The changes to Lotto Max were announced in November of 2018, and are designed to give players even more opportunities to win a prize. The principal change is the introduction of a second regular draw date; Lotto Max draws will now occur every Tuesday and Friday, at 9:15pm ET. Also included in the changes are an increase in the jackpot cap – from $60 million to $70 million, the largest potential jackpot in Canada – and an increase in the number of prize tiers.
What Changes are Being Made to Canada Lotto Max?
- The number of draws is doubling, from once a week on Fridays to twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. Both draws are scheduled for 9:15pm E.T.
- The main jackpot cap is increasing, from CA$60 million to CA$70 million. MaxMillions is unaffected, and games will still be activated when the jackpot reaches CA$50 million.
- The ball pool is increasing, from 49 to 50. Players still have to pick, and match, seven numbers and one Bonus Ball from the pool – meaning the odds of winning overall have decreased slightly, from 1 in 6.6 to 1 in 7. The odds of matching all seven numbers and winning the jackpot are now 1 in 33,294,800.
- The number of prize tiers is also increasing, from seven to nine. There were previously no prizes awarded for matching five numbers and the Bonus Ball, or four numbers and the Bonus Ball. Higher-tier prizes will now receive a slightly different proportion of the Pools Fund to accommodate the new prizes, though the Free Play and fixed $20 prizes remain unchanged.
The price of entry for a draw will remain unchanged at $5 per ticket; a ticket includes one line of seven numbers chosen either by you or at random via Quick Pick, plus two additional lines of randomly generated numbers – giving you three opportunities to win with a given draw.
The May 10th Lotto Max draw is the last under the old rules - where seven balls are drawn from a pool of 49. The last jackpot before the cap is raised to CA$70 million is CA$12 million, meaning there are no MaxMillions draws alongside the main lottery draw.