EDMONTON -- The draw for the Oilers $15.2-million 50/50 pot will not be made before customers who were charged multiple times have a chance to void the tickets.

The contest – which has been called the largest 50/50 raffle in sports history by the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation – drew dozens of complaints since launching Friday.

The EOCF said Monday fans will have until 12 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, to submit for refund.

“Money for any void tickets will then be returned into bank accounts. Once all the requests for void tickets are entered, a winner will be drawn,” a statement reads.

Raffle buyers will receive an email on Monday with information about their options:

  • Fans who erroneously received multiple email confirmations and charges are asked to forward their email confirmation for any tickets they wish to cancel to Void5050@EdmontonOilers.com;
  • Fans who wish to cancel tickets can also forward their email confirmation to that email; and
  • Fans who did not receive a confirmation email and would like a copy are asked to email Confirm5050@EdmontonOilers.com. They will need to also include their first name, last name and email address, exactly as it was given during the purchase. If after receiving the confirmation they want to cancel the purchase, they can follow the first direction.

Anyone who has already requested their tickets be voided are asked to do the above step to ensure the process was done correctly.

The EOCF warned customers the email addresses will not respond to general inquiries; other questions can be sent to 5050@edmontonoilers.com.

Shortly after Aug. 7 50/50 opened, customers began reporting location errors, which prevented them from purchasing tickets, or system failures which resulted in others being charged for multiple purchases.

“Due to unprecedented demand, our technology provider's servers were overwhelmed with requests to purchase tickets.

“At certain points, demand for tickets exceeded $100,000 per minute. This traffic load caused certain issues including slow loading times, geo-location errors and duplication of some orders,” read an OEG statement on Saturday.

“The integrity of the draw is intact. We apologize for the inconvenience, and the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation will post the winner as soon as possible.”

When the Edmonton Oilers played Monday and Wednesday, the 50/50 pots reached $3.2 million and $5.4 million, respectively.