a credit card anyways.
Following the service issues, organizers offered full refunds to any customer who wanted them.
On Tuesday, Goudie said she the Flames Foundation has also run into server issues.
“We’ve had hiccups for sure with our technology, but nothing significant,” she said, adding the foundation has postponed the raffle in hopes of better preparing the system for a large volume of customers.
“Really we just want to do as many tests and checks and balances as possible to make sure we’re operating on the level needed based on the demand that is there.”
In an online statement on Tuesday, the foundation noted it is working “alongside our software partner to enhance our online 50/50 system” and that the raffle will be postponed “until further notice.” However, Goudie said she doesn’t expect the delays to last for long.
“We don’t anticipate extended delays, but that’s why we’re doing this testing,” she said.
“We are blown away and extremely grateful. It’s a really good thing for charities in Alberta and the funds we’ll be able to distribute because of it, but we just want to make sure the consumer experience is as equally positive.”
The Flames are set to play the Dallas Stars Tuesday afternoon as their first game in the series of the round of 16.
— With files from Kirby Bourne, Global News