LOTTO 6/49
LOTTO 6/49 is Canada’s national lottery game. It gives players a chance to win two multi-million-dollar jackpots and other prizes.
New and exciting features include a Classic Jackpot fixed at $5 million and a Gold Ball Jackpot. The Gold Ball Jackpot Draw gives a player a chance to win either a minimum $1 million prize or the rolling Gold Ball Jackpot. The Gold Ball Jackpot starts at $10 million and can grow as high as $68 million until won, over up to 30 draws.
Players can purchase a LOTTO 6/49 play for $3 at retail or online at OLG.ca. Each play offers a chance to win the $5 million fixed Classic Jackpot, the Gold Ball $1 million prize or the growing Gold Ball Jackpot, and other cash prizes. Players can choose to play by using the Quick Pick option or by selecting their own set of six numbers between 1 and 49. ENCORE can be added for $1 per play.
The overall odds of winning are 1 in 6.6. The odds of winning the Classic Jackpot are approximately 1 in 13.9 million. To view the odds for the various other prize categories, please visit the LOTTO 6/49 Odds & Payouts page.
The odds of any selection being drawn for the Gold Ball Draw guaranteed prize is determined by the number of selections issued for that draw. For example, if there are 5 million selections issued for a LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball draw, the odds of any one selection being drawn are 1 in 5 million.
The total prize payout to players is 48 per cent of cash sales revenue, divided among prize categories.
Yes. Players can choose to play 5, 7, 8, and 9 number Combination Play on LOTTO 6/49.
Customers can play up to 26 weeks (52 draws) with Advance Play. See the LOTTO 6/49 selection slip or ask your lottery retailer for details.
Yes, ENCORE is available for purchase with LOTTO 6/49.
Prizes can be claimed for up to one year from the draw date.
Unclaimed prizes on national lottery games like LOTTO 6/49 and LOTTO MAX are returned to players through guaranteed jackpots and bonus draws.
Yes. LOTTO 6/49 Game Conditions can be found on OLG.ca on the Lotto 6/49 Game Page.
LOTTO 6/49 GAME CHANGE SEPTEMBER 11, 2022
As of September 11, 2022, the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) introduced a new and exciting LOTTO 6/49:
- The LOTTO 6/49 main draw is changing from a growing jackpot to a fixed jackpot of $5 million per draw and is renamed the Classic Draw
- The guaranteed win element of the game is now called the Gold Ball Draw, with a guaranteed winner at every draw
- In the new LOTTO 6/49, the Gold Ball Draw winner will now win either the Gold Ball Jackpot that starts at $10 million and can grow as high as $68 million, or the guaranteed $1 million prize, based on the outcome of the Gold Ball Jackpot Draw
- The odds of the Gold Ball being drawn improve until the Gold Ball Jackpot is won
- The overall prize payout has increased from 47 per cent to 48 per cent of sales.
The new LOTTO 6/49 does retain some familiar features of the old LOTTO 6/49.
- The price is $3 per play
- Draws remain on Wednesday and Saturday
- Overall odds remain at 1 in 6.6
- Players can pick their 6 of 49 numbers using a selection slip or play Quick Pick
- The second draw has a guaranteed winner every draw.
The new LOTTO 6/49 does retain some familiar features of the old LOTTO 6/49.
The odds of winning a prize on the Classic LOTTO 6/49 draw have not changed.
As with the previous Guaranteed Prize Draw, the odds of any selection being drawn for the Gold Ball Draw guaranteed prize is determined by the number of selections issued for that draw. For example, if there are 5 million selections issued for a LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball Draw, the odds of any one selection being drawn are 1 in 5 million.
The new Gold Ball Jackpot Draw determines the value of the Gold Ball Draw guaranteed prize. The odds of the winning Gold Ball selection taking home the Gold Ball Jackpot are one in the total number of balls in the draw. For the first draw in sequence, the odds of winning are 1 in 30 for the Gold Ball Jackpot. If the Gold Ball is not won and continues to carry over, the odds will improve as one white ball is removed and the jackpot rolls over into a new draw.
LOTTO 6/49 GOLD BALL DRAWS
The Gold Ball Draw is the guaranteed win part of the game, whereby a player receives a unique 10-digit number with every $3 LOTTO 6/49 play at no extra cost. A winner is drawn every Wednesday and Saturday from all tickets issued across Canada.
A new and exciting feature of the new LOTTO 6/49, the Gold Ball Jackpot Draw determines whether the Gold Ball Draw winner wins either the guaranteed $1 million prize or a second multi-million-dollar jackpot that starts at $10 million and can grow up to a maximum of $68 million.
The Gold Ball Jackpot base draw starts with 30 balls (29 white and 1 gold). If a white ball is drawn, the Gold Ball winning ticket holder wins $1 million and that white ball is removed from the next draw (leaving 28 white balls and 1 gold ball) - $2 million is added to the next Gold Ball Jackpot Draw. This process repeats for each subsequent draw until the Gold Ball is drawn. Once the Gold Ball is drawn, the Gold Ball Jackpot resets to the $10 million base jackpot and starts again with 30 balls in the draw.
The odds for the Gold Ball Draw are determined for each draw by the total number of selections issued across Canada. For example, if 5 million LOTTO 6/49 plays are issued, there would be 5 million selections for the $1 million Gold Ball Draw, which means the odds of any one selection being drawn would be 1 in 5 million.
The Gold Ball Jackpot Draw determines the value of the guaranteed Gold Ball Draw prize. The odds of the winning Gold Ball Number taking home the Gold Ball Jackpot are one in the total number of balls in the draw. On the first draw of the sequence, the odds of the winning selection winning the Gold Ball Jackpot are 1 in 30. If the Gold Ball Jackpot is not won and continues to carry over, the odds will improve as one white ball is removed and the jackpot rolls over into a subsequent draw.
No. While this part of the game guarantees a winning number will be drawn for each draw, a prize can only be awarded after a winning ticket is presented for validation and approved for payment. Most lottery prizes are claimed by customers – especially when the prize is $1 million or more – but there is always a possibility that a winning ticket might not be presented for payment or that the prize claim is not approved.
The first digit of the Gold Ball Draw selection identifies the region where the ticket was issued. All OLG selections begin with a 4 or 5, indicating that the ticket was issued in Ontario. No two Gold Ball Draw selections are the same for any given draw.
To ensure there is only one winning Gold Ball Draw selection, every selection must be unique. If customers were to choose their own selections, there would always be the possibility that two players could have the same winning Gold Ball Draw selection and would therefore have to split the prize.
Whenever a LOTTO 6/49 ticket is issued with three or more plays, the Gold Ball Draw selections appear as a range.
For example, if you purchased a 5-number combination, you receive 44 LOTTO 6/49 regular selections and 44 Gold Ball Draw Selections.
The Gold Ball Draw selections on your ticket would appear as:
FROM: 12345678-01
TO: 12345678-44
As with the regular selections for the Classic Draw, with an Advance Play purchase you will have the same Gold Ball Draw selections entered into each Gold Ball Draw that is included in your Advance Play purchase. Each draw is an independent, random draw and so there is no effect on your odds of winning the Gold Ball Draw – the odds on each draw are always dependent on the number of selections issued for that draw.
LOTTO 6/49 Classic Draws are held every Wednesday and Saturday 
by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) and are conducted using Random Number Generator (RNG) technology that has been independently tested and certified by an internationally recognized and accredited tester. The Gold Ball Draw and Gold Ball Jackpot Draw are also conducted using RNG. More information on RNG draws can be found below.
Random number generator
The lottery-draw process for LOTTO MAX and LOTTO 6/49 was modernized and simplified by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) in May 2019 to offer our players the best gaming and entertainment experience possible.
RNG draws are becoming more common for lottery draws worldwide and are often used for games with multiple draws that require results more quickly.
Draws for WHEEL OF FORTUNE, DAILY GRAND, the Guaranteed Prize draw feature of LOTTO 6/49 and the MAXMILLIONS feature of LOTTO MAX are also conducted using Random Number Generator software. It is also used for the INSTANT win component of POKER LOTTO and MEGADICE.
The ILC RNG system uses a proprietary algorithm to generate random numbers. The RNG used is independently tested and certified for its effectiveness in generating random results and its integrity. A number of checks and balances are performed to ensure draw security and are witnessed by external auditors (Grant Thornton LLP). An additional external auditor performs a parallel draw from a separate geographical location (Deloitte).
Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI) reviewed and tested the Random Number Generation (RNG) software that is used to conduct the RNG components of the LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX and DAILY GRAND games and certifies that the RNG software exhibits random behavior and is suitable for the application of the lottery draws stated.
A number of checks and balances are performed to ensure draw security and are witnessed (Grant Thornton LLP) and verified (Deloitte), by two external auditors, located in two separate geographical locations.
Gaming Laboratories International, LLC (GLI) reviewed and tested the RNG software that is used to conduct components of LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX and DAILY GRAND draws. GLI certifies that the RNG software exhibits random behavior.
Animated videos depicting the draw results for LOTTO MAX, LOTTO 6/49 and DAILY GRAND are available to watch on OLG.ca after the draw takes place.
These new videos are in a different format than the previous draw videos. In the past OLG would add the ENCORE draw results to the video once received from ILC. With this new format, we are unable to edit the video without having the ENCORE results appear out of place. Customers can still watch ENCORE draw videos and see ENCORE results by visiting the ENCORE page of OLG.ca.