A “new, bigger” Lotto 6/49 is launching next week and will include two multi-million-dollar jackpots in every draw, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) says.
The OLG announced Thursday that the changes will take effect across the country starting with the Sept. 14 draw.
An OLG statement said the price to play will remain the same at $3, but now the main “Classic Draw” where players select their numbers or choose a quick pick will be fixed at a $5-million jackpot.
The $1-million guaranteed prize, meanwhile, will become the “Gold Ball Draw.”
The Gold Ball jackpot guarantees that a winner will take home either $1 million or a growing jackpot that starts at $10 million and can exceed $60 million, the OLG said.
The OLG website says each Lotto 6/49 ticket will include a 10-digit Gold Ball Draw number.
“A winning number will be drawn from all selections for each draw. Once a winning number is drawn, a separate Gold Ball jackpot draw will determine the prize – the Gold Ball jackpot or the guaranteed $1 million prize,” the website says.
“The Gold Ball jackpot starts at $10 million and can reach up to $68 million. The Gold Ball jackpot draw starts with 29 white balls and one gold ball.”
With the new system taking effect next week, the OLG said Saturday’s draw will see a clear-out of all jackpot prizing.
“As always, the jackpot will be awarded to any selections that match all six main numbers on one line. But for this draw only, if there is no winning 6/6 selection, the jackpot amount will be divided among winners in the 5/6+Bonus, 5/6, and 4/6 prize categories,” the OLG said.
Next Wednesday’s draw will see a $5-million jackpot for the Classic Draw and a $10-million jackpot for the Gold Ball Draw.
Lotto 6/49 has been around since 1982 and since then has generated more than $66 billion in sales and $33 billion in prizing, the OLG said.
It’s played on Wednesdays and Saturdays.