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Tim Hortons is trying to make the digital version more appealing, offering more chances to play if you use the app. A customer playing just on the cup only gets one chance to roll up the rim. But a customer who is also registered on the app gets to play on the cup as well as on the app. A customer using a reusable cup — including one of the 1.8 million Tims-branded reusable cups to be handed out next month — gets three roll-ups on the app per purchase.

And while customers using the app will get more chances, the value of the pool of prizes has been cut by more than half, to roughly $29.9 million from 2019’s total retail value of $71.3 million.

The odds of winning on each paper cup are also worse. Last year contestants had a 1 in 6 chance of winning a coffee or food prize. This year it’s 1 in 9. But Tims says that if the number of digital plays meets expectations, the overall odds — including digital roll-ups — will actually be better.



Photo by David Bloom/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency files

In 2019, Roll Up offered more than 43 million coffee and food prizes. This year, it’s offering 17 million. Last year, there were 40 car giveaways and 50,000 Tim Hortons gift cards worth $50 each. Now there are 10 cars and 45,000 gift cards worth $25 each. This year, however, Tims is retiring the familiar losing refrain “please play again”: Instead, each cup that doesn’t win prize can be entered into one of four draws for $100,000.

Tims said the drop is partly because the new Tims loyalty program will be running at the same time as Roll Up, offering customers a range of regular giveaways, including a free coffee or baked good after every seventh purchase. This year’s contest is also two weeks shorter than last year.