Combined super-prize is Canada's largest ever
The largest lottery prize pool in Canadian history will be up for grabs in Friday night's Lotto Max draw.
The $95 million that could be won includes a jackpot of $50 million. In addition, there will be 45 separate MaxMillions draws for prizes of $1 million each.
A Lotto Max ticket gives the buyer a chance to win the jackpot or any of the MaxMillions prizes.
Because so many draws will be made, lottery officials say the winning numbers might not be posted until 5 a.m. ET Saturday.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. reports sales across the country are up almost 40 per cent from last week.
The odds of anyone winning the jackpot are said to be one in 28 million.
If no ticket wins the $50 million jackpot, that amount will be offered in the next draw on June 25, along with any MaxMillions prizes that are not won.
If the jackpot is won, but not all the $1 million prizes are claimed, they will be added to the next jackpot, which resets to $10 million.
If you're hoping to cash in on the big windfall, chances are slim.
"It's about 1 in 28 million. That's approximately the same as flipping a coin and landing on heads 25 times in a row," said Fred Hoppe, a mathematics and statistics professor at McMaster University.
For a stab at one of the $1 million prizes, statistics improve some, but not much. There's about a one in 622,468 chance you'll match all seven numbers needed.
Henry Kang knows the odds are stacked against him. But he bought a ticket anyway.
"I just can't help but get into the hype when there's a big jackpot like this," said the 23-year-old Ryerson student. "I know the odds are really bad."
What would Kang do with $50 million?
"I'd buy properties all over the world. I'd have my own personal chef."
According to Hoppe, what's surprising about Friday's jackpot is that no one has won it yet.
"When you have so many people buying tickets successively, somebody is bound to win. That's why I am surprised that nobody has drawn the major jackpot yet."
It has been sitting at $50 million for three weeks now. Perhaps Friday will be the night.
"Someone will win," he said. "It's just that the chances of it being you are negligible."
In April of this year, Alberta-based welder Cameron Blair took home more $41 million. And in November of 2009, Marie and Kirby Fontaine of Pine Falls Man., took home the same $50 million jackpot being drawn this week.
"Everybody dreams," said Phil Allison, an accountant who has been playing since he was 18.
"I know the odds, I know it all. But you can't win without a ticket."
$50 Million Pounds, non-taxed cash value jackpot is a wonderful thrill!
How much does 1 drawing's ticket cost?
me me me me me me
i got 6 chances of winining tonight. If someone hits in BC it is going to be me.
pick me pick me pick me.
$5 dollars a pop cdn. you get three shots at it for the 5 dollars. if you are not that far from the border i would head there now.
Go Canadians!
With 46 combos being pulled tonight, your odds of winning a million dollars are 1 in 85000
gotta like that
hello eveyone i'm new to this tryin to find sum lottery tips,,,
Good luck to those with tickets....$50Million tax free....not bad!
No winner last night on main prize 30 winners of 1 million each.
next friday 50 million plus an addittional 55 one million dollar prizes
thanks for the info. does anyone know an easy way to check your numbers on line? you know i could be a millionaire and not know it.
It could still be me.
PIckme pickme pickme pickme.
starchild go to olg.ca to check the winning numbers. Even though the main jackpot of 50 million was not won Friday night there were 56 tickets that won between 250,000 and 1 million dollars. Nice to see so many winners. I think Powerball and Mega Millions should take a look at how Lotto Max pays out so many winners. Next Friday there's the 50 million jackpot plus and extra 55 million to be won.
dude where did you get these odds? the actual odds of winning the main prize is 1 in 89 million. because you get 3 sets of numbers they say the odds are 1 in 28 million.
1 in 85 thousand? hard to fathom. 46 combos pulled and not all are won. me thinks the calculations are wrong.
The payout percentage on this game is only 48%. All these numbers look good and fine but basically your odds per dollar spent on hitting the jackpot is 140 million to one dollar. God forbid there was every a super lotto with like an 80% payout percentage in the states for $5 a ticket you would have massive interest. If they pick 55 lotto draws for a million next round your odds are about 500k to one to have a winning ticket or 2.5 million to one dollar. With the secondary prizes that actually though does make this lotto worth playing. Why anyone would play it before it go to the extra drawings though would be beyond me.
none of the provincial sites have a searchable database. yes they have all the winning numbers hell i don't want to go through them six times. at the powerball web site you can just put in your numbers and boom you know if you have a winner. megamillions does not do it at their site but several states have searchable databases to check my mega numbers on line. hey canada wake up and do a searchable database.
lotterypost does it here too but i don't pay for the platimum level membership. so all i have left is to dream and to whine. i like dreaming more than whining. lol.
my last trip to canada i did find out i have a winner. i am just waiting for the last of the drawings to run out. my next trip to canada won't be until august. i will get my free ticket, check to see if i have more winners, and get another long lotto max ticket.
hmmmm what would i do with 50 million canadian? hmmmm.