Saturday’s Lotto 6/49 draw has the game’s largest jackpot in nearly seven-and-a-half years.
The Gold Ball jackpot stands at $64 million, matching the largest-ever Lotto 6/49 prize which was $64 million, won in the Oct. 17, 2015 draw by a woman in Mississauga.
Saturday’s draw has two white balls and one gold ball remaining for the Gold Ball jackpot, meaning if a ticket is drawn for the Gold Ball, there is a one-in-three chance of taking home $64 million, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said.
The Classic Draw, meanwhile, stands at its fixed $5 million.
The Lotto 6/49 format changed in September, with the main “Classic Draw” — where players select their numbers or choose a quick pick — fixed at a $5-million jackpot.
The $1-million guaranteed prize, meanwhile, became the Gold Ball Draw.
The Gold Ball Draw 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 Gold Ball jackpot continues to grow by $2 million in each draw until it is drawn and won.
It starts with 30 balls, 29 white representing a $1 million prize and one gold, representing the jackpot.
If a white ball is drawn, the guaranteed $1 million prize is won and that ball is removed while the jackpot grows by $2 million. The process continues until the gold ball is drawn and the jackpot is won.
Lotto 6/49 is played on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Comments