Loto-Québec reports a drop in the lottery ticket sales since the beginning of the novel coronavirus spread across Quebec and the measures implemented in order to battle and slow it down. At the moment the only way a person could purchase a draw-based or a scratch lottery ticket is via the advanced online platform of the Crown corporation which goes by the name of espacejeux.com.
Quebec is seeking more measures that would help the province battle the widespread of the novel coronavirus. As of March 25, the region has reported 1,339 confirmed cases of COVID-19, since the most recent surge amounted to 326 new cases confirmed. The surge over the past 24 hours is one of the highest ones up until now. The death toll has increased to six individuals.
Fewer People Purchase Lottery Tickets Online
In this situation, the governments of both Quebec and Ontario issued a statement mandating the lockdown of all non-essential businesses for the foreseeable future, as the two provinces strive to battle the outspread of the highly contagious COVID-19. Loto-Québec was the first lottery corporation in Canada to make a move and close its four casinos and two gambling halls.
The decision was issued ahead of the more substantial lockdown, confirming that the Crown corporation is a proactive one taking into account the health regulations. The brick-and-mortar gaming hotspots of Quebec closed for business, but players still have the chance to both gamble and purchase their lottery tickets for more prizes on a weekly basis. The Crown corporation made it clear that online purchases are the way to go right now.
Retail locations selling the tickets are closed to protect the elderly making their way there for their daily scratching ticker or to make sure they have a physical Lotto 6/49 or Lotto MAX ticket in their hands. Espacejeux.com is capable of offering them the same lottery offerings coming their way whenever they feel safe at the moment. However, a drop in sales has been experienced as a result of the changes.
Espacejeux.com Welcomes Players
Loto-Québec made it clear that more and more people contact the customer service division of the Crown corporation seeking advice and help during their registration process online. People have found it hard to navigate the platform and the staff taking care of those issues have experienced more calls, often taking longer than usual, eventually leaving people on the line for longer than expected.
Some of them never completed their online registration process due to this pace of work. The beginning of this week saw about 557,000 active players on the online gaming platform that also gives them the chance to participate in diverse casino gaming and sports wagering. Such a situation is inevitably going to affect lottery ticket sales. As of March 24, the province has witnessed CA$1.2 million in total Lotto MAX ticket sales.
The figure amounts to 5.2 percent of the overall amount amassed by all Canadian provinces and territories. As for the overall amount spent on the most recent Lotto MAX draw, it reached around CA$22.7 million. The Main prize coming with this draw reaches CA$65 million and it could be recalled that about a year ago, during similar circumstances, Canadians spent about CA$46 million on tickets.
