Identified by BCLC as 'Holly B.', a Nanaimo woman has won almost $350,000 from a PlayNow.com game. (Image Credit: BCLC)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

lady luck

Nanaimo woman cashes in from online PlayNow game

Jan 21, 2026 | 10:19 AM

NANAIMO — A local woman has her eyes on a house purchase after a surprise lotto win.

Identified by BCLC as Holly B., the Nanaimo woman was at home playing games on the corporation’s PlayNow website when she won the $349,875.78 prize.

“I thought, is this real?” Holly said. “I ran to tell my husband. He was asleep and thought he was dreaming. So then I called my mom. She didn’t believe me either.”

The win came on the game 25 Red Hot Burning Clover Link.

Winning the money is “life-changing” for Holly and her family, with early plans formulating to buy a property as well as potentially adopting a dog.

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Nanaimo and mid-Island lotto players have been especially lucky to end 2025 and start 2026.

A Coombs couple won $500,000 from a Dec. 23 Lotto Max draw, while a Nanaimo senior picked up the same prize from the Dec. 27 Lotto 6/49 draw.

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