Canada Lottery

Canada’s first official national lottery was held in 1974. Known as the Olympic Lottery, the game spawned 9 winners from Quebec City who shared a tax-free jackpot of $1 million. Another 25,000 people scooped prizes ranging from $100 to $500,000 which totalled over $8 million.

Things have come a long way in the past 40 years or so and the country now boasts one of the most elaborate lottery set-ups in the world. It’s wide range of lottery games are governed by no less than seven regional administrators:

  • Atlantic Lottery Corporation
  • British Columbia Lottery Corporation
  • Head of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
  • Interprovincial Lottery Corporation
  • Manitoba Lotteries Corporation
  • Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
  • Western Canada Lottery Corporation

The Games and Odds

Lotto 649 (6/49) – Odds of winning jackpot: 1 in 13,983,816
Lotto Max (7/49) – Odds of winning jackpot: 1 in 85,900,584
Daily Grand (5/49 +1/7) – Odds of winning jackpot: 1 in 13,348,188
Ontario Lottario (6/45) – Odds of winning jackpot: 1 in 8,145,060

Lotto 649

The 649 lottery is available to play throughout Canada and has a 6/49 format, with six balls drawn from 49. In addition to the main jackpot draw, there’s also a second one featuring 10-digit set of numbers for a guaranteed $1 million prize draw.

  • Biggest Payout – $54.3 million
  • Draw Days – Wednesday, Saturday

649 Lottery Ticket

The 649 lottery ticket includes a selection box for players to choose which 6/49 game they wish to play: the main draw-based game, the western version or both. Alongside this box are six game panels for main number selection as well as an extra option for choosing one additional number per 6/49 game. The same numbers can be chosen for up to 26 consecutive draws.

How to be a 649 Winner

  • 6 correct numbers
  • 5 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 5 correct numbers
  • 4 correct numbers
  • 3 correct numbers
  • 2 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 2 correct numbers

Lotto Max

Lotto Max is available across Canada and is a 7/49 game. Although the game shares a similar format to Lotto 649, the extra ten numbers means that the odds of winning the jackpot increase dramatically to 1 in 85,900,584.

  • Biggest Payout – $102 million
  • Draw Days – Friday

Lotto Max Ticket

The Lotto Max ticket is almost identical to the 649 selection slip, save for the different game branding – a quick pick option is provided as well as a stake panel for players to choose how much they’d like to spend. (For $5, participants can play three sets of numbers).

How to be a Lotto Max Winner

  • 7 correct numbers
  • 6 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 6 correct numbers
  • 5 correct numbers
  • 4 correct numbers
  • 3 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 3 correct number

Daily Grand

The Daily Grand game is available throughout Canada and follows a 5/49 + 1/7 format which means that the odds of winning the $1000 jackpot are 1 in 13,348,188. Players select five numbers from 1 to 49 as well as a single ‘grand number’ from a pot of 7 balls.

  • Biggest Payout – $1000 fixed jackpot
  • Draw Days – Monday to Sunday

Daily Grand Lottery Ticket

The Daily Grand lottery ticket shares the same branding as the other Canadian lotteries. In terms of layout, the only discernible difference isthe fewer game boards (4). The ‘extra line’, quick pick and consecutive draw boxes remain the same.

How to be a Daily Grand Winner

  • 5 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 5 correct numbers
  • 4 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 4 correct numbers
  • 3 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 3 correct numbers
  • 2 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 1 correct number
  • Bonus ball

How to be an Ontario Lottario Winner

Ontario Lottario is a 6/45 draw-based game with jackpot winning odds of 1 in 8,145,060. It features a guaranteed minimum payout of $250,000 with participants able to play up to 10 sets of numbers. An early bird draw is also available with a $50,000 prize.

Ontario Lottario Lottery Ticket

The Ontario Lottario ticket layout includes 10 game panels, with quick pick selection boxes located at the bottom of each. A consecutive draw panel also features at the top of each ticket enabling players to use the same numbers for 26 consecutive draws.

How to be an Ontario Lottario Winner

  • 6 correct numbers
  • 5 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 5 correct numbers
  • 4 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 4 correct numbers
  • 3 correct numbers with bonus ball
  • 3 correct numbers
  • Bonus ball
  • Match Early bird number