Mandate and Objectives for a Good Cause

Mandate

On December 2, 1997, the Société des bingos du Québec (SBQ) received a mandate from the Québec government to market network bingo products in bingo halls.

Objectives

This mandate alone does not represent the full scope of the SBQ, whose primary objective is to breathe new life into Québec's bingo industry and increase revenue for those non-profit organizations (NPOs) that have selected bingo as their source of financing.

Actions

The network bingo games are integrated into the regular bingo programming of almost 70 participating bingo halls across Québec. The introduction of network bingo in Québec halls has resulted in:

• The creation of innovative gaming activities
• The offer of bigger prizes
• The introduction of entertainment other than games (activities, shows, etc.)

Results

This new offer has resulted in:

• Stabilized NPO revenues generated by traditional products
• A significant increase in total NPO revenue

The marketing of network bingo products has positively transformed Québec's bingo industry. As a form of entertainment, bingo now gives back to the community; since the creation of the SBQ, over $120 million has been distributed to NPOs.

Contributions to NPOs

Since April 2002, the SBQ has distributed all of its proceeds to NPOs participating in the marketing of network bingo. This measure testifies to the Corporation's desire to do everything possible to increase the efficiency of the bingo sector as a fund-raising tool for NPOs.

The SBQ's financial statements are integrated into Loto-Québec's Annual Report.