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 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.
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.
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
Odds of Winning the Lottery
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!