Friday’s Lotto Max lottery draw could be a very lucrative start to the new year for some Canadians, as the jackpot has reached a record-high $70 million.
The jackpot comes after a change to the game last spring that allows Lotto Max prizes to grow past the former $60 million maximum.
The lottery said jackpots of $65 million have now been offered on three occasions: in June, October and on Dec. 31. The New Year’s Eve jackpot was carried over.
When Lotto Max was introduced in 2009, it offered multiple $50 million jackpots a year. The jackpot cap increased to $60 million in 2015.
Friday will be the first time the jackpot has ever reached the new $70 million upper limit since it came into effect last May, when the lottery also introduced Lotto Max draws on Tuesdays.
READ MORE: Lotto Max jackpot jumps to $70M, adds another weekly draw day
In addition to the jackpot, there will be an estimated 10 Maxmillions draws of $1 million each. Maxmillions prizes will kick in when the main jackpot reaches and exceeds $50 million.
Lotto Max tickets for the record jackpot can be purchased until 9:30 p.m. CT / 8:30 p.m. MT / 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
Results will be posted online as soon as possible after the draws.
Starting on Saturday morning, players can also check their tickets in these ways:
- Scan tickets with the WCLC Lottery Manager mobile app, available for iOS and Android devices at the App Store and Google Play Store
- Check at retail on winning numbers lists, self-serve ticket checkers, and by validation at the terminal
READ MORE: Edmonton $60M lottery winner sat on winning ticket for 10 months
Since its launch in 2009, Lotto Max (at all prize levels) has awarded more than $11.8 billion in prizes. Of that, about $5 billion was won via jackpots.
Kevin van Egdom with the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) said as of Dec. 31, there have been 570 draws since Lotto Max launched, with a total of 127 jackpots won or shared by a total of 151 winning tickets.
“I would fall to the ground if I won $70 million,” an Edmonton man said while laughing.
“I’d quit my job. I want some time freedom, that’s what I’m searching for.”
Another young man said he doesn’t play the lottery. “I don’t have a whole lot of money to spare — I’m a student. I figure my chances aren’t that great,” he said outside a gas station in south Edmonton.
The WCLC said the odds of winning a Lotto Max jackpot or a Maxmillions prize are one in 33,294,800 per $5 play (a $5 Lotto Max purchase gives the player three lines of seven numbers).
The odds do not change based on the size of the jackpot or the number of tickets issued across the country, Egdom said.
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