WCLC Exposed — Lots of Promise, Missing Functionalities
WCLC Review
The Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) is a pretty popular entity if you live in that part of the world and you like games of luck.
Canada, as a whole, is well-known for digital innovation in the world of lotteries. Many local entities have their own websites and online platforms, facilitating the acquisition of those much-coveted lottery tickets. Unfortunately, Western Canadians aren’t in a lot of luck when it comes to such possibilities. Chances for online ticket buying are pretty limited, and there are lots of conditions.
Needless to say, that’s a pity, especially when the rest of Canada is doing oh-so well in the realm of online ticket sales.
So, what exactly is WCLC doing and not doing through its online platform? While local players have access to a couple of good services, there’s still a lot left to be desired.
Find out why people prefer 24Lottos to WCLC
Games at WCLC.com
The Western Canada Lottery is the entity that organizes and supervises the execution of all locally-represented games of luck.
So, whether you’re interested in WCLC Lotto Max or WCLC 649, they are the guys for you. Not only that, the portfolio of the Western Canada Lottery Corporation brags a range of additional opportunities like Daily Grand, Western Max, Western 6/49, Keno, Poker Lotto, and others.
Now, the big question remains unanswered – can you play the WCLC lottery online? The WCLC website itself does NOT make such opportunities available. And if you take one look at it, you’ll know that you have to keep your expectations pretty low. The design is severely outdated, and it definitely doesn’t look like the official online representation of an actual lottery entity.
If you are a Manitoba resident, you’re the only one in luck as far as Western Canadian lotteries go. There is a platform called PlayNow.com, and it allows those from Manitoba to buy Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Western Max, and Western 6/49 tickets online.
BCLC rather than WCLC operates that platform. Hence, the decision is once again made on a regional level to offer players some convenience and modernity.
Everyone else living in Western Canada is for now restricted to old-school, offline ticket buying. We really hope that the situation will change shortly as WCLC has some really popular and beloved games in its portfolio.
WCLC and Claiming Your Prizes
Since WCLC winners do not have an opportunity to play the lottery online, they’re also severely limited when claiming a prize (surprise, surprise!).
Other than that, the prize claim procedures are quite straightforward.
Sums of up to 1,000 Canadian dollars can be claimed immediately at any lottery retail venue. The player will need to present the winning ticket. Sums of over 1,000 dollars will need to be cashed out at the WCLC prize payout office.
Prize claims by mail are also possible. If you’re interested in any of these options, you can give the WCLC hotline a call to learn more about the respective procedure.
Who Can Play?
WCLC lottery games are open to anyone who meets the local legal requirements.
If you live in Western Canada and you’re considered an adult by law, you are in luck. Ticket purchases are readily available.
Sadly, you cannot buy online tickets unless you live in Manitoba. The online platform that works locally does not accept entries from outside of the province. If you live in another part of Canada or you are a resident of another country, you will have no opportunity to test out the lucrative nature of Western Canadian lottery games.
WCLC Lotto: Who’s Behind It?
The Western Canada Lottery Corporation is obviously the entity behind the WCLC website.
WCLC was set up as a non-profit organization back in 1974. It operates lottery and gaming-related activities, including sports betting on top of the range of draw-style games.
As of now, its members are the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
All of this information can help you rest assured that the website and the games linked to it are legit. WCLC is run under strict governmental regulations about playing lotteries and distributing prizes. There are whatsoever no red flags or reasons to worry.
The same applies to the PlayNow portal, as it works under strict regulations in Manitoba to ensure fairness and transparency.
Other Bits and Pieces
There are several other characteristics worth putting under our magnifying glass.
The first one is the so-called WCLC pools. A pool is a form of group play that allows multiple people to put their resources together in an attempt to win bigger (and more) prizes from the lottery.
Group play is officially defined under the WCLC terms and conditions, which is a good thing. There have been numerous instances of syndicate play or pools falling apart after winning. One member will end up claiming the money for themselves, which will eventually contribute to lengthy and costly legal battles.
WCLC pools start with the signing of a Group Buy Agreement (available via the website) that defines who’s buying what and how the money will be split later on. Obviously, this document doesn’t prevent a pool member from acting shady later on, but it gives the “partnership” a framework.
WCLC offers another interesting feature that’s called “play by subscription.” Play by subscription is available to both individual fans of the lottery and pools.
WCLC lotto makes it possible to engage in advance ticket buying for a period of up to a year. Subscriptions are available for Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Western Max, Western 6/49, and Extra. Luckily, a subscription can be bought online. Keep in mind, however, that some time will be needed for the processing of the subscription. As a result, a player may not be entered into an upcoming drawing. A single subscription can be activated for anywhere between 14 and 104 drawings. There are also combo offers, allowing the purchase of subscription packages for more than one game.
Why You Should Register with WCLC
Pros:
An official regional entity that offers all of the local Canadian games
Manitoba residents have the option to buy their lottery tickets online
There are some nice added perks for dedicated lottery players
Pools (group play) are available
Subscriptions make it possible for the most dedicated lottery fans to ensure advance play in their favorite game for up to one year
A pretty simple and straightforward prize claim procedure
Why You Shouldn’t Register with WCLC
Cons:
Online ticket buying is still not possible in the vast majority of the Western Canada territory
There are restrictions for online play in Manitoba, and lotto enthusiasts out of the state cannot participate
The WCLC website design is very dated and lacking in functionality
Is WCLCorporation Legit?
As the final part of our research, we tried to find WCLC reviews online to discover whether someone has had an incredibly great or a pretty disappointing experience with the portal. We didn’t come across any major red flags or serious complaints. If you have a certain kind of experience that you’d like to share with everyone, you can leave that information in a comment within this article.
So, to sum things up – WCLC has a lot of promise, but it misses the mark in more than one way. This was a surprise to us, especially considering how other regional agents in Canada are performing within the realm of digitization.
Should you give WCLC lotteries a try? The following list of advantages and shortcomings will help you make up your mind.
The chances are that things will change in the future. Right now, WCLC does not have that much to offer in terms of a WCLC app or a one-stop-shop WCLC home page. If you want to give WCLC lotteries a try, you should definitely go ahead. Everything appears to be legit, even though WCLC still sticks to an old-school operational approach.
Salem Ben Mohammed
Why winners are always from Quebec and Ontario and rarely from the other provinces. Please don’t tell us because of the big number of tickets sold in those provinces. In this case why should we participate since the winner is from this place?
With all my respects.
Thank you
Nikki Bentley
I received a 50$ Super Pack for Xmas 2021. I was under the impression that each pack had at least 1 winning ticket…even if only 2$. Merry Xmas…I won nothing. Wclc u suck.
Annyta Lyons
I am a gambler by blood. I have been playing the 6/49 since it started. I have been buying scratchies since I was of age. I even won a mustang convertible. It can happen to anyone who buys a ticket. If you have that lucky feeling, buy a ticket. You can’t win if you don’t.
Susan Bergunde
I received an email from WCLC after I wrote them and asked why they continue to print millions of tickets, for each separate game, and misinform people by having the prizes seem more than they really are. They advised me that is 60% chances of winning, 40% change of losing (another lie) and also wrote, in the same email, that realistically your chance of winning is “extremely” low. Also when they claim a percentage of each ticket win (ie 3.9) in actuality, you might not win in 20 tickets. But don’t despair, I’ve been keeping track for 3 years. Kept all my tickets, losses and wins. I am meeting with the person who will change the way in which they mislead the public, hopefully take away the glitz of the tickets, not unlike cigarettes, and start holding them accountable. Also, quit buying Lucky Lines, SO NOT BUY the new 50.00 pk ‘Classic Super Pack’ and for goodness sake. Stop spending your money. Please! This is the biggest scam on earth.
This lottery including all the scratch tickets are nothing but making the poor poorer and the rich, richer. We all need to survive and be able to at least 2 meals a day. This promise of living the dream is what it says. A dream. Play bingo. Chances are better you might break even Good luck.