Slots Online Canada Home PageOnline Lotteries In Canada

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Online Lotteries in Canada

Published Date Updated

Author Staff Writer

What you fill find on this page

What you will find on this page

WE all dream of winning the lottery and imagining what we would do with the winnings. But you have to be in it to win it! And while there are no guarantees, lotteries can certainly provide the rags-to-riches inspiration that we all seek. As a relatively simple and cheap form of betting, these low-stakes wagers offer the ultimate reward. The biggest Canadian lottery win recorded was over CA$68 million in the Lotto Max draw on September 2023.

Lotteries are one of the most popular - and socially acceptable - forms of gambling. It involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. The jackpot amount is usually won when all the numbers in a specific sequence are selected. Minor prizes are awarded for guessing at least part of the sequence correctly. Lotteries are outlawed in certain countries / regions, while others, such as Canada, endorse it. Locally, they’re governed by 5 different gambling bodies, which are;

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But, how do you find the best lotteries Canadians can bet on (regional, national and international)? Well, that's where we come in. Instead of wasting your time playing them all, SlotsOnlineCanada will play them for you. Using a stringent set of criteria, we review and rank them so you can get a quick view preview of the very best.

What Are Lotteries?

Lotteries are a game of chance where individuals buy tickets to potentially win substantial cash prizes or other rewards. Participants' hopes hinge on a random drawing that determines the winners, making each ticket a gamble. Governments or licensed organizations typically oversee lotteries, channeling the proceeds into public projects like education, infrastructure, or community services. Despite the allure of life-changing jackpots, the actual odds of winning are slim, adding a thrilling yet uncertain dimension to this popular form of entertainment.

Some examples are:

  • Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC)
  • Loto-Québec
  • British Columbia Lottery Corporation
  • Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
  • Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC)

What Are Online Lotteries?

Thanks to the advancement of internet technology, customers can now buy tickets to all their favourite lotteries online. This means that mega draws in different regions, or even in different countries, are no longer off-limits to Canadian citizens. They're even some lotteries that take place exclusively online. Some popular sites to play include;

  • Canada Lottery Online: They mostly sell tickets for international lotteries, such as EuroMillions and Powerball.
  • Lotter: They sell tickets for Canadian lotteries, such as Lotto 6/49 and Ontario 49.
  • Lottoland: They offer a wide range of gambling options - scratch-cards, keno, Mega Millions, Powerball, etc. Almost everything except for Canadian lotteries.

The Canadian Lotteries

There are several Canadian Lotteries, some of which are national, while others can only be played in their specific region. Customers can also play international lotteries, including the popular US-based Powerball draw.

National Lotteries:

Lotto Max: Draws take place every Tuesday and Friday. The jackpot prizes range from CA$10 million to CA$70 million. Players get 3 sets of numbers for every $5 ticket. Each set has 7 numbers, so players get 21 numbers.

Lotto Max

Lotto 6/49: Draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday. The jackpot prizes range from CA$5 million until it is won (accumulated amount). Players get 2 sets of numbers for every $3 ticket they buy. 6 numbers from 1 to 49 are chosen for the main draw.

6 49 Lottery Ticket

Daily Grand: Draws take place every Monday and Thursday. The prize is to win CA$1,000 a day for the rest of your life. One $3 ticket will get you a choice of 5 numbers from 1-49, as well as one Grand Number from 1-7.

Daily Grind Lotto Ticket

Regional Lotteries:

Lottario (Ontario): Draws take place every Saturday. The jackpot prizes range from CA$250,000 until it is won (accumulated amount).

Ontario 49 (Ontario): Draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday. The jackpot prize is CA$2 million.

BC/49 (British Columbia): Draws occur every Tuesday and Friday. The jackpot prize is CA$2 million.

Western Max (Prairie Provinces and Territories): Draws occur every Wednesday and Saturday. The jackpot prize is CA$2 million

How to play the Lotto Max

Here is our quick video tutorial on how to play Lotto Max

In general, the lotteries with the best odds and the biggest wins are the most popular. Lotto Max has the highest starting prize, as well as the highest jackpot cap. Depending on the accumulated amount that is generated, certain lottery draws may be favoured at different times. In terms of odds, you have a 1 in 28.63 million chance of claiming the Lotto Max jackpot. There's a 1 in 13.99 million and a 1 in 13.34 million chance of winning the Lotto 6/49 and Daily Grand prizes respectively.

Lotteries Vs Casino Games

They're a variety of reasons why you should play the lotto, both for fun and over and above online casino games. In summary, they’re;

  • Easy: It's as simple as choosing a sequence of numbers - there's no learning curve or new skills to acquire. This process is made even easier by buying lottery tickets online.
  • Cheap: Many online casino games have high minimum bets, meaning that you would need to spend a large amount to both plays and stay in the game (upping the ante). Lottery tickets are relatively cheap, a once-off cost, starting at $3.
  • Fun: There's nothing quite like the excitement of the draw! The process of choosing numbers, creating patterns and even a possible betting strategy just adds to the fun.
  • BIG Prizes: While online casino games offer better odds, the prizes are rarely as great. Some lotteries have almost infinite winnings, the jackpot just accumulates until someone wins. The largest ever recorded in Canada was over CA$70 million.

How to Purchase Lottery Tickets Online

Now that you've found your ideal lottery site and lottery game, all you need to do is sign up, pay and play. This is how you do it:

  1. Choose an online casino and/or lottery. Not all gambling sites sell lottery tickets, so check before signing up. Our recommendations ensure that all selections are licensed, legal and valid.
  2. Create an account. This will require filling in some personal information, such as birthdates and addresses. This is followed by an identity verification process, it usually takes a few hours, sometimes days to complete.
  3. Choose your payment method and/or add your credit card details. Most online lotteries also allow payment via bank transfers, debit cards or using e-payment services, such as PayPal.
  4. Choose an amount, send it to your online lottery account and wait for it to reflect. The good news is that you don't need to spend a lot to play the lottery.
  5. Select a category (e.g. lottery, keno, scratch cards, etc.), region (e.g. local, national or international) and game (e.g. US Powerball). Now, all that's left to do is to choose your numbers and play. Good luck!

Canadian Online Lottery FAQs

Lotteries involve the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. The jackpot amount is usually awarded when all the numbers in a specific sequence are selected. In most cases, this amount increases every time it is not won. Online lotteries range from the ability to simply buy tickets via the internet, through to games that are exclusively available online.
They're a number of national and regional Canadian lotteries available. The big ones are Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49 and the Daily Grand jackpot. Some popular local lotteries are Lottario (Ontario), Ontario 49 (Ontario), BC/49 (British Columbia) and the Western Max jackpot draws (Prairie Provinces and Territories). But, there are many more!
Yes. While in the past you needed to physically be in a specific jurisdiction to buy a lottery ticket, the advent of the internet has changed everything. You can now enter lotteries overseas by playing online. All the big ones, such as the various National Lotteries, US Powerball, EuroMillions and many more are available to Canadians.
No. Online lotteries are just like traditional lotteries. Most of the draws are televised or streamed online. You can physically see the numbers being drawn, which offers a perception of fairness that is often lacking with other forms of online gaming.
Yes. While statistically the chances of winning the lottery are quite low, there are certain things you can do to improve them. These include; choosing games with the best odds, most tickets issued and biggest prizes, as well as staying consistent in your selections. While somewhat controversial, it is believed that number patterns and betting strategies can be loosely applied to lotteries.
No. Unlike other countries, lottery jackpots are not taxed in Canada. The Canada Revenue Agency windfall rules state that players do not have to declare their winnings or pay tax on them. However, this only applies to Canadian citizens and other nationalities within the country need to check with the relevant authorities.
Yes. Due to their low stakes wagers, lotteries are probably one of the safest forms of gambling. They're also regulated by various gambling bodies, including the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. They put various rules in place such as customers having to be at least 18 years of age in order to purchase a ticket.