Loto-Québec lottery tickets now sold at about 300 Dollarama stores in Quebec
Loto-Québec lottery tickets are now sold at roughly 300 of Dollarama’s 435 stores in Quebec, according to reports published by La Presse and CityNews on November 6 and by CTV News on November 8. The offer covers three draw products only: Lotto 6/49, Extra and Grande Vie. Dollarama said it has been selling the tickets since the fall and that they are now available in most of its locations across the province.
Anti-gambling advocates have voiced concerns about the move, while the Crown corporation has defended it.
What Dollarama customers can now buy
The rollout is narrow by design. Renaud Dugas, spokesperson and director of media relations at Loto-Québec, told La Presse that the offer is limited to three lottery products, with no scratch tickets and no other draw-based games.
The sale also works differently from a standard lottery counter. Tickets are not issued on a separate Loto-Québec terminal; the transaction runs through the store’s own register, and the ticket prints on the same paper as the receipt. Dugas said sales happen at the till with a clerk rather than at self-service checkouts, and Dollarama states on its website that it does not offer ticket validation. Customers are directed to an official lottery terminal or another authorized point of service to check their tickets.
Dollarama called the move part of its efforts to broaden its product range.
In a statement quoted by CityNews and Narcity, the company said the initiative builds on its experience selling lottery tickets in other provinces.
Advocates object as Loto-Québec defends the deal
CTV News reported that the arrival of tickets at the discount chain has drawn concerns from anti-gambling advocates, and a video report carried by Yahoo News framed the question as whether the change amounts to preying on the poor. Critics have questioned the responsibility of offering lottery products in economically vulnerable areas.
Loto-Québec has pushed back. CTV News reported that the corporation called the arrangement a win-win, pointing out that lottery operators in Ontario and British Columbia have sold tickets at Dollarama stores for years. Speaking to 98.5 FM, Dugas said the change reflects shifting shopping habits and does not grow the overall network of roughly 8,000 retailers. He also rejected any suggestion of budget pressure from the government.
On safeguards, Loto-Québec said Dollarama is bound by the same responsible-marketing standards as every other retailer and must ensure lottery products are sold only to adults.
For Loto-Québec, the point is that the deal adds a channel, not new retailers.
