Tears and laughter from Carrie Paquette and her family created quite a bit of commotion in the store after she received the life-changing call from BCLC confirming she had won a major slots jackpot of $961,022.85 on PlayNow.com.
The night before, Paquette played the MegaJackpots® Siberian Storm slots game on BCLC’s PlayNow.com – the province’s only legal, regulated gambling website and the only whose profits go back to B.C. – and received the notification that she had won the game’s progressive jackpot. Thinking it was a technical issue, she played another round and went to bed. When BCLC called her at the store the next day, she hadn’t expected to hear the win was real.
“My stomach dropped!” said Paquette. “My husband kept shushing me as I was being loud. He didn’t believe it. He thought it was a scam call and he was a little embarrassed.”
Despite her husband’s initial hesitation, he came around, and together they went to find Paquette’s mother and sister in the store to share their excitement. Later, they had a little celebration at home and thought about what might come next.
So, what will she do with her sum? Some school and some sun, she says.
“With this win, I will be able to go back to school full-time without having to work,” said Paquette. “And I told my family to get their passports so we can go on vacation together!”
Unlike the 800+ gambling websites operating illegally in B.C. and Canada, PlayNow.com is the only one whose profits benefit British Columbians through government investments in things like education, healthcare and community programs. This includes funding for the province’s Community Gaming Grants program, which distributes $140 million annually to not-for-profit organizations. Last year, 230 community organizations in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Prince George, Prince Rupert and Terrace received funding from the province through its Community Gaming Grants program.
Did you know? Players can set weekly deposit and playing time limits to keep their play a fun experience on PlayNow.com.
