Lotto 6/49 Number Generator

Lotto 6/49 is Canada's national lottery game, run under the rules of the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) and sold by the five regional lotteries: BCLC in British Columbia, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, OLG in Ontario, Loto-Québec, and Atlantic Lottery in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The first draw took place on June 12, 1982. When the game turned 40, OLG counted more than $66 billion in sales and more than $33 billion paid out in prizes over those four decades.

The current format dates from September 2022. The old game, with a jackpot that grew until won and a separate $1 million Guaranteed Prize Draw, held its last draw on Saturday, September 10, 2022, and all of its jackpot money was paid out that night. From Wednesday, September 14, 2022, the main draw became the Classic Draw with a fixed $5 million jackpot, and the guaranteed draw became the Gold Ball Draw. The price stayed at $3, the draw days stayed the same and the overall odds of a prize stayed at 1 in 6.6, while the share of sales paid back as prizes rose from 47% to 48%. The game conditions in force today took effect on January 22, 2024.

Each draw night has three steps. First, the Classic Draw picks six main numbers and one bonus number, seven different numbers in all, from 1 to 49. Second, the Gold Ball Draw picks one 10-digit number from all the Gold Ball numbers sold across Canada for that draw, so a winning number exists every time. Third, the Gold Ball Jackpot Draw picks one prize ball to decide whether that number wins $1 million or the Gold Ball Jackpot.

Since May 2019 the ILC has run these draws with random number generator software. Gaming Laboratories International tested and certified it, one external auditor (Grant Thornton) witnesses each draw and a second (Deloitte) runs a parallel draw from another location. On Super Draw dates chosen by the ILC, extra Gold Ball numbers are drawn for additional prizes.

Draws are held every Wednesday and Saturday. Sales for the draw close at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the draw follows straight away (Atlantic Lottery lists it at 11:29:59 p.m. Atlantic Time), and terminals reopen for the next draw at 10:40 p.m. ET. In the WCLC region the same deadline falls at local times:

Checked: 2026-11-04, source: OLG terminal hours and WCLC FAQ.

The Gold Ball Jackpot Draw starts a sequence with 30 balls: 29 white and 1 gold. A white ball means the holder of the winning Gold Ball number gets $1 million; that white ball is then taken out, and the Gold Ball Jackpot grows by $2 million for the next draw. The gold ball means the holder wins the Gold Ball Jackpot, which starts at $10 million and can grow to over $60 million. After the gold ball comes out, the jackpot goes back to $10 million and all 30 balls return.

Two separate odds apply. The chance of holding the winning Gold Ball number is 1 in however many Gold Ball numbers were sold for that draw: with 5 million plays sold, it is 1 in 5 million. Once a number is drawn, its chance of taking the jackpot rather than $1 million is 1 in the number of balls left, so 1 in 30 at the start of a sequence and better after each white ball.

The Gold Ball number is always computer-generated and unique for that draw, so the prize is never split. Its first digit shows the region that sold the ticket; OLG numbers start with 4 or 5. A prize is only paid once someone presents the winning ticket and the claim is approved.

Checked: 2026-11-04, source: OLG Lotto 6/49 FAQ.

One play costs $3 per draw and gives you one Classic Selection plus one Gold Ball number. Choose the six numbers yourself or ask for a Quick Pick (called Insta Pik in Atlantic Canada). A free play won on 2 of 6 is worth one $3 play.

Combination Play turns more than six chosen numbers into every possible six-number line, each with its own Gold Ball number: 7 numbers give 7 lines for $21, 8 numbers give 28 lines for $84, and 9 numbers give 84 lines for $252. A 5-number combination uses each of the other 44 numbers in turn as the sixth, for 44 lines at $132. Advance Play repeats a ticket for several consecutive draws; the maximum depends on the region and the way you buy.

Each region adds its own $1 side game: ENCORE in Ontario (top prize $1 million), EXTRA in Quebec and in the WCLC region (WCLC's EXTRA has a $250,000 top prize and a $100,000 second prize), and TAG and Atlantic 49 in Atlantic Canada. Tickets can also be bought online through OLG.ca, alc.ca, Loto-Québec's site and app, and WCLC's Lotto Spot app, as well as PlayNow in Manitoba and PlayAlberta.ca in Alberta.

Checked: 2026-11-04, source: OLG Combination Play and WCLC Lotto 6/49.

There are 13,983,816 ways to choose 6 numbers from 49, and our own count matches every official figure: 6 lines hit 5 + Bonus, 252 hit 5 of 6, 13,545 hit 4 of 6, 246,820 hit 3 of 6, 172,200 hit 2 + Bonus and 1,678,950 hit 2 of 6. The bonus number only changes the prize at 5 of 6 and 2 of 6; a line with 4 or 3 main numbers wins the same whether or not it also holds the bonus. To redo the arithmetic for other matches, use the lottery odds calculator.

Of every $3 play, $1.44 funds prizes. $0.89 goes to the Draw Fund, which pays the $5 million Classic Jackpot, the Gold Ball prize and any special draw prizes; $0.55 goes to the Prize Fund. The fixed $10, $5 and free-play prizes come out of the Prize Fund first, and what remains is the Pools Fund split between the 5 + Bonus, 5 of 6 and 4 of 6 winners. Pool prizes are rounded to the nearest 10 cents, and a shared Classic Jackpot is rounded up to the next 10 cents ($1,666,666.70 each for three winners). If a top tier has no winner, the ILC uses that money for later Classic or Gold Ball draws.

Checked: 2026-11-04, source: OLG, LOTTO 6/49 Game Conditions.

You have one year from the draw date to claim. Each region runs its own computer system, so a ticket can only be checked and paid in the region that sold it: a ticket bought in Ontario is redeemable only in Ontario, and a ticket from elsewhere has to go back to that region or be mailed to the address on its back. WCLC asks for an interview and photo on claims of $10,000 or more. WCLC states that its cash prizes are tax-free within Canada. Unclaimed money on national games goes back to players through guaranteed jackpots and bonus draws.

Copy the six numbers onto a Lotto 6/49 selection slip, or type them into your region's lottery app or website, before the 10:30 p.m. ET deadline. Leave the Gold Ball number to the terminal: every ticket gets one automatically. If you play Ontario 49 or Western 649 as well, the same slip or Play Both option can reuse your line. More on using a quick pick.

In Ontario you must be 18 or older to buy lottery tickets; other provinces set their own age, so check with your provincial lottery. For help, ConnexOntario answers at 1-866-531-2600 and Quebec's Jeu : aide et référence at 1-800-461-0140; see also playing responsibly and why no tool predicts a draw.