Kallie won $150,000 playing the lottery but the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) refused to release her prize. She was told that she needed to provide BCLC with a signed waiver from two friends who were with her when she bought the ticket confirming they had no claim on the winning ticket. One of Kallie’s friends signed the waiver and the other spoke to BCLC on the phone and confirmed that they did not purchase the ticket, but refused to sign the waiver, resulting in BCLC denying Kallie her winnings. Frustrated, Kallie reached out to us for help.

We were concerned about whether BCLC’s demand was authorized by the Rules and Regulations Respecting Lotteries and Gaming, and whether BCLC could require Kallie to produce the signed waivers before releasing her lottery prize.

After some discussion and reconsideration of the situation, BCLC agreed to settle the complaint by releasing the winnings without further action by Kallie. BCLC also indicated that this situation was, in their experience, unique. With Kallie’s winnings released, we ceased our investigation.