Lotto Max
Lotto Max is a Canadian lottery game that began sales on September 19, 2009. The first set of winning numbers was drawn on September 25, 2009, and subsequent draws have been held every Friday. It replaced Lotto Super 7 in September 2009.
For a $5 wager, a player chooses seven numbers from a field of 49 or asks for a ticket in which the 7 numbers are randomly generated. These are printed on a ticket with two additional sets of seven randomly generated numbers. Prizes are awarded based on how many numbers in each set on a ticket match the drawn numbers, with a minimum of three matching numbers required to win any prize. The jackpot is capped at $50 million, beyond which additional draws are conducted for $1 million each (the "Maxmillions" bonus draws).[1]
The jackpot amount of $50 million is augmented with a plus sign if it is expected there will be at least one Maxmillions drawing.
As with all Canadian lottery jackpot games, winners receive their prizes in a tax-free lump sum.
Starting in the summer of 2015, the maximum Lotto Max jackpot will increase to $60 million CDN.
Organization
Lotto Max is administered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, which works with the five regional lottery corporations owned by the 10 provinces and 3 territories. Retailers receive from the lottery a percentage for tickets sold from their store (the money is not taken from the prizes). Retailer agreements vary by jurisdiction.
Prize structure
| Match | Prize | Chance of Winning on a C$5 play |
|---|---|---|
| 7/7 | Jackpot Win or share of 87% of Pools Fund | 1 in 28,633,528.(by dividing approx. 86 million combinations by 3; Odds for each number set are 1 in 85,900,584) |
| 6/7 + bonus number | Win or share of 4% of Pools Fund | 1 in 4,090,506.5 |
| 6/7 | Win or share of 4% of Pools Fund | 1 in 99,768.7 |
| 5/7 | Share of 5% of Pools Fund | 1 in 1,583.96 |
| 4/7 | C$20.00 | 1 in 71.60 |
| 3/7 + bonus number | C$20.00 | 1 in 77.08 |
| 3/7 | Free Play | 1 in 8.421 |
| Maxmillions (7 of 7) (exact match only)* | Win or share C$1 million each set drawn | 1 in 28,633,528. |
* When applicable. The 6+/7 pool swells with a $50 million capped jackpot as excess funds not used toward a Maxmillions prize goes into this pool. When a $50 million capped jackpot is won, the Maxmillions prizes not won go towards the next jackpot cycle, often resulting in a starting jackpot above $10 million.
Largest draws
On July 6, 2012, Lotto Max reached a total jackpot of $100 million, consisting of a main pool of $50 million with fifty potential Maxmillions prizes (win or share) of $1 million each.[2] Three consecutive weeks of rollovers fueled the draw's massive payout, the largest in Lotto Max history.[3] This situation was repeated in December 2013, as the total jackpot once again hit $100 million.
One jackpot-winning ticket was sold for the July 6 draw in Quebec.[4] Seventeen of the available fifty Maxmillions prizes were won; according to the game's regulations, the $33 million in Maxmillions prizes not won "carried over" towards the next jackpot cycle.
U.S. lotteries to launch a similar game
In October 2014, a number of U.S. lotteries will begin Monopoly Millionaire's Club, which will be tied to a television game show based on the board game Monopoly. The draw game will be very similar to Lotto Max.
References
- ↑ "Lotto Max game description". Western Canada Lottery Corporation. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
- ↑ Austin, Ian (2012-07-06). "Largest prize total in Lotto Max history to be drawn Friday". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- ↑ "Winning ticket for $50M Lotto Max jackpot sold in Quebec". CBC News. 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
- ↑ "Lotto Max Winning Numbers July 6 2012". British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Retrieved 2012-07-20.