Online Lottery in Canada

Winning the lottery in Canada is extremely rare. In fact, the odds of winning are less likely than being struck by lightning, attacked by a shark, or having identical quadruplets.

Despite this, numerous individuals have won life-changing sums, making it a popular gambling activity in Canada.

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Best casinos to play online lottery in Canada

1
Fatpirate Casino logo
Fatpirate Casino

Rating: 9.0/10

  • Striking 5-level VIP program
  • Casino & sports betting
  • C$30,000 monthly payout limits
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2
Casino Infinity logo
Casino Infinity

Rating: 8.6/10

  • Casino & sportsbook options
  • Trustworthy Bets Entertainment N.V. owner
  • 85+ reliable providers
  • Up to C$30,000 monthly cashouts
  • Low 1x deposit turnover
4
rooli casino logo
Rooli Casino

Rating: 7.8/10

  • Local payment methods
  • Generous welcome bonuses
  • High roller bonuses
  • Top progressive jackpots
  • 24/7 support
5
Pan Casino logo
Pan Casino

Rating: 7.7/10

  • 7,000+ games are available in the casino.
  • Fast transactions with cryptocurrencies.
  • Up to 35% bonus for deposits
  • Up to 80% monthly bonus
  • Operated by SG International N.V.
6
playfina-logo-160x160s-160x160s
Playfina Casino

Rating: 7.4/10

  • Welcome package in 4 deposits + a Secret Bonus
  • Portfolio of 11,000+ games
  • Cryptocurrencies are accepted
  • ULTRA FAST WITHDRAWALS
  • Loyalty program with a chance to win a Lamborghini
7
Fairspin Casino Logo
FairSpin Casino

Rating: 7.3/10

  • Up to 10% Wager-Free Daily Cash Back
  • Up to 50% Weekly Cash Back
  • RakeBack on Every Bet
  • Crypto Payments
  • Support Live-chat 24/7
  • Over 5000 games
9
ICE casinos
ICE Casino

Rating: 7.2/10

  • Weekly cashback offer of CA$2,000
  • More than 4,000 games
  • Customer support available in 20 languages
  • Withdrawals processed within 12 hours
  • Accepts four cryptocurrencies
10
Spinarium Casino logo
Spinarium Casino

Rating: 7.2/10

  • Over 9,700+ feature-rich games
  • Canadians make fiat & crypto payments
  • Rewarding 50-level VIP program
  • Smooth Android app & iOS optimization
  • 10% daily cashback and rakeback
11
Weiss Casino logo
Weiss Casino

Rating: 7.2/10

  • Daily and Weekly Cashback up to 30%
  • Unique loyalty program
  • Own Token WEFT
  • Quick Withdrawals
  • Tokenized Rakeback
  • Support Live-chat 24/7
13
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Arlekin Casino

Rating: 6.7/10

  • Generous welcome package
  • Wide language selection
  • Multiple payment options
  • Mobile friendly games
  • Access to well known vendors
  • 24/7 multilingual live chat
14
Leon casinos
Leon Casino

Rating: 6.7/10

  • Over 4,500+ games from 70+ providers
  • Both Kahnawake and Curacao licences
  • Really low minimum withdrawals of $2
  • No-deposit bonus available
  • Advanced loyalty program with exchangeable points
16
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QuickWin Casino

Rating: 6.7/10

  • Over 2,000+ games, including slots and live dealer titles
  • Weekly cashback of up to 15%
  • Responsive 24/7 support
  • Fast payouts and easy verification
17
Slotlords Casino Logo
Slotlords Casino

Rating: 6.7/10

  • Payouts take 0 to 24 hours
  • Fiat- and crypto-friendly
  • C$6,750 + 250 FS for newbies
  • Trustworthy Dama N.V. owner
  • New site launched in 2024
19
Spinbookie Casino logo
Spinbookie Casino

Rating: 6.7/10

  • Up to C$1,800 upon sign-up
  • Livespins streamed by real dealers
  • Kahnawake & Curacao licensing
  • Over 90+ RNG-certified providers
  • Fastest payouts take up to 24 hours
5

How to Play the Lottery?

  1. Choose a game

    Choose a Canada lottery game. Make sure to research the odds of winning, draw dates and jackpots available.

  2. Find your lotto casino

    Find an online lottery provider or website with access to the lottery games you’ve chosen.

  3. Sign up and register

    Create an account with your chosen provider and deposit funds into it.

  4. Find those lucky digits

    Select the numbers you wish to play and submit your entry to play online lottery in Canada.

  5. Look for the results

    Check your ticket for the draw results. You will be notified if you have won a prize.

History of Lottery in Canada

History of Lottery in Canada

Like most countries around the world, the purpose of the lottery is to fundraise for public services, such as building roads and bridges, sewage systems, and bin collection. Indeed, 1976, the lottery helped raise money to host the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

The lottery is thought to have been around for the best part of the 17th century in Canada, becoming more structured throughout the 1800s until the Canadian government decided to step in and ban the practice in 1875, which was shortly followed by a prohibition of all forms of gambling by 1892 as part of the Canadian Criminal Code.

Fewer than 100 years later, the Criminal Code was amended to allow lotteries to run once more for the funding of special nationwide projects both provincially and federally. In 1974 the first national lottery in Canada was held in what was referred to as the Canada Olympic Lottery, named as such because it helped raise money to host the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

In the modern era, Canadians can play three national lottery games - Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max, and the Daily Grand.

Types of Lottery Games Available

While there are three main national games, the Canada lottery landscape is vast. There are plenty of lotteries in Canada - here are a few examples:

  • Lotto Max

    Lotto Max

    This is a popular national lotto in Canada, with draws on Fridays that offer prizes of up to $60 million. Players choose seven numbers from 1 to 50 for each ticket.

  • Lotto 6/49

    Lotto 6/49

    This lottery game offers players the chance to win a progressive jackpot by selecting six numbers from 1 to 49 and a bonus ball.
  • Daily Grand

    Daily Grand

    This Canadian lottery is offered by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, and features draws twice a week. Players select five different numbers from 1 to 25, as well as one grand number between 1 and 5. The winner bags a jackpot.
  • Atlantic 49

    Atlantic 49

    Players have the chance to win up to $2 million every Wednesday and Saturday. They choose six different numbers from 1 to 49 for each ticket, as well as a Bonus number between 1 and 49.
  • Ontario Encore

    Ontario Encore

    This lottery is available exclusively in the province of Ontario, and features draws seven days a week. Players select seven numbers from 0 to 9 for each ticket they purchase, with prizes up to $1,000,000 available. Unlike other Canadian lottos, the Ontario Encore numbers must match the exact sequence on the lotto ticket. For example, numbers 1, 9, 0, 4, 4, 0, 9 would only pay the jackpot if the numbers came out in that exact order.

Lottery Prizes & Payouts

The prize can vary significantly from a few dollars to millions. For example, popular lottery games such as LOTTO 6/49 and Lotto Max offer jackpots that start at $5 million and can go up to over $60 million. In addition, there are unique draws such as Super 7, which has seen an enormous payout of more than $50 million!

Progressive jackpots are also popular in Canadian lotteries. These increase every time the lottery is drawn without a winner, so it is impossible to put a cap on the maximum amount of money that can be won.

Lottery Prizes & Payouts
Lottery Total Winners Total Won Odd/Even
Lotto Max 731,661 $9,332,769.40 3/4
Lotto 649 820,773 $39,199,924.40 3/3
BC 49 11,025 $189,790.00 5/1
Western 6/49 53,127 $38,884.00 3/3
Quebec 49 20,538 $213,845.00 2/4

Lottery Winners & Statistics

While the odds of winning a national lottery are monumental, there are still plenty of examples of players striking it big to win incredible money.

In the first half of 2023 alone, there have been three examples of multi-million dollar prizes going to lucky players.

Check them out below:

🎉 18 Year-Old Lands Big With First Try

At the beginning of 2023, teenager Juliette Lamour of Sault Ste Maria in Ontario won a Lotto 6/49 $48 million jackpot with her first-ever lottery ticket, which she bought for her birthday. Talk about beginners' luck!

🏖️ Retired Couple Have Best Days Ahead

Randy and Janice Glays, a Winnipeg couple who claimed to be previously living paycheque to paycheque, scooped a whopping $60 million jackpot from the LottoMax game back in April 2023 after purchasing a $6 quick-pick ticket in a St. Anne's Road Superstore.

💑 Anniversary Celebrations Will Escalate For This Lucky Pair

Lahsen Rezrazi and Debbie Ramsay, a couple from Victoria, bagged a vast $35 million Lotto Max jackpot just before their wedding anniversary - splitting the jackpot with another lucky winner.

It is perhaps stories like these, which all occurred within six months of the first half of 2023, which makes the Canadian lottery so exciting for so many.

There are some national statistics backing up the popularity of the lotto. For example, in 2018, Canadians spent over $7 billion on lottery tickets - that's a number that would have only increased over the past five years.

In those same figures, it was revealed the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) was the largest lottery corporation in Canada, with sales of $2.2 billion, while the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is next highest, with sales of $2.1 billion in the same year.

Where to Buy Lottery Tickets

Where to Buy Lottery Tickets

In Canada, lottery tickets can be purchased with cash or card from convenience stores, depending on the province. In addition to these locations, big-win hunters can play lotto online via the official website of each provincial lottery corporation or a lottery provider. Some lottery tickets in Canada are only valid for selected jurisdictions - make sure to check the terms and conditions and rules of each lotto ticket to get all the information.

Other lotto ticket-buying locations include:

  • Any online casino that offers lotto as a betting option.
  • Retail stores.
  • Select bingo halls.
Lottery Regulations & Law

Lottery Regulations & Law

The Canadian lottery is regulated by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), an organization that oversees lottery operations in all Canadian provinces and territories. Each jurisdiction has its own set of rules for those who play lottery online or via other means, but there are some common regulations.

To play a Canadian lottery game, players must be at least 18 years old and purchase a ticket from an authorised retailer. Tickets can also be purchased online in some areas. In most provinces, players are allowed to purchase tickets for multiple draws at one time.

Generally, prizes must be claimed within a certain period of time and may require the winner to present valid identification and proof of purchase. The ILC also has regulations in place for winners who choose to remain anonymous.

Lottery Scams & Fraud

Lottery Scams & Fraud

Unfortunately, there are some examples of lottery scams and fraudulent behavior by criminals within the Canada lottery online and land-based sphere.

Some examples include:

  • A criminal contacts a player, claiming they have won a large sum of money with the promise of sending winnings if they provide personal information or pay fees.
  • Another common form of lottery fraud in Canada involves people selling fraudulent tickets online or through the mail. These tickets are usually fake and the person selling them is not affiliated with any official lottery organisation.
  • There have also been instances of representatives claiming to be from legitimate lotteries, but collecting personal information or asking for payment before sending a prize, which is never forthcoming.

Responsible Gambling Practices

There are several steps players can take to avoid the risks of gambling addiction from playing the lottery online in Canada.

They include:

  1. Set a budget and stick to it: Before playing the lotto online, players should set a budget they can afford to lose without any adverse financial consequences.
  2. Take regular breaks from gambling: It can help reduce excessive spending and addictive behavior.
  3. Treat lotto betting as a form of entertainment: While it is possible to make money playing the lottery, the odds are stacked against the player.

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Lucas Goldberg
Lucas, a seasoned site editor at CasinoCanada, boasts a decade-long journey in the gambling industry with a focus on providing players with meticulous reviews and insights of online games and casinos.
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University of Toronto
Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Digital Media, and Journalism, PlayTech Analytics career, communication with users through high-quality gambling content.
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FAQ

What are the odds of winning the lottery in Canada?

The odds depend on the game. For example, the odds of winning the Lotto Max jackpot are 1 in 33,294,800.

How much does it cost to play the lottery in Canada?

Lottery tickets in Canada can cost as little as six dollars.

What is the largest jackpot ever won in Canada?

The largest-ever jackpot was $70 million, won in 2023.

How are lottery winnings taxed in Canada?

Lottery winnings are not taxable in Canada.

How do I claim my lottery winnings in Canada?

For winnings over $1,000, players should contact the lottery operator. Winnings under $1,000 can be claimed at a store.

Where is the lottery money coming from?

Lottery jackpots are primarily funded by ticket sales.

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