What to know
- For the time time in history, the Lotto Max jackpot has reached a whopping $90 million following a rule change back in April.
- Aside from the jackpot, there will be 20 Maxmillion prizes worth $1 million each, and 90 Maxplus prizes worth $100,000 each.
- But don’t get your hopes up, as the chance of winning the $90 million jackpot is 1 in 33.4 million.
- The prize draws occur twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays after 10:30 p.m.
For the first time in history, $90 million are up for grabs through the only Canada-wide lottery prize draw, Lotto Max. Could you be the lucky Canadian to win this life-changing amount of money?
Prior to 2026, the maximum jackpot limit was set at $80 million. But in April, the prize cap was increased to $90 million. The last winning ticket was sold on July 24, meaning it’s been three months since a Canadian produced a winning ticket.
How Lotto Max works
Tony Bitonti, Director of Media Relations at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), says another exciting change was added to the prize pool in April: Maxplus prizes worth $100,000 each.
He says every time the Lotto Max jackpot increases by $10 million, 10 more Maxplus prizes are added.
“If the jackpot is $10 million, there are 10 $100,000 prizes available. For $20 million, 20 Maxplus prizes are available,” Bitonti says.
The third type of top prize available are Maxmillions, each worth $1 million. Accompanying the $90 million jackpot are 20 Maxmillion up for grabs.
“Right now, there’s the $90 million, there are 20 Maxmillions, and they grow depending on the size of the jackpot, and then there’s the 90 $100,000 prizes as well. So there’s $119 million in top prizes available.”
Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but the odds of one person winning the $90 million jackpot is 1 in 33.4 million. Here are a few things that are more likely to happen: crashing in an airplane (1 in 30,000), being killed by a rogue asteroid (1 in 250,000), struck by lightning (1 in 135,000), and attacked by a shark (1 in 8 million).
The more plausible scenario is winning the smallest dollar value prize, worth $20. The odds are 1 in 5.8 per $6 ticket sold.
The last person to win the Lotto Max jackpot — set at $25 million dollars — was on July 24 by a man in Oxford County, Ont.
While there’s no strategy that will increase any one person’s chances of winning the entire jackpot, the odds are higher when playing the lottery in a group, such as with coworkers or friends, and sharing the prize pot.
“In Ontario you can play in a group. So if you want to play with your coworkers, then you would have to be the group captain, and you would have to set that up,” Bitonti explains.
“We have a system on our website OLG.ca where you can be the group captain and you can invite people to join and they can pay through there.”
Remember to check your tickets
Since the chances of winning a top prize is so slim, Bitonti says it’s easy to buy a lottery ticket, stuff it in a random jacket pocket, and forget about its existence. Every year, he says, there are “millions of dollars in prizes that go unclaimed.”
People will buy a ticket, put it in a jacket pocket, junk drawer, or glove compartment, and will forget about it. So we always say to people, ‘check your tickets right away.’”
“If you have a smartphone, you can download the OLG app. There’s a ticket checker there. You can go to a retailer. There are ticket checkers there as well too.”
On Oct. 28, Bitonti warns, a ticket sold in Grey County worth $40 million will expire. Somebody bought a ticket last year for the Oct. 28, 2025 draw. That draw came and went, and nobody has claimed the jackpot.
The next Lotto Max prize draw is set for Tuesday, Oct. 20 after 10:30 p.m.
