1 in 13,348,188
The odds of winning the Grand Prize — $1,000 a day for life — on any single play.
The honest numbers
What a $3 play actually buys
Knowing the real odds is the single most useful thing you can do before you play. These are the published SailyGrandGiveaWay odds, per entry.
1 in 6.8
The odds of winning any prize. This number is often quoted on its own, and on its own it is misleading.
About 90%
The share of those wins that are a Free Play or $4 — less than, or barely more than, the cost of the play itself.
Put plainly: most "wins" return you a free ticket or a few dollars. Buying more plays does not make the top prize likely — at $3 an entry, covering every possible combination once would cost over $40 million. Decide what the entertainment is worth to you, and spend only that.
Your controls
Tools that keep play in check
Set these up in My account the moment you register. You decide the limits; our server holds you to them before every purchase.
Weekly spend limit
Cap how much you can spend on tickets over any rolling seven days. A purchase over the limit is refused.
Session time limit
Decide how long you can stay signed in. When the time is up, you are signed out.
Reality checks
A reminder at the interval you select, showing how long you've been signed in and what you've spent this week.
Activity history
Your tickets, limit changes and breaks are listed in your player account, so there are no surprises.
Lowering a limit is immediate. Raising one is not.
If you reduce a spend or time limit, the lower limit takes effect straight away. If you raise a limit, the increase applies only after a cooling-off delay of 24 hours. That gap exists to ensure that a decision made in the moment cannot undo a decision you made carefully. Removing a limit altogether follows the same delay.
Illustration only — nothing is saved
What the limit controls look like
This is a static preview. Moving these sliders sets nothing, protects nothing and is not stored anywhere. Real limits are set in My account, where the server enforces them; on PlayNow.com, use PlayNow GameSense .
Daily deposit limit$50
Weekly spend limit$150
Session reminder60 min
Taking a break
A short pause and a formal break are not the same thing
There are two different things you can do, and it's worth knowing which one you need.
Cooling-off
A short, self-imposed pause of 1, 7 or 30 days, started from My account. Your player account stays open but no ticket can be bought until it ends. It cannot be shortened, and you don't need to speak to anyone to start it.
Use this when you want to step back and think, not stop.
Game Break (self-exclusion)
A formal, binding program run by BCLC. One registration blocks your access to PlayNow and to BCLC gambling facilities across the province for the term you select: six months, one year, two years or three years.
It begins immediately, runs the full term, and cannot be shortened or cancelled.
How to register for Game Break
Game Break is administered by BCLC, not by this portal. You cannot enrol from this website. You register in one of these ways:
- Directly on PlayNow.com , if you have an account there.
- In person at a B.C. gambling facility, or at a BCLC office.
- By appointment with a GameSense Advisor, in person or by video.
- By emailing [email protected] — a BCLC representative will contact you to arrange it.
Full details are on the official Game Break page at GameSense.com .
Coming back, thoughtfully
Returning after a Game Break means completing Game Plan, a short reflective course. It helps you weigh whether returning to play is right for you and set goals before you do. There is no pressure to come back at all.
Enrolling in Game Break means your details are shared with BCLC's self-exclusion register to ensure that the block can actually be enforced at venues and online. See our Privacy Policy for what is shared and for how long.
Check in with yourself
A few minutes, anonymously
If you're not sure whether your gambling is a problem, a structured self-assessment is more reliable than a gut feeling. Both of these are free, anonymous and take about five minutes.
What a self-assessment measures
The standard tool used in Canada is the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) — nine questions about the past twelve months, scored from 0 to 27:
- 0: non-problem gambling
- 1–2: low risk
- 3–7: moderate risk
- 8 or more: high risk
A score is a prompt to talk to someone, not a medical diagnosis. Source: Statistics Canada (CPGI/PGSI) .
Warning signs
When it stops being fun
Gambling can be harmful. A few signs worth paying attention to:
Spending more time or money than you planned.
Chasing losses, or borrowing money to keep playing.
Gambling to escape stress, or hiding it from people close to you.
Feeling irritable or restless when you try to cut down.
Missing work, study or family commitments because of play.
Needing to bet more to get the same excitement.
Myths
Four beliefs that cost people money
Every draw is independent. Nothing that happened in a previous draw changes what happens in the next one.
"Some numbers are hot or due"
No number is ever due. Each draw starts from the same pool, so a number that hasn't appeared in a year is exactly as likely as one drawn last week. Past results carry no information about future ones.
"I have a system"
No selection method changes the odds. Quick Pick, birthdays, patterns on the slip and wheeling systems all give identical chances. A system can only change how many plays you buy — which changes what you spend, not what you're likely to win.
"I'm due for a win, so I'll keep going"
Chasing losses is the most common route from entertainment to harm. Money already spent is gone, and spending more does not make it more likely to come back. Each new play has the same 1 in 13,348,188 odds as the first.
"Playing the same line every draw improves my chances"
It doesn't. Playing one line in a hundred draws and a hundred lines in one draw give you the same total number of chances — and in both cases the top prize remains extraordinarily unlikely.
GameSense Advisors are trained to talk through exactly these questions — how the games work, what the odds mean, and where the myths come from. Their advice is free and there's no judgement in it.
Money
Never play with money you need
No playing on credit
Gambling with borrowed money is one of the clearest markers of harm. Do not fund play with a credit card cash advance, a line of credit, a payday loan, an overdraft, money borrowed from family or friends, or funds set aside for rent, food, bills or debt repayment.
Treat your play budget the way you would treat the cost of a cinema lottery ticket: money you have already decided you can lose entirely, set aside before you start, and never topped up mid-session.
If money is already a problem
Free, confidential and non-judgemental financial help can be accessed in British Columbia — you don't have to be in crisis to use it, and it costs nothing:
- Gambling Support BC — free counselling for gambling harm, including help with the financial side, funded by the Province.
- Credit Counselling Society — a non-profit offering free credit counselling and debt-management advice across B.C.
- Consumer Protection BC — information on debt collection and your rights.
If it's someone else
When a family member or friend is gambling
Gambling harm rarely stops with the person playing. Support in B.C. can be accessed to family members, partners and friends in their own right — you do not need the person who gambles to agree, or even to know.
Start the conversation calmly
Pick a time when nobody is playing or under pressure. Talk about what you've noticed and how it affects you, rather than about the money. Expect defensiveness; it's common and it isn't a reason to give up.
Protect yourself financially
Don't cover debts, lend money or take on loans on their behalf — it usually extends the problem. Consider separating accounts and getting independent advice about joint liabilities.
Get support of your own
Free counselling can be accessed to affected family members, not only to the person gambling. Call Gambling Support BC on 1-888-795-6111, any hour of any day.
You cannot enrol another adult in Game Break on their behalf — self-exclusion has to be their decision. What you can do is tell them it exists, offer to go with them to an appointment, and get support for yourself in the meantime.
Under 19
How access by minors is prevented
Playing is limited to people aged 19 and over who are resident in British Columbia. That limit is enforced in several layers, not by a checkbox.
Age notice
A 19+ notice on first visit. Clicking it is a self-declaration, not a check — the real checks follow.
Server checks
Registration rejects anyone under 19 or outside B.C. by date of birth, address and postal code; no ticket can be bought until ID is verified and location is confirmed.
No youth-facing marketing
Advertising is not targeted at people under 19 and does not use imagery, characters or channels aimed at children.
Device-side filtering
Parents can block gambling sites on shared devices with filtering software — see the links below.
Parental control software
If children use a device you also use, install filtering software and keep your player account password and payment methods out of reach. Widely used options include Net Nanny and Qustodio . These are third-party products; we don't operate them and list them for information only.
Our commitments
What we hold ourselves to
Advertising standards
Our marketing does not target people under 19, people who have self-excluded, or people showing signs of gambling harm. We do not present gambling as a way to earn money, solve financial difficulty, gain status or cope with stress. We do not use imagery, characters, music or placements likely to appeal primarily to children, and we do not imply that skill, systems or persistence improve the odds. Every advertisement carries the 19+ restriction and a responsible-gambling message.
Support staff training
Everyone answering player contact is trained to recognise signs of gambling harm — including chasing losses, requests to raise limits under pressure, distress about money, and enquiries made on behalf of a family member — and to respond by offering limit tools, cooling-off, Game Break and the Gambling Support BC helpline rather than by encouraging further play. Staff never coach an entryer to increase spending, and never discourage anyone from taking a break.
Accessibility
The website aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA. That includes keyboard access to every control, visible focus indicators, text alternatives for images, colour contrast that meets AA thresholds, respect for the operating system's reduced-motion setting, and a skip-to-content link. If any part of the website is difficult for you to use, email [email protected] and describe the barrier — we will reply within 10 business days and tell you what we can do.
Free & confidential
Support is always open
Gambling Support BC offers information, referrals and counselling, funded by the Province of B.C. It's free, confidential, and available every hour of every day — to players and to the people around them.
GameSense Advisors
Trained advisors can answer questions about how games work, the real odds, and the myths people believe about gambling — no judgement. They can also help you set up a Game Break.
Run by BCLC19+ only