To the Editor,
Re: Lotto scourge irritating, Letters online, April 12.
I would like to provide some additional perspective to a recent letter to the editor regarding national lottery win rates as compared to provincial population figures.
Every lottery ticket sold has the same chance of winning the jackpot, regardless of where it was purchased or the size of the jackpot. If you notice a larger number of winners in larger provinces it’s because more people there are buying lottery tickets, resulting in more winners.
Nearly 30 years of tracking lottery sales and lottery jackpot wins in B.C. and across Canada confirm this.
For example, since 1985, B.C. 6/49 players have won 12.2 per cent of all jackpots and purchased 12.17 per cent of all tickets sold in Canada. During this same time frame, Ontario and Quebec 6/49 players combined purchased 66.9 per cent of all tickets and have won or shared 67.8 per cent of jackpots.
I can assure your readers that lottery draws are conducted with the highest level of security and integrity. Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max draws are managed by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, which consists of members from all the Canadian lottery jurisdictions.
Winning numbers are randomly selected by a traditional Ryo-Catteau ball-drop machine and there are strict security measures in place for every draw. All draws are videotaped. An external auditor, an external trust officer and a draws manager also attend each draw.
All Canadian lottery jurisdictions, including BCLC, take their role very seriously and understand that integrity is the cornerstone of our business.
I hope this information helps shed some light for our players and your readers.
Laura Piva-Babcock,
manager, BCLC Media Relations