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How It Works

Estimated Total Tickets Printed

Total Tickets Printed = Total Prizes at a Tier × Odds for that Tier

Example

A ticket has 5 grand prizes ($100,000) with 1-in-500,000 odds:

Total Tickets Printed = 5 × 500,000 = 2,500,000 tickets

We calculate this for multiple prize tiers and take the median.

Estimated Remaining Tickets

Remaining Tickets = Total Tickets Printed × (1 - Fraction Claimed)

Example

7,000 of 10,000 total prizes have been claimed (70%):

Remaining Tickets = 2,500,000 × (1 - 0.70) = 750,000 tickets

Expected Return

Return Rate = (Total Prize Money Remaining / Remaining Tickets) / Ticket Cost

Example

$400,000 in unclaimed prizes, 750,000 tickets remaining, $5 ticket cost:

Return Rate = ($400,000 / 750,000) / $5 = 10.7%

Data Sources

Important Caveats

  • This is gambling. Expected return is a statistical average - most tickets lose.
  • Estimates aren't perfect. Calculations rely on assumptions about ticket distribution.
  • Data has a delay. BC Lottery doesn't update prize counts in real-time.
  • Return rates under 100% mean you lose money on average.
  • This site is not affiliated with BC Lottery.