Canadian lottery
What Is Canada Lotto 6/49?
Canada Lotto 6/49 is a fan-favorite lottery competition across Canada. It has jackpots and secondary prizes with drawings weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 (22:30) EST. Drawings are conducted by a random number generator, which picks 6 numbers plus a 7-th bonus number.
Canada Lotto 6/49 began back in 1982, and it was the first nation-wide lottery which allowed players to pick their own numbers rather than getting pre-printed numbers on each ticket.
The overall odds to win something in one of the seven prize categories are 1 in 6.6 with payouts from C$5 to C$5,000,000+. The game is organized and administered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a group that combines all five of the regional lottery organizations in Canada.
Each one of the five regional groups also offers its own regional version of the 6/49 game, and lotto participants can choose to pick the national game, the local game, or both when they purchase a ticket. There are also extra features (like side games) that can be added as an extension of the ticket for $1.
Rules and Requirements
Each play for the Canada Lotto 6/49 costs $3. To play the Canada 6/49 lotto, you’ll choose six numbers from a set of 49 options (hence the 6/49). You can either pick these numbers yourself or use the random generator to select numbers on your behalf.
Prize and Odds
Match all six numbers, and you’ll win the full jackpot prize at a minimum of C$5,000,000
There’s also a bonus number, and in the event that your ticket matches five numbers and the extra bonus number, you win what’s referred to as “second prize” for 6/49. This payout is often in the hundreds of thousands. If more than one player wins, they split the prize equally.
The lowest possible prize, which you earn if you match two of the six numbers, is a free ticket to play in the next drawing. This is by far the most common prize in the lotto.
As a bonus, there’s also a raffle with every drawing that pay C$1,000,000 to a random ticket-holder. This part of the competition is called the Canada 6/49 Guaranteed Prize Draw.
See the table below for the full prize breakdown along with the odds for each prize in the 6/49 lotto.
| Match | Winners | Odds | Payout (C$) |
| 6/6 | 1 | 1 in 13,983,816 | Jackpot or 79.5% of pool fund |
| 5/6 + Bonus | 2 | 1 in 2,330,636 | 6% of pool fund |
| 5/6 | 3 | 1 in 55,492 | 5% of pool fund |
| 4/6 | 4 | 1 in 1,033 | 4% of pool fund |
| 3/6 | 5 | 1 in 56.7 | $10 (fixed) |
| 2/6 + Bonus | 6 | 1 in 81.2 | $5 (fixed) |
| 2/6 | 7 | 1 in 8.3 | Free play |
Jackpots Throughout History
The jackpot breakdown has changed a few times throughout history. The last update was made in 2013, which led to the prize breakdown that you see in the above table. Today, the minimum jackpot for the game is C$5,000,000.
The largest ever jackpot that’s been won from Canada Lotto 6/49 also happens to be the largest single jackpot in Canadian lotto history. The winning numbers were drawn on October 17, 2015 for a payout of C$64 million. There was a single winner from a ticket purchased in Mississauga.
The second-largest jackpot dates back to April 13, 2013 for a payout of C$63.4 million. This jackpot had rolled over for weeks before it was finally won by a single ticket.
The third-largest was on October 26, 2005 for a C$54.3 million payout. The sole winning ticket for this lotto was co-purchased by a group of 17 gas and oil plant workers, who won the largest jackpot in Canadian lottery history at the time (although that title has since been passed on to the largest jackpots above). The 17 men who won decided to also share their winnings with their coworkers who hadn’t opted in to join their group, creating a real feel-good story for the lottery moving forward.
How to Play Canada Lotto 6/49 from India
There are a number of online retailers that allow you to buy a Canada Lotto 6/49 ticket from international countries, including India. Notably, Canada Lotto 6/49 doesn’t require participants to be located in Canada to play, unlike popular lotteries in many other countries (including the US).
Many companies purchase a physical ticket on your behalf and send you a scanned copy for your records. If you win, you win the full amount of the prize and no commission is taken—the company makes money on your original ticket price, which will be slightly higher than the $3 you’d pay in person.
How to Check Results
Similar to the answer above, you can check results for the lottery easily online. Just do a quick search for “Canada Lotto 6/49 drawing” and look for the date that your ticket falls under. There will be dozens of sites that can provide this information quickly and easily.
How to Receive Winnings
Depending on how you purchase, you’ll receive your winnings in a variety of ways. If you use a third-party service to buy a ticket internationally, check their individual rules about how to receive your payout if you win—each company will be slightly different in the way they handle payment.
Taxes for Winners
Lottery prizes are paid out pre-taxes, so you’ll receive the full amount of your cash prize or jackpot. The tax laws in your country will determine how much tax you have to pay.
If you’re playing from India, if the prize exceeds Rs 10,000, you’ll receive the full jackpot minus a tax deduction of 31.20%, which goes to the government. This is separate from regular income tax and is a flat rate no matter what your standard tax rate is.
Conclusion
Canada Lotto 6/49 is a fun way to play the odds of becoming a millionaire overnight, a dream which contributes to high-volume ticket sales for each drawing. If you’re curious about Canada Lotto 6/49, buy a ticket today and see how it goes—either in-person if you’re located in Canada or through an online service if you’re located internationally. We hope it works out in your favor!
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