B.C. lottery loophole pays out $100

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | CBC News:

Some people using the B.C. Lottery Corporation's PlayNow website say they've found either a loophole or a software glitch that's giving them easy money, CBC News has learned. Online gamblers playing baccarat on the site's casino can reliably make almost $100 by playing two hands if they know how, the players say.  A lottery spokesperson said the apparent loophole is actually part of a promotion for the site, in which newly registered players who sign up before Oct. 5 get a $100 bonus deposit in their accounts from the lottery corporation.  Some players say the promotion seems too easy to exploit to be intentional.

If a player deposits $100 of his own money into an account, goes to the baccarat game and bets $50 on both the player and the banker, he essentially breaks even.Because he has wagered $100, however, he automatically qualifies for the free $100 deposit bonus.The player then has to play the same bets one more time, in order to be able to cash out their deposit bonus. If the player continues to play at that point, he risks winning or losing, according to the normal terms of the game.If the player stops at that point, he then has at least $197.50 in his account, after a $2.50 commission. The player can transfer the whole amount to his own bank account and walk away with the extra $97.50 after a few minutes play.