A total of $117 million in top prizing is available to be won in Tuesday’s Lotto Max draw, setting a Canadian record, according to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).
The draw includes a $70 million jackpot and an estimated 47 $1 million “maxmillion” prizes.
OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti told Global News that the last time top prizing reached this high a level in a Lotto Max draw was in 2018, when the jackpot was capped at $60 million and there were 56 maxmillions, totalling $116 million.
Bitonti said since then, the cap on the jackpot was raised to $70 million. With that as the cap, the highest top prizing total was in January 2020, when the jackpot was $70 million and there were 42 maxmillions, totalling $112 million, he said.
Lotto Max, which is played across Canada, first started with a $50 million jackpot cap.
“We raised the cap because, you know, you need to keep it refreshed. So we wanted to refresh it. We went from 50 to 60, now to 70 million too,” Bitonti said.
“The variable for Lotto Max is the maxmillions. So when the game was originally conceived … people were saying to us they really like those big jackpots, but they also want more people to win some smaller million-dollar prizes.”
Bitonti said the number of maxmillions can “grow and grow” and are dependent on how many people won them in the previous draws and the number of sales. He said Tuesday could see even more than 47 maxmillion prizes drawn.
Lotto Max is played on Tuesdays and Fridays and tickets cost $5.
Bitonti said the prizing for the current draw has been growing since April 24, which is just after the jackpot was most recently won.
The last time someone took home a $70 million jackpot was in February, when a Sudbury-area couple bought the winning ticket.
— With files from Nick Westoll