BCLC is authorized to market and distribute lottery tickets within B.C. only. Our lottery products can be purchased from any BCLC lottery retailer in B.C. Look for this sign:



BCLC lottery products are also available for purchase on www.bclc.com

After purchasing your lottery tickets you should do two things:

1. Check the information printed on your lottery ticket(s) before you leave the store. Only information registered in the computer system participates in the lottery.

2. Print your name, address and telephone number in ink on the back of the ticket(s) purchased. If you are a trustee of a group, print "In Trust" after your name.

A ticket can only be cancelled on the same day it is issued and at the same retail outlet.

Tickets produced on draw day, before the draw, can only be cancelled before the draw break (the exception is Keno Advance Buy tickets, which may be cancelled after the first draw but before the second draw).

Sports Action tickets must be cancelled before the cut-off time of the earliest game chosen.

Pacific Hold’em tickets can not be cancelled.

BCLC is authorized to market and distribute lottery tickets within B.C. only.

If you are 19 years of age or older and are visiting our province, you may purchase our lottery products.

While we understand that some companies offer Canadian lottery games, these companies are not affiliated with BCLC.

If you are interested in selling lottery products, read our pamphlets on becoming a BCLC lottery retailer.

If you'd like more information, contact our Sales Department in Kamloops (250) 828-5500 or Vancouver (604) 215-0649.

Hospitals and other charitable and community organizations can be licensed by government to run lotteries to help raise funds.

Lottery retailers pay prizes up to and including $200 on all lotteries and may, at their discretion, pay prizes up to $999.99. Prizes under $10,000 may be claimed at BCLC Prize Payout Offices in Vancouver or Kamloops, at one of five Regional Prize Payout Centres or by mail. All prizes $10,000 or greater must be claimed in person at the BCLC Prize Payout Offices in Vancouver or Kamloops. Contact Consumer Services at 1-866-815-0222 for instructions.

Always sign your name on your ticket. NEVER cut or alter it in any way.

When validating your ticket at a lotto store, listen for the “We’re in the Money” tune and watch the customer display on top of the lottery terminal where the amount of your prize will be displayed. Remember to double check the validation slip the retailer gives you.

Where available, you can also scan your lotto ticket using a “Check a Ticket” terminal to see if you are a winner.

AND, always check your pockets before doing the laundry.

If you're purchasing tickets on behalf of a group of three or more people, you should complete a Group Release Form, which is available from BCLC lottery retailers or you can download a copy here.

The Agreement must be completed by all members of the group and presented by the group trustee when claiming any lottery prizes, including merchandise prizes. Prizes are paid to the group trustee "In Trust."

Lotto 6/49 and LOTTO MAX draws are conducted by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation in Toronto. BC/49, Extra, Keno, Pacific Hold’Em Poker and SportsFunder 50/50 draws are conducted at our Kamloops office. The public is welcome to attend. Contact the Kamloops office to reserve your seat.

BCLC has stringent physical and procedural security in place to ensure the integrity of all draws.

Draws may be conducted by any method established by BCLC. The most common is through computerized draw technology, such as an Automated Draw Machine (ADM).

More details are available in this brochure, How Are Lottery Numbers Drawn?, or contact Consumer Services through our General Feedback Form to receive a copy.

Draw results are available from BCLC lottery retailers, the free publication Luck Magazine displayed at BCLC lottery retailers, on this Web site, various daily and weekly newspapers, and frequently on various radio and TV stations, including BCTV Global and BC CTV late news programs.

Lotto 6/49 and LOTTO MAX (and associated BC/49 and Extra) winning numbers appear on bclc.com as early as 7 p.m.

Lotto 6/49 and LOTTO MAX sales are cut off at 6 p.m. Pacific time on draw days.

BCLC does not notify our lottery winners by telephone, letter or email. Lottery winners claim their prizes by presenting a valid, winning BCLC lottery ticket to an authorized BCLC lottery retailer or to our prize payout office in Kamloops or Vancouver. A valid, winning BCLC lottery ticket may also be mailed to the Kamloops prize payout office.

BCLC pays the prize to the rightful holder of the ticket, and we must receive and validate the winning ticket. We do not know who the rightful ticket holder is until that person contacts us.

The only money you pay to participate in BCLC lotteries is the price of a lottery ticket purchase. BCLC does not charge any service or processing fees for winners to claim their prizes.

BCLC is authorized to market and distribute lottery tickets within the province of B.C. only. We are in no way associated with any other company, other than our authorized BCLC lottery retailers, that claims to offer our product.

You may wish to bring any concerns to the attention of your local police department, or you may write to:

Industry Canada
Fair Business Practices Branch
Suite 2000 - 300 West George St.
Vancouver, B.C. V6B 6E1

Holders of winning lottery tickets, have up to one year from the draw date to claim their prize, unless otherwise announced by BCLC.

The one year time frame to claim a lottery prize does not include claims for prizes won on Instant tickets. Instant ticket prizes must be claimed prior to the expiry date as written on the ticket or as announced by BCLC. For more information on Instant ticket expiry dates, contact Consumer Services through our General Feedback Form; or refer to Luck Magazine; or view the Scratch & Win expiry date chart [PDF].

Unclaimed lottery prizes are those prizes that are not successfully claimed prior to the lottery ticket’s expiration (see “How much time do I have to claim a lottery prize?” question above). Unclaimed prizes from national games, e.g. LOTTO 6/49 and LOTTO MAX, are returned to players through future bonus games or promotions. These funds are held separately from British Columbia-only games and are administered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation.

Unclaimed prizes from games operated solely by BCLC are accounted for annually as part of BCLC’s net income and provided to the provincial government to benefit the people of British Columbia.

When a player purchases a lottery ticket, it becomes a contract between that player and BCLC. Part of the contract is BCLC's right to publicize winners' names and pictures.

Names and photographs of major winners are publicized to protect the integrity of our games. We show that prizes have been won and that winners come from every walk of life.

Prize wins are good news, and our publicity efforts help to ensure the news is shared. So, remember your winning smile when claiming a prize!

You can collect a prize for an Advance Buy ticket before all the draws are completed. A new Exchange Ticket will be printed and given to you for the remaining draws.

Lottery winnings must be claimed from the lottery jurisdiction that sold the ticket. Winnings can be claimed in person in the appropriate jurisdiction or through the mail. An address appears on the back of the ticket.

At this time, lottery, casino and bingo winnings are tax-free in Canada.

In response to the B.C. Ombudsman’s recommendation to improve lottery security, we made a number of changes to strengthen our prize claim process. One of these changes requires players claiming prizes between $1,000 and $9,999.99 to do so in person at one of our Prize Payout Centres. However, we understand that claiming a prize in person is not always a practical option for some players. Therefore, we also offer players the option of processing their prize claim by mail.

To learn more about the process, or to arrange to make your claim by mail, please contact our Consumer Services department toll-free at 1-866-815-0222.

The majority of sales for other lottery brands are quick picks, and consumer research indicates that most people would have one set of numbers they would want to pick, but not three.

Once the main jackpot reaches $50 million, LOTTO MAX kicks into MAXMILLIONS™ mode - additional prizes of $1 million each.

Once the jackpot reaches $50 million, additional jackpot funding will then be directed into additional prizes of $1 million each called MAXMILLIONS™. A separate draw will be held for each additional $1 million prize being offered. Example: $58 million jackpot = One $50 million jackpot + Eight $1 million MAXMILLIONS™.

Any $1 million MAXMILLIONS™ prizes that are not won will be applied to the next week’s base jackpot. So, for example, if four $1 million prizes are not won and the $50 million is won, then the jackpot for the following draw would be $14 million. ($10 million base, plus $4 million)

As with the main jackpot, each MAXMILLIONS™ prize of $1 million will be equally shared among the winning tickets for that prize.

The number of additional MAXMILLIONS™ prizes of $1 million will be determined by the level of sales for the draw.

With its great prizes, $10 million base jackpot and the unique MAXMILLIONS™ draws, LOTTO MAX is great value, with players receiving three chances (seven numbers each) for a $5 play.

When looking at jackpot winners in the short term, statistical anomalies may occur. A longer term view of jackpot winners provides a more accurate picture.

Since BCLC was incorporated in 1985, until the end of fiscal year 2007/08, Ontario and Quebec players have won or shared 67.24 per cent of Lotto 6/49 jackpots. This figure is roughly equivalent to the 66.70 per cent of tickets bought there during this time. Over the same time period, B.C. players won or shared 12.83 per cent of the jackpots and purchased 12.75 per cent of the tickets sold.

Every six-number selection sold for each Lotto 6/49 draw has a 1 in 13,983,816 chance of winning the jackpot, regardless of where the ticket was purchased.

To date, the same set of six numbers has never been drawn more than once.

Lotto 6/49 jackpot estimates are determined by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), which operates this national game. BCLC is a member of ILC and is responsible for marketing Lotto 6/49 within B.C.

Lotto 6/49 jackpot estimates are based on projected sales and payout for the upcoming draw.

As with any lottery product, sales can fluctuate. Providing the most accurate jackpot estimates possible is part of our commitment to offering fair lottery games and allows our players to make an informed decision regarding their gaming choices.

When the changes were made to Lotto 6/49 in 2004, we anticipated jackpots would start out around an estimated $4 million, based on sales patterns at that time. However, ILC has found national sales for Wednesday draws tend to be lower than for Saturday draws, so jackpot estimates have been $3.5 million for Wednesday draws and $4 million for Saturday draws.

The grand prize on BC/49 is set at $2 million.

BC/49 has a smaller player base than the national Lotto 6/49 game and was designed to accumulate funds in its prize pool so that money is available to pay the grand prize when it's won.

Average sales per draw for BC/49 are under $2 million. The only way BCLC can offer a game with a $2 million grand prize for B.C. only is if the game has a jackpot that does not roll to a higher amount.

Poker Lotto is BCLC's new $2 daily lottery game that features two ways to win: an instant win poker game and a traditional lottery draw. Poker Lotto replaces traditional lottery numbers with playing cards. Customers can play a maximum of three plays (hands) per ticket. Cards are based on a standard 52-card deck.

Nightly Poker Lotto draws offer players a chance to win up to $100,000 every day. Additionally, players can win up to $5,000 instantly if their cards form winning poker hands (pair of jacks or better).

No poker skills are required to play Poker Lotto. All instant wins will be displayed on the Player Display Unit and a message will also be printed on the ticket.

For all instant wins, a winning jingle will play and the winning cards, along with the prize amount, will be highlighted on the Player Display Unit. An instant win message will also be printed on the Poker Lotto ticket.

The overall odds of winning any prize on Poker Lotto are 1 in 3.66. The odds of winning a prize on the nightly lotto draw are 1 in 15.01, and the odds of winning a prize on the instant win game are 1 in 4.85.

Poker Lotto tickets can be purchased at all lottery retailers stores and kiosks in B.C.

Tickets for Poker Lotto can be purchased until 11 p.m. PT every night. The Nightly Lottery Draws take place immediately following the 11p.m. draw break. After the Nightly Lottery Draw is complete, sales resume for the next day’s Nightly Lottery Draw.

Poker Lotto draws are conducted using a lottery random number generator.

For more information, download How are lottery numbers drawn

Poker Lotto can only be played by requesting a Quick Pick, meaning a computer randomly generates the cards. There are no selection slips for this game.

Advance Play is not available on Poker Lotto. Customers cannot play consecutive draws on one ticket.

Poker Lotto features a new instant win component whereby players can win instantly; therefore, players must purchase each lottery ticket before the retailer will process the transaction and give the ticket to the player. Retailers are not able to cancel a Poker Lotto ticket once it has been printed.

Poker Lotto has an instant win component to the lottery game; therefore, retailers are not able to cancel tickets once the lottery ticket has been paid for and printed.

The Nightly Lottery Draw in the Poker Lotto game is independent of an actual poker game. It is a traditional lottery draw that replaces numbers with playing cards. Players must match their cards to those drawn on the Nightly Lottery Draw to win.

A pair of Jacks or better is: two Jacks, two Queens, two Kings, or two Aces. Cards rank as follows, lowest to highest: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.

No, there is no guaranteed winner of the nightly lottery draw top prize.

You will know instantly, at the time of purchase, if you are an Instant Winner. For the Nightly Lottery Draw, the draw break is at 11 p.m. PT. The winning numbers for the Nightly Lottery Draw will be available the next business day.

You can do one of two things:

1. Validate the prize immediately. When the retailer validates your winning ticket, an exchange ticket will print. The retailer will give you back your original ticket which is now void, your prize, and the exchange ticket which is valid for the Nightly Lottery Draw.
2. Wait to redeem the ticket after the Nightly Lottery Draw.

Go to your favourite BCLC lottery retailer and ask for a SportsFunder 50/50 Quick Pick. You can choose up ten tickets per draw for up to ten draws in advance. Each selection costs $1. Maximum price per ticket is $100.

The odds for Sports Action games are set by BCLC.

Make a minimum $5 bet on any Sports Action game during the contest period (June 13, 2011 – October 23, 2011). Receive ONE entry for every $5 spent on a single Sports Action ticket (i.e. A $5 ticket is worth ONE entry, a $10 ticket is worth TWO entries).

Enter your details as prompted, including the 20-digit control number from your Sports Action ticket. You must also enter the value of the ticket purchased. All qualifying Sports Action tickets purchased on PlayNow.com during the contest period will be entered into the contest automatically.

Enter between June 13 and October 23, 2011 for your chance to win. See contest conditions for all draw dates and applicable deadlines. Entries must be submitted by 11:59:59 pm PT on October 23, 2011.

The contest starts on June 13, 2011. There are nine draws throughout the contest and each draw has an applicable closing date for receiving entries. All entries must be received before the contest closing date of October 23, 2011.

Draws take place approximately 2 weeks prior to each BC Lions home game throughout the regular season. The draw dates are: June 27, July 11, July 25, August 1, August 29, September 19, September 26, October 17 and October 24, 2011. Refer to the contest conditions for the applicable cut-off times for all draw dates.

Receive ONE entry for every $5 bet on a single Sports Action ticket (i.e. A $5 ticket is worth ONE entry, a $10 ticket is worth TWO entries). All qualifying Sports Action tickets purchased on PlayNow.com during the contest period will be entered into the contest automatically.

There is no limit to the amount of times you can enter, however each entry is only valid for the upcoming draw. Once a draw has occurred, you will need to submit a new entry to be qualified for the next draw.

The prize for each draw is a pair of tickets to an upcoming B.C. Lions home game AND if you are drawn as the $10,000 Quarterback Challenge Participant at that game, you also have the chance to win up to a maximum of $10,000.

• For each successful Completed Pass thrown 5 yards from the Prize Board, the Participant wins $100*
• For each successful Completed Pass thrown 10 yards from the Prize Board, the Participant wins $1,000*
• For each successful Completed Pass thrown 15 yards from the Prize Board, the Participant wins $5,000*

If the Participant is not successful in throwing a Completed Pass, he/she will receive a BC Lions replica jersey (approx. retail value $125 CAD).

Prize(s) must be accepted as awarded. All prizes are non-transferable.

See the contest conditions for complete details

Transportation and any other costs associated with attending are the responsibility of the winner.

The prize is non-transferable and must be redeemed on the day specified by BCLC.

No.

BCLC will contact the winning entrant to certify and declare that the entrant assigned to the ticket ID number is the winning entrant and that the entry and entrant meets the contest conditions.

At lottery retailers in B.C. or online at PlayNow.com.

A qualified entrant is a BC resident 19 years of age or older, except BCLC employees, BC Lions employees, Marqui employees involved in this Contest, BCLC retailers and their respective employees, as well as family and household members of same residing at the same address. A qualified entrant must not be a current or former professional or semi-professional football player or one who has played high school, collegiate or university football at any level (freshman, junior varsity, or varsity etc.) in the past five (5) years.

Contest Conditions [136KB]

There are two top prizes available to be won in each batch of Set for Life tickets that are printed. The top prize is $1,000 a week for 25 years or a lump sum payment of $675,000.

First, call our toll-free (in B.C.) Consumer Services telephone line at 1-866-815-0222, and we'll give you instructions on how to claim the prize.

Set For Life Bonus can be played by individual players or groups. However, should a group win the top prize, they would be awarded the lump sum payment of $675,000. The prize would be paid 'in trust' to the group trustee.

A winner choosing an annuity prize will receive a periodic after-tax payment of $1,000 per week. As with all lottery prizes in Canada, the prize itself is not taxable, however any income earned from the prize is subject to tax. When a winner selects the annuity prize, BCLC arranges for the maximum tax payable to be withheld from the annuity on any income earned and instructs the annuity company to remit that tax to Revenue Canada on behalf of the winner. An annuity prize winner must report this earned income on their tax return. Winners can obtain more information before claiming the prize by calling our toll-free (in B.C.) Consumer Services telephone line at 1-866-815-0222. Winners choosing the $675,000 lump sum payment will not be taxed on their own.

Yes, but a winner of the top prize who lives outside of B.C. will be paid the cash lump sum of $675,000.

The unpaid portion of the prize will be evaluated, and arrangements will be made with the winner's executor to transfer the funds to the estate or the appointed beneficiary. There are some rules and regulations that apply to annuities, so full details will be discussed with the winner at the time of prize claim.

You can purchase Pacific Hold'Em Poker tickets in designated sites in our Hospitality Network and select locations in our Lottery Network.

You can also purchase Pacific Hold'Em Poker tickets online at PlayNow.com.

You can bet $2 per ticket. You can purchase up to 5 tickets per draw.

Five.

Draws take place every 6 minutes. A countdown clock in the bottom left corner of the screen will tell you how much time is remaining until the next draw.

Yes you can raise your bet to $4, $6, $8 or $10 after viewing the cards on your ticket and any time prior to the draw starting. Once the deal animation starts, you can no longer purchase a ticket or raise a bet on any tickets for that draw.

By receiving different tickets (different cards) for each bet and each draw, you have the option of raising your bet or not on each ticket.

One standard 52 card deck is used. There are no jokers or wild cards.

Pacific Hold’Em tickets purchased at Hospitality and Retail locations cannot be cancelled.

Pacific Hold’Em tickets purchased online at PlayNow.com cannot be cancelled and cannot be replayed.

After the draw is over, and the draw results appear on the screen (# of winners and share values) you can validate your ticket.

Online at PlayNow.com, a player can have the PlayNow system validate their Pacific Hold’Em ticket by either clicking the “Validate” button on the game play page or by clicking the “Validate” button in the Active Tickets list.

You win a share for every $2 you bet if you have a better 5-card hand (using one or both of your cards and the community cards) than the four opponents on the screen. A share is determined by the total amount in the prize pot (it’s a parimutuel game).

The best 5 card hand of all the ticket holders will win. Any ticket holder with that winning hand wins a share of the jackpot for every $2 they have bet on their ticket.