Private company

British Columbia Lottery Corporation

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Canadian gambling corporation

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is a Crown corporation in the province of British Columbia. The BCLC conducts and manages all lottery, sports betting, and casino gambling in the province, and is the sole licensed online casino operator in BC, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan via its subsidiary PlayNow. Its authority is governed by the Gaming Control Act, and overseen by the province's Independent Gambling Control Office (IGCO).2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1985Founded1

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is a Crown corporation in the province of British Columbia. The BCLC conducts and manages all lottery, sports betting, and casino gambling in the province, and is the sole licensed online casino operator in BC, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan via its subsidiary PlayNow.2

Corporate structure

British Columbia Lottery Corporation sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • British Columbia Lottery Corporation

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What British Columbia Lottery Corporation reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

The story

Lotteries in British Columbia were originally overseen by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) as part of a consortium with Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. In 1985, British Columbia broke away from the consortium and established the BCLC. Lottery revenue was used to help subsidize Expo 86 in Vancouver.

BCLC served as a partner of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver; a special scratch-and-win game called "SportFunder" was launched in 2006, whose revenue provided funding for amateur sports in BC. Its grand prize were tickets to the Games' opening ceremony.

In 2010, the BCLC launched an online casino via its website PlayNow.com; the service was Canada's first legal online casino. In January 2013, BCLC announced a partnership with the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation to launch online gambling in Manitoba via a localized version of PlayNow.

In 2016, PlayNow Sports notably began to allow betting on the outcome of United States presidential elections; the 2016 presidential election would become the most-wagered event in the platform's history (surpassing sporting events including the Super Bowl), with around $800,000 in total wagers. This would be surpassed in 2020, when over $4.5 million in bets were placed on that year's election. In both cases, wagers favoured Donald Trump.

In 2019, the BCLC contracted Intralot to develop and deploy a new retail lottery system; the new cloud-based infrastructure went online in May 2024, accompanied by upgrades to its network of self-service terminals, and a relaunch of its retail sportsbook in September 2024 as ProLine under a revamped platform by Intralot.

In 2024, BCLC established an "AI and Data Innovation Hub" in partnership with UK-based Future Anthem, aiming to collaborate on improving BCLC's products and services via artificial intelligence.

From Wikipedia’s article on British Columbia Lottery Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • lottery

Listed on Wikidata.1

The BCLC's headquarters are located in Kamloops; it is one of the largest employers in the city, with approximately 500 employees.

Lottery products

BCLC sells lottery products such as draw games, retail sports betting, and scratch tickets via retail locations, and a network of self-service terminals situated at licensed establishments (including bars and restaurants) across the province. As a member of the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, BCLC participates in the national Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max, and Daily Grand games. Regional lottery games operated by BCLC include:

BC 49: A regional version of Lotto 6/49, played alongside the national version on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It offers a fixed jackpot of $2 million on each drawing.

BC 50/50: A 50/50 raffle. Drawings are held four times per-day at 1, 3, 6 and 9 p.m. PT.

Read the full text

Keno

Pacific Hold'Em Poker: A Texas hold 'em-based game with draws held every six minutes.

Casinos

BCLC oversees all gaming facilities in British Columbia, which are run by private owner-operators under service agreements with the corporation. As of fiscal year 2025–26, this included 22 full-service casinos, and 12 "community gaming centres" (CGCs)—which are smaller-scale gaming parlours with a focus on slots, bingo, food service, and entertainment. BCLC began to deploy the CGC concept in 2004 as a modernization of the province's bingo parlours. A loyalty program known as Encore Rewards is offered across BC casinos.

In the mid-2020s, a number of commercial casinos in BC began to be acquired by First Nations-run companies; Great Canadian Gaming sold nearly all its properties (aside from its Chances CGC in Dawson Creek) in the province to First Nations, including its River Rock resort in Richmond. Although owned by First Nations-run companies, these properties are still classified and regulated as commercial casinos rather than tribal casinos.

Online gambling

BCLC operates a provincial online casino under the PlayNow.com banner, which includes slots, table games, and sports betting. As part of partnerships with their provincial governments, PlayNow also operates in Manitoba via the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corporation, and in Saskatchewan via the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA).

The BCLC raised concerns over competition with grey market online gambling services that are not licensed to operate in British Columbia, including the extraprovincial marketing of services licensed to operate in Ontario (including via television advertising and media partnerships, which PlayNow has to compete with territorially) under its regulated private market.

Sportsbooks

BCLC offers sports betting online via PlayNow Sports, and at retail under the ProLine brand.

BCLC previously offered retail sports betting under the Sports Action brand. After 33 years, Sports Action was discontinued in May 2024 as part of BCLC's system migration, and re-launched under a new platform as ProLine in September 2024; the revamped game was designed to better compete with grey market sportsbooks by offering a wider array of betting options (including a particular expansion focusing on regional teams) and the possibility for other future capabilities (such as live odds, and integration with BCLC's self-service terminals). The game also transitioned to a paperless model, with users constructing their betting slip using the ProLine app, and then scanning a QR code at a lottery retailer. While other provinces have adopted similar systems, BCLC was the first to discontinue selection slips entirely.

In February 2025, BCLC began to open ProLine Sportsbook Lounges at selected casinos, including the Parq Vancouver.

Responsible gambling

In 2009, BCLC launched a campaign known as "GameSense", which encompasses resources and tools discussing the operation of casino games, and information on responsible gambling practices. BC casinos and CGCs feature GameSense booths where patrons can view these resources and consult with a staff "advisor". BCLC has licensed the GameSense campaign to other gaming operators in Canada, including Alberta's AGLC, and Saskatchewan's SIGA and LGS. It has also licensed the program in the United States, including in the state of Massachusetts, and to MGM Resorts International.

In 2019, BCLC introduced an optional service known as "PlayPlanner", which allows customers to set time and spending limits on electronic gaming machines. BCLC provides voluntary self-exclusion services, branded since 2023 as "Game Break". That year, in order to enhance enforcement of self-exclusion and for other security reasons, a new policy was instituted which requires that valid identification be presented on arrival at all BC casinos.

From Wikipedia’s article on British Columbia Lottery Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Also owns

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1985Founded Founded1