After the Lotto 6/49 gold ball wasn’t drawn on Saturday, the game’s next draw is guaranteed to see someone take home a record-breaking $68 million.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said that there were still some big winners in Ontario for Saturday’s draw.
A ticket sold somewhere in Simcoe County won the $5 million Classic Draw, while a ticket sold in Niagara Falls won $1 million on Gold Ball, the OLG said.
Also, a ticket that won $1 million on Encore was purchased on OLG.ca
But the gold ball ultimately wasn’t drawn, meaning Lotto 6/49’s next draw will have the largest jackpot in the game’s history — and it’s guaranteed that someone will take the prize home.
The Lotto 6/49 format changed in September 2022, 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.
“We have 29 white balls, each representing the guaranteed $1-million prize, and one gold ball, representing the growing jackpot, in the draw,” OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti explained.
“If a white ball is drawn, the guaranteed $1-million prize is won. That ball is removed, leaving 28 white balls and one gold ball for the next draw, and the jackpot grows by $2 million.”
That process continues until the gold ball is drawn.
Ahead of Wednesday’s draw, there are no white balls left.
Only the gold ball remains, meaning someone is guaranteed to take home $68 million — the largest jackpot in Lotto 6/49 history.
These are the winning numbers for the Saturday, Sept. 23 draw, according to the OLG website:
Classic Draw ($5 million): 5 18 22 26 28 45 Bonus 14
Encore: 3833882
Gold Ball ($1 million guaranteed prize): 44965391-01