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It was a record-breaking year for BCLC winners

More than 86 million winning lottery tickets sold in B.C. this year
lotto-60million
Richmond's record-breaking Lotto winner Joseph Katalinic. (via Contributed)

It was a great year for lottery winners in the province.

From Tumbler Ridge to Richmond, Merritt to Port Alberni, BCLC paid out a record-breaking $785 million in winnings in 2019.

This was the highest value of prizes paid out in BCLC’s history. As if that wasn’t enough, a second record was set this year when Richmond’s Joseph Katalinic won $60 million from the July 26, 2019 Lotto Max draw the largest single lottery prize ever awarded in B.C.

“Playing the lottery is about the chance to have life-changing dreams come true and this year’s record-breaking amount of winnings has delivered bigger dreams than ever before for our players,” says Kevin Gass, BCLC’s vice-president of lottery gaming in a news release. “Our players won more than 86 million times in British Columbia in 2019 — now that’s something to celebrate.”

B.C. also had a flurry of four consecutive $1 million guaranteed Lotto 6/49 prize wins from Nov. 20 to 30 (the second time that has ever happened in B.C.).

Here’s a list of 2019’s big winners:

  • Richmond’s Joseph Katalinic - $60 million Lotto Max winner
  • Surrey’s Michelle De Roma - $39.5 million Lotto Max winner
  • Merritt’s Rowena Inyallie and George Munro $25.9 million Lotto Max winners
  • Telkwa’s Kenneth and Susan Salter $20 million Lotto Max winners
  • Tumbler Ridge’s Vivienne Mills - $10.1 million Lotto 6/49 winner
  • Port Alberni’s Madelaine and Harold Thomas - $5 million Lotto 6/49 winners

Last year, more than $1 billion generated by BCLC gambling activities, including lottery, went back into health care, education and community groups across B.C.