Drawing the Winning Numbers

The winning numbers could make your dreams come true, but do you know how they are drawn?

Here's a look at the process.

Draws for nationwide games, such as Lotto 6/49 and LOTTO MAX, are conducted by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) using the French-built Ryo-Catteau ball machine.

Held in Toronto, the draws involve an ILC Draws Supervisor, a Trust Officer from Computershare Trust Company and a Grant Thornton LLP auditor.

Before the draw can begin, each Canadian lottery jurisdiction must shut down their systems and confirm that sales are no longer available for that draw. In B.C., this information, along with sales for the draw, are audited by the BCLC auditor and sent to the ILC auditor.

Once the Ryo-Catteau ball machine is tested prior to the draw, the Computershare Trust Officer unseals the lottery balls and loads them into the machine. The balls are regularly tested for weight and circumference.

A press of a button starts the machine's motor and paddles, and pushing a second button loads the balls into the machine. A flip of a switch moves the process from manual to automatic, readying the balls to fall. The Computershare Trust Officer presses the next button to release the balls.

All it takes is about one minute and 38 seconds for the numbers to be drawn and the possibility that some lucky person could become Canada's next millionaire.

Representatives from both ILC and Grant Thornton record each number as it comes out and the numbers are verified in a two-way check.

ILC sends the official winning numbers to BCLC. A Grant Thornton auditor on site verifies the numbers by phone with the ILC auditor, and they are entered into the BCLC game system under the auditor's supervision. The lottery gaming system searches and identifies all player-purchased number selections in B.C. that match the winning numbers.

And the process starts all over again for the next draw.

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