Raider fans have been loud and rowdy in the first two games of the playoffs at the Art Hauser Centre. (Image Credit: Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Supporting Raiders eductation fund

Raiders 50/50s making waves around province

Mar 31, 2026 | 3:07 PM

The excitement for the Prince Albert Raiders playoff run has resulted in a couple of big crowds to start the playoffs. That excitement has lead to a couple of huge 50/50 totals in the first two home games of the playoffs.

Game 1 saw a total of $77,420 with a take home total of $38,710, while Game 2 saw $96,370 and a take home total of $48,185.

Raiders Business Manager Mike Scissons was obviously thrilled to see the totals coming in, especially since all the money goes towards sending the players to their post secondary schools.

“It’s 100 per cent of our proceeds go to the Raider Education Fund. School has not gotten cheaper, much like everything else in life. Those bills for education continue to come, which is great. One of the benefits of playing in the Western Hockey League is the year of post-secondary education and books paid for.”

Scissons added that with players now going to the NCAA, those scholarship payments are starting to mount up.

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“We are getting some bills still from aspects of that in the NCAA. So, it’s a pot that we constantly have to keep getting better and bigger, and so this, these go a long way in doing that. Once we get to a point where that’s completely funded, ideally we’ll be able to use some of those funds to fund other community projects in and around Prince Albert.”

While fans in the Art Hauser Centre have done their part to send that total higher, and in fact both tickets that have won the last two games have been from Prince Albert, it’s the online sales that are helping those totals jump up. Online sales are allowed to be purchased anywhere in the province of Saskatchewan, and the Raiders shared a map on social media showing that communities all over the province are getting involved.

A map showing the communities where people have bought a 5050 ticket from the last two games. Scissons there are smaller communities on the map that could be added. (Image Credit: Facebook/Prince Albert Raiders)

“First of all, it’s great to be able to create a map like that to see all the dots on it, and I’ll be honest with saying that there’s a lot more smaller centres which we could have dotted as well, but we felt the message kind of got through there. We’re in constant communication with the people that buy 50/50s from previous draws. We let them know that other ones are coming up. We try to update our fans as much as possible on all our social media channels, and so I would say that, it is a little bit of luck and you always need that, but we’re trying to put a little elbow grease into it as well and push that along and try to make sure everyone is aware of where our 50/50 is at and hoping they can get in and be part of that big draw.”

With that constant communication comes the risk of scams. To buy a 50/50 ticket, one of the things you have to do is submit your phone number so that the Raiders can contact you if you’re the winner, but those collected phone numbers are also used to message anyone that has bought a 50/50 in the past about the next draw coming up.

If you are at all worried you’ve received a fraudulent text message regarding a Raiders 50/50, don’t click the link. Instead, head to the Raiders website and get your ticket directly from the source.

“It’s a perfectly legitimate thing to be weary of, and it’s good that people are. It does come from a 1-833 number, and so I would suggest if you get that text message, and you’re unsure of it, always head to the Raiders website. There’s a box on the right-hand side of our website for purchasing 50-50s. That, off our website, will give you the same information I’m sending you in the text message.”

When it comes to whether the high 50/50 numbers are affecting the atmosphere at the Art Hauser Centre, or if it’s the other way around and the crowd is spurring on that 50/50, it’s a little bit of both. Online sales have created great totals to start the game, but fans seeing that total once they get there have helped push the snowball down the hill.

“I’ve been part of a lot of 50/50’s in my twenty-three years. I was in Saskatoon during the World Juniors when we launched with Tap 5050. You were able to see… there’s a bit of mentality when a pot starts to grow bigger, everyone wants to get involved. The same thing can be said about our jackpots. Once they get a little bit higher, you reach back in your pocket for an extra 20 bucks, you tap your buddy on the shoulder and you see if he wants to split another ticket with you, and you get involved. I think that’s what’s happening with ours, especially at the game. It’s exciting to watch that pot grow, you can see it steadily grow throughout the period, and then once the intermission hits, it’s a sprint to the booth to try to get your ticket.”

Tickets for the next Raiders 50/50 go on sale starting at 9 a.m. on the next Raiders home game day, whether that be a Game 5 between the Raiders and Rebels on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre, or if it’s Game 1 of the second round. The 50/50 is closed at the 5:00 mark of the third period, and all winners from this season are posted here.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com