Background of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation
The BCLC was established in 1985 under the provincial Company Act, later replaced by the Business Corporations Act. It has a single shareholder, the province itself. The role and remit of the BC Lottery Corporation is listed in the provincial Gaming Control Act. The GCA stipulates that the BCLC is responsible for conducting and managing all commercial gambling in British Columbia.
Twelve years after the BC Lottery Corporation was formed to operate lotteries in BC, amendments were made to the provincial Criminal Code. Check out the best Canadian gambling sites if you want to learn more about the legal situation in the country. The 1997 amendments expanded the BCLC’s remit. The Lottery Corporation was given responsibility for operating commercial casinos and bingo in the province.
In 2004, the Crown corporation launched an online gambling site, enabling players to buy lottery tickets online. In 2010, the online gambling site was expanded to include casino games. As such, British Columbians can choose to play at the top 10 Canadian online casinos or at the province’s proprietary online casino. Of course, if you decide to play outside the province, you can take advantage of the best online casino bonus for Canadian players.
The BCLC is overseen by a Board of Directors. A board of up to 11 members is appointed by the provincial government. The Board reports to the Attorney General and provides a range of reports including annual service plans and financial information. The corporation’s CEO and executive team attend regular meetings with the Board. While the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch is the government body responsible for the regulation of the BCLC and for ensuring the overall integrity of gambling in British Columbia.
We have collated contact details and other useful information about the BCLC:
| Name: | British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) |
|---|---|
| Business Type: | Crown Corporation |
| Founded: | 1985 |
| President & CEO: | Jim Lightbody (Medical Leave) |
| Interim President & CEO: | Greg Moore |
| Chairman of the Board: | Peter Kappel |
| HQ Address: | 74 Seymour Street West, Kamloops, British Columbia, V2C 1E2 |
| HQ Phone: | (250) 828-5500 |
| HQ Fax: | Fax: (250) 828-5631 |
| consumerservices@bclc.com | |
| Website: | www.bclc.com |
| Marketing & Sales Office: | 2940 Virtual Way Vancouver, BC V5M 0A6 |
| Marketing & Sales Office Phone: | (604) 215-0649 |
| Customer Support Phone: | 1-866-815-0222 |
| Customer Support Hours: | Daily 07:00 – 00:00 PST |
The Role and Responsibilities of the BCLC
The BCLC aims to deliver excellent gambling entertainment to players in the province, for example, similar to the gambling experience that you can find only at safe online casinos in Canada. The organisation’s vision is to operate gambling responsibly to ensure that it benefits all British Columbians. While the values of integrity, respect, and social responsibility are at the heart of the operation.
The corporation’s commitment to providing socially responsible gambling entertainment underpins everything they do. The BCLC invests millions into research and education to help BC residents enjoy their games responsibly. The Lottery Corporation has developed the GameSense program. It aims to keep gambling safe by providing players with the tools they need to make informed choices.
The corporation’s innovative approach to responsible gambling and player health has been recognized throughout the industry. BC residents must be at least 19 years old to gamble on BCLC Keno, sports betting or any other type of gambling game. The Lottery Corporation sets various standards and practices to ensure that underage gambling does not happen within the province.
A key responsibility of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation is to generate funds to support the province. Revenues from BCLC gambling games are invested back into the province to support a wide range of programs, including healthcare, education, and community programs. In the 2018/19 fiscal year, the BCLC generated $1.4 billion in net income for the province.
Gambling Products Provided by the BCLC
The BC Lottery Corporation originally provided lottery games as a way to generate funds for the province. Over the years, their remit has expanded. The BCLC currently operates four main lines of business; lottery, sports betting, land-based casinos and online gaming. In the following sections, you will find out more about the gambling games the British Columbia Lottery Corporation provides to BC residents.
BCLC Lottery – Lotto Max, Keno, and Other Popular Games
The BCLC offers a range of lottery games, with both provincial and national games available. The provincial Lottery Corporation works in conjunction with the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) to offer the country’s three national lottery games in BC. 7 BC only games are also offered. Here is a full list of BCLC lottery games:
- Lotto Max
- Lotto 649
- Daily Grand
- BC49
- BC 50/50
- Keno
- Scratch & Win
- Poker Lotto
- Pacific Poker Hold’em
- Pull Tabs
Of the various BCLC lottery games, some are more popular than others. Lotto Max, for instance, is a national lottery game that is a big hit with BC residents. Lotto Max drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday. With a jackpot prize starting at C$10 million, is among the most popular online lotteries in Canada. Keno is the most popular BC only lottery game. BCLC keno draws take place every three and a half minutes, with prizes reaching up to C$200,000.
There are approximately 3500 retailers throughout BC that sell tickets for lottery games. Each ticket that is purchased contributes to communities across BC. In the 2018/2019 fiscal year, sales of lottery tickets generated $536 million for the province. While over $700 million was won on BCLC lottery games in 2018.
Casinos – Land-Based Gaming in BC
As the sole provider of legal gambling in the province, the BCLC sets the standards and procedures which all land-based gaming service providers must adhere to. British Columbia is home to over 40 casinos and community gaming centres. BC Lottery Corporation land-based gaming venues are comprised of:
- 18 casinos
- 3 bingo halls
- 17 community gaming centres
BC casinos are permitted to offer a full range of casino games, including slot machines, and table games such as roulette, blackjack, and poker. While community gaming centres are not permitted to provide table games, offering only slot machines and/or bingo. There are 13,678 slot machines and 480 table games currently available at BCLC gaming facilities.
The BCLC oversees all land-based gaming operations and monitors equipment. They also supervise private sector businesses that manage the day-to-day operation of the gambling facilities. The corporation is also responsible for evaluating potential new gaming facilities, to ensure they are set up in suitable locations and with the best interests of local communities in mind. Casino and community gaming operations generate the largest proportion of the BCLC’s revenue for the province, generating over $1900 million in 2018/19.
Sports Betting – Parlay Sports Bets in BC
Sports betting is legally offered in British Columbia only by the BCLC. The Lottery Corporation provides two different sports betting products, Sports Action and PlayNow Sports. Sports Action was the original sports betting product, launched in 1991. These sports bets can be placed in most BC lottery retailers, with types of bets including over/under lines, point-spread, and oddest 3-outcome.
While Sports Action was made available online in 2004, it was replaced in 2012 by PlayNow Sports. The BCLC online sports betting site gives BC gamblers more betting options, with more sports and types of bets available. Under the Canadian Criminal Code, parlay betting is the only permitted type of sports betting. As such, all sports bets offered by the Lottery Corporation must be on a minimum of 2 sporting events.
BC Online Gambling – Casino, Lotto, and Sports
Since 2004, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation has offered online gambling options to British Columbians. The PlayNow website originally offered the option to buy BCLC keno and other lottery draw tickets. Since 2010, British Columbians have also been able to enjoy a rich selection of real money casino games. Here are the gambling games that you can play on the BCLC online gambling site:
- Slots
- Roulette
- Blackjack
- Poker
- Craps
- Live Dealer Games
- Lottery
- Keno
- Sports Betting
Like many of the best Canadian blackjack sites, the BCLC online casino provides a diverse selection of traditional table games and innovative variants. Yet it is slots that dominate the game selection and are the preferred games of many British Columbians. Over 190,000 BC residents use the online gambling site.
The BCLC gambling website supports various payment methods, including PayPal, Interac, and WEBCASH. Although cryptocurrencies are not supported. So, BC players that want to gamble at a bitcoin casino in Canada would need to look to sites outside of the province. As with all land-based forms of gambling offered by the BCLC, online gambling revenues are invested in projects and services to benefit the province’s communities. The province’s eGaming revenues for 2018/19 totalled around $150 million.
BCLC Winners – The Luckiest British Columbians
Having delved into the role of the BC Lottery Corporation and the types of gambling products they provide, we will now reveal some of the lucky winners that have struck it rich playing lotto games in BC. When you play the BCLC lottery, you agree to your winner’s story being publicized. The Crown corporation publishes winners to provide transparency and promote the integrity of their games. Here are some of the most interesting winner’s stories.
Joseph Katalinic – Lotto Max BCLC Record-Breaking Jackpot Win
Retired fisherman, Joseph Katalinic won BC’s biggest ever lotto jackpot. The 84-year-old BC resident matched all 7 numbers to win $60 million on the July 26, 2019 Lotto Max draw. He had to check his Lotto Max BCLC ticket three times before he could believe that he had won. Joseph celebrated with a shot of whiskey and is looking forward to sharing his winnings with his daughters.
Two Times Lucky for BCLC Keno Winners
Two Vancouver Island brothers had luck shining on their side when they scooped a combined $36,015 on two BCLC Keno draws, playing with the same six numbers. Daniel Boylan bought his winning ticket for a draw on October 8, 2019, in Shawnigan Lake. His younger brother, Kenneth purchased his ticket for a draw the following day in Duncan. The brothers have played BCLC lottery together for many years. The siblings previously hit the headlines when they won BC’s largest Scratch & Win prize, landing $2.5 million on the $250 Million Golden Treasures Scratch & Win game in 2017.
WC Brings Lottery Glee
While there are many lucky BCLC winners whose stories are worth mentioning, this one caught our attention. Tibor Tusnady won $16.4 million on the Lotto 6/49 draw on April 15, 2020. What makes this winners story stand out is that Tibor was sat on the toilet when he discovered his life-changing win. Mr Tusnady checked his ticket against the winning numbers on his phone while attending to a call of nature and could not believe his luck. He plans to spend his winnings on travelling, once the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved.
FAQ
To complete our review of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, we have created a handy FAQ section. We have researched what people most frequently ask about the Crown corporation and its games. We have collated the most common questions about the BCLC and below, you will find the answers. And if you’re located in British Columbia and looking for some gambling action, have a look at our dedicated page and pick your favorite BC online casino.
