How to win the lottery
If you're going to part with your pocket change every week, might as well make it count. We've compiled a list of Canadian lotteries and scratch tickets with the best odds of striking it rich.
Don’t be fooled by the multi-million jackpots advertised by the two big national lotteries. Your chances of winning are slim—roughly 1 in 14 million for Lotto 6/49 and 1 in 28.6 million for Lotto Max. National lotteries also draw more players meaning winners often end up splitting the prize money several ways.
Ric Wallace, a self-proclaimed “luckologist” and repeat lotto winner, says the national lotteries are even worse when you scratch the surface. There are actually more than 85 million possible combinations with Lotto Max but they divide that number by three to arrive at 28.6 million since you are given three lines to play. “It gives people a false sense of what the real story is.”
Now we’re not saying don’t play the lottery. Chances are you won’t win but spending no more than $5 a week is unlikely to blow your budget and a winning ticket could really improve your quality of life. So, if you’re resolved to part with your spare change, you’ll want to spend it wisely.
READ: Invest your spare change »
“Our dreams are important, but play within your means, play as a group and always put it on paper,” Wallace, says. For more play safe tips visit responsiblegambling.org.
To help you get the most bang for your lotto ticket buck, MoneySense has updated its list of lotteries and scratch tickets that offer the best chance at winning $100,000 or more.
READ: Win the lottery? You’re more likely to… »
As a rule of thumb, provincial lotteries are your best bet and you won’t have to slice and dice the winnings with as many people. The one lottery that stands out from the crowd is Quebec’s Banco Special. Your chances of winning a $1-million windfall in the game are 1 in 4.8 million—far better than any other lottery in its class. Ontario’s Rock Paper Scissors had similar odds but the OLG canned the game as of Oct. 24, 2012. Another noteworthy contender, Western Pay Day lottery where the odds of winning $675,000, or $1,000 a week for life, are 1 in 1.4 million, is also being phased out.
Witch tickets are more likely to win in Vancouver B.C
Is a better to buy a scratch ticket in the store or buy a scratch ticket on Line?
What scratch tickets have a better chance on the east code. Atlantic Canada?
Hi
“MoneySense has updated its list of lotteries and scratch tickets that offer the best chance at winning $100,000.”
I would like to have the list mentioned above
This analysis is meaningless because it does not factor in the size of the prize or the cost of the ticket.
The math you should apply in comparing lotteries is to calculate the “expected value” of the ticket as a percentage of its costs. If you flip a coin (50% chance of winning) for a 100 dollar prize, the expected value of that is $50 ($100 x 50%). If it cost you $75 to make that coin flip bet, the expected value as a percentage of the cost of the bet is 66% (50/75).
When some big lotteries get to huge numbers, this number can be greater than 100%. In that case, spending $1 has an expected value great than the $1 cost. In those situations though, you also need to factor in the odds that you will need to split the prize with someone else. If there is a 50% chance that would happen, you expected value is cut in half.
Jye, Interesting about these lotteries that there are ten provinces and only four at most win large prices??? Why is that, or at least how does this business explain the same four always, always, always winning the top prices??? Main Guaranteed Draw numbers are noticeably not randomly drawn through the provinces, meaning each province has a set # 0,1 etc for B C say 2,3 etc for West, all the way to 8, & 9 for Atlantic areas. Which seem to not be drawn as often or even at bonus times not at all??? What are the real answers to these questions, please.
Hi i’m from northern Manitoba and I’ve noticed in the past 30 years I’ve been playing the lotteries, that the same cities, and towns always win the big lotteries. Hardly anyone from northern Manitoba ever win in the 30 years I’ve been observing and studying, and also playing with a strategy, but each time i use my strategy, the lotteries systems so noticeably avoids my numbers from lining up.
Now i just want to mention that there are approximately 70 northern manitoba communities I’ve been studying, in the past 30 years
I’m talking about hundreds of thousands of people that play daily for the past 30 years from northern manitoba communities and hardly ever anyone hits the big jackpots.
Yet i noticed one particular southern Ontario town that has way less people than all of northern Manitoba, has won so many big jackpots, I’ve lost count.
I’m saying a person doesn’t have to be living in southern Ontario to be the lucky person, or in one of the southern cities. Northern Manitoba has contributed billions of dollars in the past 30 years, its time that the lotteries start allowing Northern Manitoba to win, there is something fishy going on, by the way I’m not the only one that noticed this, there are more people, in my group. I hope a lot of people see this comment, and comment.
Thank you for the comments section i hope its open to the public.
I won Encore And I got 2 dollars, you all can go to hell
The one that baffles me the most is Poker Lotto. If you take a full deck of 52 cards, deal yourself 5 cards, 42% of the deals will yield at least one pair. On the lottery, they claim that the five cards you get are decided randomly by a computer that deals from 52 cards. Ya right!! This week, (Wed. June 08-22) we as a gang purchased 7 hands. Not one of us won. Yet when we dealt 7 hands from a deck of cards, we won 3 times. Something not right!!
western lotto max – $2,000,000.00 is not mentioned. ???
Mark Twain said it best “Lotteries are a tax on idiots”
How many times do you have to type in: what were the winning 649 number for Encore on September 2 2023 to find out the answer. It gives you the Classic draw and Gold Ball numbers but not the Enore number. So how do you find it. What website do you have to go to since the official one doesn’t give the winning number