British Columbians won more than $802-million in lottery prizes in 2022

A file photo shows the B.C. Lottery Corporations logo outside its Vancouver head office.

British Columbians lucked out on more than $802-million in lottery prizes in 2022, a year that saw the number of winning tickets sold across the province top 100-million.

In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, B.C. Lottery Corporation generated $588-million in lottery gaming revenue, according to its most recent financial report.

“BCLC's gaming revenue is reported net of prizes,” said media spokesperson Shelley Wong.

She said the $802-million in 2022 prize money payouts happened between Jan. 1 and Dec. 8 of last year.

BCLC broke down its 2022 lottery highlights in a news release Tuesday, which include $382.1 million in total prizes paid to players in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. The prize value represents nearly half of province-wide winnings last year.

The Thompson Okanagan region saw the second highest value of total prizes at $226.6 million, with nearly 14 per cent going to one winner.

“West Kelowna’s Jennifer Cole purchased on of these tickets online and scored a $31-million Lotto Max jackpot on July 8…which is the largest prize ever won in B.C. from a ticket purchased on PlayNow.com,” BCLC wrote in a news release Tuesday.

BCLC brought in $1.3-billion in net income in 2022, while its total revenue topped $2.6-billion. In contrast, the corporation’s 2021 revenue totalled $965-million.

“Lottery revenue exceeded budget expectations in all categories and exceeded prior year results in aggregate,” reads BCLC’s 2021-2022 annual services plan report.

“The performance was mainly driven by the favourable Lotto Max jackpot roll patterns that resulted in a record-breaking prize offering of a $70 million main jackpot and 70 MAXMILLIONS (70 individual $1 million prizes).”

The provincial government uses gambling revenue to support investments in programs and services including education, health care, communities and culture.

A partnership between B.C.’s government and First Nations means seven per cent of provincial distributions are shared with Indigenous peoples.