About Canadian Lotto 6/49

In Canada there are three national lottery games, and one of them is the Canadian Lotto 6/49. The first draw was held on 12 June 1982.

Before that date, the lottery tickets used to have pre-printer numbers, but Lotto 6/49 was the first Canadian lottery game to allow players to choose their own numbers, starting to change the way lotteries were working.

Canadian Lotto 6/49 draws take place on Wednesday and Saturday at 20:00 Canada Eastern Standard Time.

The game is operated by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), which is an organization that operates lottery games, owned by the 5 provincial lottery commissions. ILC is located in Toronto, Ontario.

The prize for matching 2 numbers is a free tip in the next draw.

History and changes

In 2004 the minimum jackpot amount was raised from $2 million to $3 million, and the price of tickets was increased, in order to be able to offer larger jackpot prizes. In 2013 more changes were introduced, since the minimum jackpot became $5 million. A new prize category was added, where players get a free tip when matching 2 numbers.

Until May 2019, a lottery machine was used to draw the winning numbers. Since May 14, 2019, Lotto 6/49 is using a random number generator, which is a device that generates a sequence of numbers.

Largest jackpots won

The largest Canadian Lotto 6/49 jackpot, which was also the largest in Canadian lottery history), was won in October 2015 and was worth $64 million. The winning ticket was purchased in Mississauga, Ontario.

The second largest Canadian Lotto 6/49 jackpot, (and the second largest jackpot in Canadian lottery history), was $63.4 million in the draw held on April 13, 2013.

The third largest Lotto 6/49 jackpot was drawn on October 26, 2005, when a group of 17 oil and gas plant workers purchased a single winning ticket in Camrose, Alberta, bagging a whopping $54.3 prize.

Winners have 12 months to claim their prize.