Lotto 6/49 vs BC/49

Canadians have always found fun and entertainment in the lottery with the hopes that one ticket could hold your chance at hitting a life-changing jackpot prize. If you want to enter a lottery draw, there are several lotteries in Canada to choose from. Some are national lotteries, like Lotto 6/49, while others are provincial, like BC/49.

Both Lotto 6/49 and BC/49 are prominent in British Columbia. But what makes these lotteries different from one another? As BC residents take a look at the lottery options available at participating retail locations as well as online at PlayNow and PlayNow’s lottery subscription service, they’ll find a variety of options. It’s essential to understand what makes each lottery different so you have a full understanding of which one you want to play.

Throughout this page, we’re going to compare the formats, payouts, and other features that set Lotto 6/49 and BC/49 apart from one another. Get ready to explore the odds and numbers as you find out which ticket you want to buy this week.

Lotto Rules & Formatting

Lotto 6/49

Lotto 6/49, first launched in 1982, is a nationwide lottery game drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays after 7:30 p.m. (PST). Each Lotto 6/49 ticket includes a chance at TWO Jackpot draws. The Gold Ball Draw is a guaranteed prize draw where a player will win either the Guaranteed Prize of $1 million, or the growing Gold Ball Jackpot that starts at $10 million. The Classic draw offers a prize that is always $5 million.

You must be of legal age in the province in which you purchase a ticket, which is the over the age of 19 in British Columbia.

You might be wondering how to play this popular lotto game. Each ticket includes a chance at both the Classic Draw and Gold Ball Draw. When you purchase a ticket, you can either choose six numbers from 1 to 49 or select a quick pick, which will automatically generate the numbers for you. Your ticket will also include a unique 10-digit number for your Gold Ball Draw entry. To participate in a draw, tickets can be purchased at a participating lottery retailer such as at a convenience store, gas station, grocery store, or a designated lottery kiosk. You can also purchase Lotto 6/49 tickets directly online PlayNow, with the easiest and most convenient way being PlayNow’s lottery subscription.

BC/49

As if we needed another reason to love BC! BC/49 was first introduced in 1992. This lottery follows a very similar format to Lotto 6/49 Classic Draw, where players can choose six numbers from 1 to 49 or select a quick pick that automatically generates the numbers for you. However, the main differences are that this lottery is only available to BC residents and the top prize is fixed at $2 Million every draw. You can choose to purchase a Lotto 6/49 ticket with your BC/49 play and play the same numbers by selecting “Same numbers for Lotto 6/49”.

Lotto Jackpot Prizes

Lotto 6/49

Each Lotto 6/49 ticket includes the chance to win one of the two main Jackpots: Lotto 6/49 Classic draw and Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball draw. Lotto 6/49 Classic draw has a fixed jackpot prize of $5 million. To win this, a player must match all six of their Lotto 6/49 Classic Draw numbers to the 6 numbers drawn. Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball draw has a minimum jackpot of $10 million which grows by $2 Million until the Gold Ball is drawn and the Jackpot is won. Even on weeks when the jackpot prize isn’t won, a ticket holder will still win $1 million. To win the Gold Ball Draw, a player must match their unique 10-digit Gold Ball Draw number on their ticket to the number drawn. The Gold Ball Draw prize is never shared as it is unique to each ticket purchased for that draw.

BC/49

BC/49 has a fixed jackpot of $2 million. Since this is a fixed prize, the amount will not increase if the jackpot isn’t won. To win the BC/49 jackpot, a player must match all 6 of their BC/49 numbers to the 6 numbers drawn.. If there is more than one winner, the prize will be evenly split among them. For example, if four BC ticket holders won, they would each get $500,000.

Additional Prizes

Lotto 6/49

You don’t have to match all six numbers to win a prize from Lotto 6/49. If players match 2 or more numbers they will receive a prize. See below for the breakdown of secondary prizes:

• Five numbers Bonus: $75,000
• Five numbers: $750
• Four numbers: $75
• Three numbers: $10
• Two numbers Bonus: $5
• Two numbers: $3

BC/49

Similar to Lotto 6/49, BC/49 also offers secondary prizes for matching 2 or more numbers. See breakdown below:

• Five numbers Bonus: $75,000
• Five numbers: $750
• Four numbers: $75
• Three numbers: $10
• Two numbers Bonus: $5

Odds Of Winning

Lotto 6/49
6 of 6	1 in 13,983,816
5 of 6 Bonus	1 in 2,330,636
5 of 6	1 in 55,492
4 of 6	1 in 1,033
3 of 6	1 in 56.7
2 of 6 Bonus	1 in 81.2
2 of 6	1 in 8.3

BC/49
6 of 6	1 in 13,983,816
5 of 6 Bonus	1 in 2,330,636
5 of 6	1 in 55,492
4 of 6	1 in 1,033
3 of 6	1 in 56
2 of 6 Bonus	1 in 81

Ticket Prices & Sales

Lotto 6/49

Each ticket for Lotto 6/49 costs $3. Players have the option to add the extra for $1 each, up to 10 extras. Since this lottery launched, it has generated over $66 billion in sales. However, over $33 billion in jackpot prizes has been won. On average, roughly $14 to $15 million is generated in a week of ticket sales.

BC/49

BC/49 tickets are only $1 a play. For less than a cup of coffee, you can enter for a chance to win $2 million. Players can add the extra for $1 to their BC/49 ticket, similar to Lotto 6/49. Unfortunately, there isn’t any public information on the rate of sales for this lottery draw.

Lotto Draw Schedule

Lotto 6/49 and BC/49 are drawn every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:30pm PST. Want to know the easiest way to ensure you never miss a draw? Check out PlayNow’s lottery subscription service. You can arrange to have the service automatically purchase your tickets for each draw. You’ll never miss a chance to win a Jackpot again.

How The Lottery Impacts Local Communities in BC

Even if you don’t win  on your lottery ticket, your purchase can still impact the community. Money generated from lotteries in BC is used to support several organizations that are essential to the community, such as education, healthcare, and community programs.