The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is making an effort to highlight why provincial gamblers should choose the crown corporation’s offerings.

In its new “What’s played here stays here” campaign, the lottery reminds users that all net profits generated by its operations stay in B.C. to help fund critical provincial services like education, health care and community programs.

BCLC operates 36 casinos and community gaming centres across the province, operates the PROLINE sportsbook and offers B.C.’s only regulated online gambling platform PlayNow.com.

In 2024, it generated $1.5 billion in net income for the province, of which $1 billion went to fund public programs and services, including education. Gaming proceeds are also devoted to non-profit organizations, health initiatives and local governments and First Nations.

“Across B.C. and Canada, we’ve seen incredible groundswell around the importance of buying and supporting local, and that’s no different for British Columbians who choose gambling for their entertainment,” said BCLC President and CEO Pat Davis in a release.

“We want our B.C. players to know they can find a world-class gambling experience in their own backyard, whether it’s at one of our 33 casinos, 3,400 lottery retailers, or online at PlayNow.com, and that the proceeds from their play with BCLC make a positive impact at home in their community.”

Nearby US casinos ‘aggressively’ market to BC residents

In the release announcing the campaign, BCLC also referenced the competition it faces, not only from unregulated grey market sites in its own province but also from casinos in nearby U.S. states which “aggressively” market to British Columbians.

The crown corp. noted that its new messaging “reinforces that all other gambling websites operating in B.C. are illegal and take away funds from critical community programs and services.”

BCLC stated in its release that “along with illegal online gambling websites, BCLC also competes with Washington State and Las Vegas casinos, all of which aggressively market to B.C. residents.”

“BCLC continues to raise awareness that these gambling options do not support B.C.’s economy and take away funds from vital provincial and community-based programs and services,” added Davis. “In a time when British Columbians are standing united, we want to reinforce that playing together with BCLC helps make B.C. even better.”

Data supplied to Canadian Gaming Business by gambling research firm H2 Gambling Capital suggests that BCLC holds close to half of B.C.’s online gaming market in terms of gaming revenue share. Its share has purportedly slid somewhat over the last few years, dipping from 59% in FY21 to 49% in FY24, per H2.

This has come as the unregulated online gaming market has grown post-pandemic, although H2 also noted that the numbers reflect that BCLC’s online business grew strongly in FY21 and has largely remained flat since.