How Lotto 6/49 works
Each $3 play gets you one line of 6 numbers from 1 to 49 for the Classic Draw, plus a unique 10-digit number for the Gold Ball Draw. Draws are every Wednesday and Saturday.
In the Classic Draw, six numbers plus a bonus number are drawn. Matching all six wins the $5 million jackpot, which is shared if there's more than one winner.
The Gold Ball Draw
Every draw, one 10-digit number is drawn from all the Gold Ball numbers sold, so there's a winner every time. That winner then gets a ball drawn from a pool of white balls and one gold ball:
- A white ball wins a guaranteed $1 million. That white ball is then taken out of the pool, so the gold ball becomes more likely next time.
- The gold ball wins the Gold Ball jackpot. It starts at $10 million and grows by $2 million each time a white ball is drawn, up to $68 million.
The pool starts with 29 white balls and 1 gold ball, so the chance of drawing the gold ball starts at 1 in 30 and improves with every draw. After the gold ball is drawn, the jackpot resets to $10 million and the pool is refilled.
Classic Draw prizes and odds
Odds are per $3 play. The 5-of-6 and 4-of-6 tiers are shares of the prize pool, divided among everyone who wins at that tier.
| Match | Prize | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 6 of 6 | $5 million jackpot | 1 in 13,983,816 |
| 5 of 6 + bonus | Share of pool | 1 in 2,330,636 |
| 5 of 6 | Share of pool | 1 in 55,492 |
| 4 of 6 | Share of pool | 1 in 1,033 |
| 3 of 6 | $10 | 1 in 56.7 |
| 2 of 6 + bonus | $5 | 1 in 81.2 |
| 2 of 6 | Free play | 1 in 8.3 |
Your chance of winning the Gold Ball Draw depends on how many Gold Ball numbers are sold for that draw. Source: the official game information published by Canada's lottery operators.
Add-ons
For $1 more per play, you can add your region's add-on game. It has its own number and its own prizes:
- Encore in Ontario
- Extra in Quebec, British Columbia, the Prairies and the territories
- Tag in Atlantic Canada
See your province page for how each add-on works.
Where to buy
Tickets are sold at lottery retailers across Canada, and online through your province's official lottery where it's offered (see buying tickets online). Lottery.ca doesn't sell tickets. Your province page links to your official lottery.