Group Play

Whether it’s with family, friends or co-workers, Group Play lets you pool your money together for more chances of winning the lottery! If you’re not part of a lottery group already, why not join one or start your own today?

Keep in mind that the way a group chooses to administer their lottery purchases and prizes is up to the members involved. Here are some tools and tips to keep in mind when planning a group lottery purchase, and steps to avoid any misunderstandings.

Helpful Tools

Group Buying Agreement

With Group Play, it’s important to have proper documentation that identifies who is participating. The Group Buying Agreement (GBA) is available free of charge and helps groups coordinate who is taking part. This form will not eliminate all risks of dispute, but it certainly may reduce them.

If you don’t use this form, but create your own, we suggest you include the following:

The GBA or your own written form is for the group's own records and does not have to be registered with WCLC. It will be requested, however, if the group wins a prize over $1,000.

• the name of the group trustee
• the type of game(s)
• the draw date and, if possible, the ticket numbers
• each member’s name, address, telephone number, share and signature

If the group membership does not change from draw to draw, one GBA can be completed and kept on file for future draws until a change within the group happens.

If group membership changes for each draw, a separate listing should be done per draw to identify the active participants.

Important!

If there is more than one DAILY GRAND winner for either the top prize or secondary top prize, the winners will split the lump sum cash equivalent for that prize category.

Helpful Tips

Decide how to deal with potential winnings. Before the draw, make a group decision about what dollar amount of prize winnings will be split amongst the group or used for future lottery ticket purchases.

• Appoint someone as the group's trustee. This group trustee or administrator can coordinate collecting funds, buying tickets, tracking any winnings, posting draw results, and perhaps one day, sharing the exciting news of your lottery win and distributing any winnings! When purchasing a ticket at retail, the trustee should print his or her name on the back, along with the words “In Trust”. This indicates the ticket belongs to a group.
• Record who is participating in each draw. When group members participate in a draw, it is always a good idea to have a written understanding of which group members have contributed to the ticket purchases. Read about Group Buying Agreements on this page.
• All group members must be at least 18 years old. It is the policy of WCLC not to sell its products to, or cash prizes for, any person under 18.
• Photocopy selections for participants. Part of the fun of playing in a group is checking the tickets after the draw. Ideally, the group trustee will provide each member with a photocopy of the group’s tickets (with the barcode blacked out) prior to the draw so each player can track the group’s winnings if they wish. If that’s not possible, the group Selections should be posted. However, only an original lottery ticket can be used to claim a prize.
• Understand what happens if a participant does not contribute for a given draw. Most group disputes occur because there is not a clear understanding of what happens when a semi-regular or regular group member is away and does not contribute into a draw. Will another group member contribute the funds for that person, or is the person ineligible for that draw? Be sure there is a clear understanding among the group of what happens in such circumstances, and this understanding should be communicated in writing to all possible participants.
• Use MVP Service to help. To have Jackpot Alerts for LOTTO MAX and LOTTO 649, as well as winning numbers for DAILY GRAND, LOTTO MAX, WESTERN MAX, LOTTO 6/49 and WESTERN 649 automatically emailed to you after each draw, sign up for our convenient MVP Service .

Ways to Play

At Your Lottery Ticket Centre – Groups may wish to buy their tickets by Quick Pick or by picking their own numbers at Retail. On DAILY GRAND, LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX, WESTERN 649, and WESTERN MAX, you can purchase up to 25 consecutive Advance Play draws at Retail. Don’t forget to add EXTRA on your tickets for more chances to win.

Play by Subscription - For those who want to play the same numbers for up to a year, sign up for Play by Subscription! This is a great way for groups to coordinate their lottery purchases, and all winnings are either deposited directly into the Trustee’s account or sent by prize cheque. Plus at the end of the Subscription, a Winner’s Certificate is sent to show what winnings occurred. This makes it easy to track winnings, and help decide what to do when it comes time to renew.

Still have questions about Group Play? Click here to find the answers.