Lotto 6-49 jackpot could top $41M
Sales have ballooned 40% since Wednesday
Last Updated: Saturday, March 20, 2010 | 12:48 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Canadians chasing dreams of financial freedom are pushing Lotto 6-49 sales up dramatically, inflating the $41-million top prize to a total that won’t be known until the dust has settled on Saturday night’s draw.
The estimated jackpot increases with the number of tickets sold. According to lottery officials, sales rose by 40 per cent between Wednesday night and Friday morning.
“Historically, $40 million seems to be that magic number and we do see a huge jump in sales whenever we get to a jackpot that’s this big,” said Sarah Kiriliuk of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.
Normally sales increase by 23 per cent when the Wednesday jackpot rolls over to Saturday. With it already hitting $40 million, lottery officials said they don’t know how high it may climb before the terminals close at 9 p.m. Saturday.
The odds of winning are pegged at one chance in 14 million.
University of Toronto statistics professor Jeffrey Rosenthal gives people a jolt of reality when he puts that probability into perspective.
“If you see an adult woman chosen at random, the chance that she will give birth in the next minute and a half is about the same as the chance you’ll win the jackpot,” he said.
It would be four times more likely for a person chosen at random to become prime minister than for a ticket holder to win the big prize, adds Rosenthal, the author of Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities.
If you're buying tickets in a group, the OLG warns people doing this to fill out a form provided on its website that catalogues all the buyers.
It can help avoid any controversy later if the group's numbers come up, Kiriliuk said.
The Canadian record for a Lotto 6-49 prize is $54.3 million won in 2005 by 17 people in Camrose, Alta.
Earlier this week, a 78-year-old man from Oakville, Ont., became Canada’s newest multimillionaire. Donald MacDonald struck it rich to the tune of $10 million in Friday’s Lotto Max draw and collected his cheque on Tuesday.
Last month, two tickets split a $50-million Lotto Max draw — one in Quebec and the other in British Columbia. Last November, Marie Fontaine of Pine Falls, Man., pocketed a $50-million Lotto Max prize.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting
- Greek lawmakers have approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the debt-crippled nation from bankruptcy, after riots in Athens and other cities left stores looted and burned and more than 120 people hurt. more »
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- A small Quebec town is in mourning Sunday after a Quebec man was charged with killing his nieces and his mother, who were found dead in their family home. more »
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Whitney Houston was found in a hotel bathtub but it'll take weeks to determine precisely how she died, a Los Angeles coroner's official says. more »
- Musicians who died before their time
- The growing list of musicians who have died young. more »
Latest Canada News Headlines
- Doors blocked in fatal Manitoba trailer blaze
- Four men who died in a residential trailer fire in Selkirk, Man., may not have been able to escape because both of the home's exits were blocked, says a local fire official. more »
- NDP leadership hopefuls face off in Quebec City
- Federal NDP leadership candidates argued over Canada's global standing, climate change and language during a French-only debate in Quebec City on Sunday. more »
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- A 23-year-old man from Elie, Man., has died from injuries he sustained after falling off the outside of a vehicle as it was driving down a highway, according to RCMP. more »
- Vets board member says privacy raided
- A prominent, long-standing member of the country's Veterans Review and Appeal Board had his privacy violated twice in an alleged smear campaign meant to discredit him using his private medical information as ammunition, The Canadian Press has learned. more »
On Tonight's National
Top stories
Shafia Jury Deliberations
- Dan Halton
- The jury in the Shafia murder trial begun deliberations today. Mohammad Shafia, his wife and his son are accused of killing four of their family members. They are charged with four counts of first-degree murder and have all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Watch the Best of the Show
- Get Connected
- Syria cracks down on protesters, one day before an Arab League delegation arrives.
Stay Connected
- Carolyn Dunn
- An English soccer captain is facing racial abuse charges after an on-field exchange with another player.
The Current
- Panda Diplomacy Feb. 10, 2012 2:43 PM Zoos in Canada are getting ready to welcome two giant pandas despite concerns about whether this will actually generate revenue and awareness about conservation.
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting
- Carleton University confirms death of student
- Adele takes 4 Grammys
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Ultimate Tazer Ball combines shock and soccer
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- Adults-only trade show cancelled in B.C. Bible belt
