Canadian Lotteries – Lotto 649
Current Jackpot CAN$ 3,500,000
Lotto 649 
The 649 Lotto is the most well known and most played of all Canadian lottery games. It is a game that is available across the whole of Canada (as well as abroad) and has produced the largest Canadian jackpot ever and at times, as many as 2 out of every 3 Canadians have bought tickets for it. The 649 Lottery game began in Canada back in 1982 with the very first tickets being sold right across the country on June 4th 1982. The first jackpot available was half a million Canadian dollars. The game's initial drawing took place on June 12th 1982 and was the first Canadian lottery game that allowed players to choose their own numbers. Previous games available used a method of serial numbers on tickets but the 649 lottery now made these types of lottery tickets obsolete. The Lotto 649 is one of the games organized and run by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) in Canada. The ILC is the organization that runs country-wide lottery games in Canada.
Interprovincial Lottery Corporation - ILC 
The Interprovincial Lottery Corporation is based in Toronto, Ontario and is made up of 5 lottery commissions from the various Canadian provinces and these 5 Canadian lottery companies jointly own the ILC. The provincial Canadian lottery companies that make up the ILC are the BC Lottery, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, the Ontario Lottery and Gambling Corporation, Loto-Quebec and the Western Canada Lottery Corporation. The ILC was created in 1976 by these provincial Canadian lotto companies to oversee and operate country-wide lottery games right across Canada and today it operates the 2 massive Canadian Lotteries – Lotto 649 & Lotto Super 7 as well as the Millionaire Life game. Each provincial Canadian lottery company is responsible for marketing the national ILC games of Lotto 649 & Lotto Super 7 within their own province.
Lotto 649 – Overview 
The Lotto 649 is the traditional draw-style, pick six lotto game of the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. It is the ILC flagship game and is a Canada-wide lottery that gives you the chance to win huge jackpots for just 2 dollars. The game uses a matrix of 6/49 and the ILC make the draw twice per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9.30pm EST in Toronto, Ontario. The jackpot normally starts at a figure of $3.5 million and if this jackpot figure is not won, the sum will be added onto the next 649 lotto draw by way of a “rollover”. The jackpot will then increase in size draw after draw until the top prize is finally won meaning that this Canada Lotto results in some massive jackpot figures quite frequently. We are very pleased that we have reviewed the Canadian Lottery - Lotto 649 - and would recommend anyone either inside or outside of Canada to give it a go – first of all, though, take a look at how this game works below…
How It Works… 
The Canadian lottery – Lotto 649 – uses what’s known as a 6/49 matrix - which means that when playing this 649 lottery, you need to select 6 numbers from a pool of numbers from 1 to 49 – if you match all 6 numbers drawn then you will be a jackpot winner. As well as the 6 main numbers, a 7th number is drawn. This is the bonus number and is drawn after the 6 main numbers. In addition to the jackpot itself, there are 5 other ways in which you can win on this lottery - with prizes to be won if you match either 5 main numbers plus the bonus number, 5 main numbers, 4 main numbers, 3 main numbers or even just 2 main numbers plus the bonus number. A “Quick Pick” facility is available when playing the 649 Lotto - very much the same as the “Lucky Dip” option that is used in the UK National Lottery or Europe’s Euro-Millions or many other USA and Canada lottery games – which means that you can ask the lottery retailer or computer to randomly select all your 649 Lotto numbers for you. So, playing the 649 lotto is simple…just select your own 6 numbers or request them to be randomly generated for you by using the “Quick Pick” option and then check the 649 Lotto results. The cost of playing this Canadian lottery is $2 CAD per play.
Random Number Generator
Unlike many of the USA & Canadian lotteries today that use a Random Number Generator (RNG) to make their draws, the ILC still uses the traditional method of numbered rubber lottery balls to draw their 649 lotto game.
Who Can Play? 
As with most Canada lotto & USA Lotto games, previously only citizens living in Canada itself were allowed to play in any of the Canadian lottery games including those run by the ILC such as the Lotto 649. You used to have to purchase your Lotto 649 tickets from an authorized retailer based in Canada. Nowadays, though, with a good number of online lottery ticket sales agencies around the world like TheLotter who are both authorized and genuine - you are able to select your Lotto 649 numbers online and purchase your tickets without worrying about where in the world you may live. This is great news of course if you live outside of Canada and want to play the Lotto 649 and ensure your entry into the next draw or just want to have the convenience of being able to buy lottery tickets online. Once you have entered into the draw, you can then easily check the Lotto 649 results online to see how you have done and to find out if you have become one of the lucky winners. Like nearly all of the other USA & Canada lotteries, you will need to be 18 years of age to be eligible to purchase a ticket for any of the ILC games including the 649 Lotto – except in the province of British Columbia where players must be at least 19 years of age. Click here to Play the Lotto 649 Now
Information & Background 
Originally the Lotto 649 was drawn just once per week up until 1985 when it began twice weekly drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This increase in drawings led to double the amount of tickets being sold across the nation. Prices per play were initially $1 but this was increased to $2 in June 2004 in order to increase the size of jackpots available. The starting jackpot figure was immediately increased to $3.5 million from $2 million as a result of this game change. The most recent alteration to the game occurred in May 2004 when the game began offering further different ways of winning a prize along with larger jackpot figures to be won more frequently. As at the time of writing, the most frequent number to be drawn on Lotto 649 has been number 34. The least frequent number to be drawn has been number 15. Drawings for the ILC 649 Lotto take place each week in Toronto, Ontario and the 649 lottery results are available in many places both on and offline including newspapers, television, radio and at the retailers.
What Are The Odds? 
The odds of winning on the 649 lottery are very competitive when compared to other country-wide US & Canadian lotteries, such as the Lotto Super 7. The chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 13.98 million – for these odds you could be one of the lucky Lotto 649 jackpot winners. For one of the prizes on the second level, the odds come in at 1 in 2.33 million. The likelihood of winning a third tier prize comes in at 1 in 55.49 thousand and for a prize on the fourth tier the odds are reduce right down to just 1 in 1,033. The odds for a fifth tier prize are 1 in just 56.7, with the 6th tier level being 1 in 81 as it includes matching the bonus number. The overall odds of you winning any prize in a Lotto 649 draw are a very reasonable 1 in just 32. These are great overall odds for a national jackpot game that produces thousands of cash winners every week.
Record Jackpots… 
Nearly 4 years after it first began, the Lotto 649 record jackpot of the time was won by the Lavigueur family who scooped a top prize of $7.65 million. A record jackpot of $26.4 million was produced by the 649 lottery in September 1995. The record jackpot of all time for this particular game is a staggering $54.3 million which was won by 17 oil and gas plant workers from Camrose, Alberta in October 2005. This is also a Canadian lottery record figure. For this record draw it was estimated that 2 out of every 3 Canadians purchased lottery tickets for the game. The Lotto Super 7 created the previous largest Canadian lottery jackpot of all time when it reached $37.8 million in May 2002. In February 2009, the second highest Lotto 649 jackpot was won. The top prize figure was $50.3 million and was shared by 4 winning tickets – 3 from Ontario and 1 from Quebec.
How Are Jackpots Paid? 
Jackpots won on the Canada-wide Lotto 649 are all paid out by the ILC member provinces in the form of a cash lump sum. This differs slightly from many USA lotteries where winners can chose either a cash lump sum or annuity option. As this lottery is available in different provinces across Canada, the rules vary slightly depending upon which province you have purchased your ticket in. However, generally, you will have 1 year from the date on which the draw was made, in which to claim your prize. In most provinces, you can claim lower tier prizes direct from the lottery retailer – the amounts vary from province to province. For larger wins you will need to make your claim at the lottery regional offices of the province where you purchased your ticket form. If you have selected the correct Canadian lottery numbers and have won a 649 lotto jackpot, you will need to make your claim at the lottery Head Office of the province where you obtained your ticket. If you buy your tickets in Quebec, you will need to make sure that you sign your lottery ticket at the time you make your purchase. Of course, if you play lottery online whatever the size of your win may be, lottery ticket sales companies such as TheLotter will take care of all these details for you – including providing you with your chosen Canadian lottery result - so you needn’t be concerned.
How The Provinces Benefit…
Proceeds from the sales of ILC lottery tickets are retained by the province in which those sales were made. Revenues generated by the lottery generally go to the government where they are used to benefit many different areas of life within the province including education, social and health care. Click here to
Play the 649 Lotto Now
Return To World Lotteries Return To Home Page
|
