1. Introduction
Canada Lotto Watch ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. As a licensed lottery operator in Canada, we adhere to strict regulatory standards, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy laws.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website canadalottowatch.com, verify your identity, and purchase official lottery tickets through our platform.
2. Information We Collect
To provide our services as a regulated operator and comply with age verification laws (19+), we must collect specific personal data. We collect information in the following ways:
2.1. Personal Information Provided by You
- Identity Verification Data: Full legal name, date of birth, and residential address. This is required to verify that you are 19 years of age or older and a resident of Canada.
- Contact Information: Email address and mobile phone number for account management and win notifications.
- Financial Information: Payment details (credit card tokens, bank account info) processed securely for ticket purchases and prize withdrawals. We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.
- Government ID: In some cases (e.g., major prize claims), we may request a copy of a government-issued ID (Driver’s License, Passport) to verify identity.
2.2. Automatically Collected Data
- Device & Location Data: We collect your IP address and geolocation data to ensure you are physically located within authorized Canadian jurisdictions at the time of purchase.
- Usage Data: Information about how you navigate our site, pages viewed, and lottery games played.
- Cookies: We use cookies to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and ensure the security of your account.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your data solely for legitimate business purposes related to operating a licensed lottery service:
- To Process Transactions: Facilitating the purchase of official lottery tickets and processing payments.
- To Verify Age & Identity: Strictly enforcing the 19+ age requirement and location restrictions as mandated by our operating license.
- To Pay Winnings: Crediting small wins to your account wallet and facilitating the transfer of major prizes to your bank account.
- To Communicate: Sending transaction receipts, win notifications, account alerts, and (with your consent) promotional offers.
- To Ensure Security: Monitoring for fraud, money laundering, and unauthorized access.
4. Disclosure of Your Information
We strictly do not sell your personal information to third parties. However, we may share data in the following regulated circumstances:
4.1. Service Providers
We share data with trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our platform, such as:
- Payment processors (Interac, Visa/Mastercard gateways).
- Identity verification services (to confirm age and address).
- Email delivery services.
4.2. Legal & Regulatory Requirements
As a licensed operator, we are required to report to Canadian gaming regulators and provincial lottery corporations. We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, including reporting large transactions to FINTRAC.
4.3. Winner Publicity
By participating in the lottery, you acknowledge that if you win a major prize, regulatory rules may require the publication of your name, city of residence, and a recent photograph for transparency and public trust purposes.
5. Data Security
We employ industry-standard security measures to protect your data:
- Encryption: All sensitive data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology.
- Secure Storage: Personal data is stored on secure servers located within Canada or secure jurisdictions compliant with Canadian privacy standards.
- Access Control: Access to your personal information is restricted to authorized employees who need it to perform their job duties.
6. Responsible Gaming & Self-Exclusion
In accordance with our Responsible Gaming policies, we retain data related to self-exclusion requests. If you choose to self-exclude, we will use your data to block your access to our services for the requested duration.
7. Your Rights
Subject to applicable laws, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request corrections to inaccurate data.
- Request deletion of your data (subject to mandatory retention periods for financial and gaming records).
- Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Canada Lotto Watch – Privacy Department
123 Lottery Way, Toronto, ON, M5V 2T6
Email: [email protected]