Lotto Max costs $6 per play and gives you four lines of seven numbers from 1 to 52; its jackpot starts at $10 million, can grow up to $90 million, and the published odds of winning it are 1 in 33,446,140 per $6 play. Lotto 6/49 costs $3 per play for one line of six numbers from 1 to 49; its Classic Draw jackpot is a fixed $5 million at odds of 1 in 13,983,816, and every play also enters a Gold Ball Draw that pays $1 million or a growing jackpot every draw. The published odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 5.8 per Lotto Max play and 1 in 6.6 per Lotto 6/49 play.
Both are national games run under the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, so the rules and odds below are the same whether you buy in Ontario, Québec, B.C., the Prairies or Atlantic Canada. All figures are as published by WCLC and OLG and were read on October 17, 2026.
Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 at a glance
| Lotto Max | Lotto 6/49 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per play | $6 | $3 |
| What one play gets you | 4 selections of 7 numbers from 1–52 | 1 selection of 6 numbers from 1–49, plus a 10-digit Gold Ball Draw number |
| Draw days | Tuesday and Friday | Wednesday and Saturday |
| Top prize | Jackpot from $10 million, up to $90 million | Classic: fixed $5 million. Gold Ball: $1 million guaranteed, or a jackpot from $10 million up to $68 million |
| Published jackpot odds | 1 in 33,446,140 per $6 play | 1 in 13,983,816 per $3 play (Classic) |
| Published odds of any prize | About 1 in 5.8 per $6 play | 1 in 6.6 per $3 play |
| Extra draws | MAXPLUS $100,000 prizes every draw; MAXMILLIONS $1 million prizes when the jackpot is $50 million or more | Gold Ball Draw every draw |
One thing to keep in mind when reading the odds column: the operators quote Lotto Max odds per $6 play, which is four lines, and Lotto 6/49 odds per $3 play, which is one line. They are the published figures for what one ticket purchase buys in each game, not a per-dollar comparison.
What changed with Lotto Max in 2026?
OLG's current Lotto Max game conditions took effect at 10:30 p.m. ET on April 10, 2026. Under them, a play costs $6 for four selections of seven numbers from 1 to 52, and the jackpot range published by OLG and WCLC is $10 million to $90 million. OLG describes MAXPLUS, a set of $100,000 prizes drawn every draw, as "a new prize draw on each LOTTO MAX ticket" (more below). Our Lotto Max statistics page shows the draw history.
How does the Lotto Max prize structure work?
Lotto Max draws seven main numbers and one bonus number. The bonus number only matters for the "+Bonus" tiers. Here is the main-draw prize table as WCLC publishes it:
| Match | Prize | Odds per $6 play |
|---|---|---|
| 7 of 7 | Win or share the jackpot (at least $10 million) | 1 in 33,446,140 |
| 6 of 7 + Bonus | Share of 18.50% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 4,778,020 |
| 6 of 7 | Share of 18.85% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 108,591 |
| 5 of 7 + Bonus | Share of 12.25% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 36,197 |
| 5 of 7 | Share of 27.50% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 1,684 |
| 4 of 7 + Bonus | Share of 22.90% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 1,010 |
| 4 of 7 | $20 | 1 in 72.2 |
| 3 of 7 + Bonus | $20 | 1 in 72.2 |
| 3 of 7 | Free Play (four Quick Pick selections) | 1 in 7.0 |
The odds of winning any prize are approximately 1 in 5.8 per $6 play. WCLC notes that all odds are approximate.
The middle tiers are pari-mutuel: instead of a fixed amount, each tier gets a set percentage of the prize pool for that draw, split among everyone who matched. That's why a 5-of-7 prize is a different dollar amount every draw. You can see the actual payouts for each draw on our Lotto Max results page.
On top of the main draw, every Lotto Max play is also eligible for two extra sets of draws:
- MAXPLUS: one $100,000 prize for every $1 million in the jackpot (a $20 million jackpot means 20 draws for $100,000; a $90 million jackpot means 90). Exact seven-number match only, odds 1 in 33,446,140 per $6 play for each.
- MAXMILLIONS: when the jackpot is $50 million or more, extra $1 million prizes are drawn. Exact seven-number match only, same published odds. Our guide to how Lotto Max MaxMillions works covers the rules in detail.
How does the Lotto 6/49 prize structure work?
Every $3 Lotto 6/49 play is entered into two separate draws.
The Classic Draw is the traditional six-from-49 lottery, with one bonus number. Its jackpot is always $5 million; if more than one ticket matches all six, the $5 million is divided among them. WCLC's prize table:
| Match | Prize | Odds per $3 play |
|---|---|---|
| 6 of 6 | Win or share $5 million | 1 in 13,983,816 |
| 5 of 6 + Bonus | Share of 32.15% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 2,330,636 |
| 5 of 6 | Share of 13.5% of the Pools Fund | 1 in 55,492 |
| 4 of 6 | Share of 54.35% of the Pools Fund | 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 |
OLG's game conditions put the odds of winning any prize at 1 in 6.6 per play.
The Gold Ball Draw draws one winning 10-digit number from all the Gold Ball numbers issued for that draw, so there is a winning ticket every draw. That ticket then gets a ball drawn from a set of up to 30: a white ball pays $1 million, the gold ball pays the Gold Ball jackpot. The jackpot starts at $10 million, grows by $2 million each draw until it is won, and can reach up to $68 million. Because the odds depend on how many Gold Ball numbers were issued, no fixed figure is published; WCLC states them as "one out of the number of Gold Ball Draw selections issued for that draw." The full mechanics are in our guide to how the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Draw works.
What's the real difference between the two games?
Put the published numbers side by side and the trade-off is about structure, not luck:
- Jackpot size vs. jackpot odds. Lotto Max's jackpot can be far larger ($10 million to $90 million). Lotto 6/49's Classic jackpot is fixed at $5 million and its published jackpot odds are 1 in 13,983,816 per play, against Lotto Max's 1 in 33,446,140 per play.
- Price and lines. A Lotto Max play costs twice as much as a Lotto 6/49 play but includes four lines of numbers instead of one.
- Extra prizes. Lotto Max adds $100,000 MAXPLUS prizes every draw and $1 million MAXMILLIONS prizes at big jackpots; each needs an exact match at the same long odds as the jackpot. Lotto 6/49's Gold Ball Draw produces one winner every draw, drawn from the tickets issued.
Neither game is a smarter buy. These are the operators' published odds, and they are the same for every combination: how you choose your numbers, Quick Pick or your own, past "hot" numbers or not, does not change any of them. If you'd like to see how often each number has come up historically (a record of the past, not a prediction), see the Lotto Max statistics and Lotto 6/49 statistics pages.
Do I have to pay tax on either jackpot?
No. Lottery prizes in Canada are not taxable. See Are lottery winnings taxable in Canada? for the CRA rule, and how long you have to claim a prize so a winning ticket doesn't expire.