# Why Do Canadians Have to Answer Math Question to Enter Contest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-have-to-answer-math-question-to-enter-contest/141918 "2002-12-11T02:38:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-have-to-answer-math-question-to-enter-contest/141918/1 "2002-12-11T02:38:59Z")
Occasionally I will come across a contest that is open to Canadian residents too. There is one thing I don’t understand though. Why do Canadians have to answer a simple math question (usu. included with the rules) to enter the contest? What if they win the contest, but fail the math question? Is their prize taken away then? And isn’t this, in effect, discrimination against people who aren’t mathematically literate (or who don’t own a calculator;))? Just wondering. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-have-to-answer-math-question-to-enter-contest/141918/2 "2002-12-11T02:42:44Z")
I think this has been addressed before. In sum: Some state or provincial gambling laws make a distinction between games of chance and games of skill. The former are prohibited. Requiring the contestant to answer a math question, however lame, arguably makes it a game of skill. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-have-to-answer-math-question-to-enter-contest/141918/3 "2002-12-11T03:06:47Z")
Well, actually this question has been asked _several_ times before: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68570&highlight=canadian+contests](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68570&highlight=canadian+contests) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=8046](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=8046) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=39221](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=39221) (You will also notice each time it was asked was before I even became a member on these boards. So there is no way for me to have known about the other times;).) ---
**Author:** ![Ottoerotic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ottoerotic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ottoerotic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-have-to-answer-math-question-to-enter-contest/141918/4 "2002-12-11T04:46:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jim B. \* > \*\* > (You will also notice each time it was asked was before I even became a member on these boards. So there is no way for me to have known about the other times;).) \*\* Yeah, wouldn’t it be great if there was some way to SEARCH and see whats already been asked? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-canadians-have-to-answer-math-question-to-enter-contest/141918/5 "2002-12-11T05:12:50Z")
In Australia we are more sophisticated. We have the “guessing competition” to get around this problem. For example you buy raffle tickets to aid a junior cricket club and have to complete this: J\_N\_OR CR\_CK\_T CL\_B