Canada Lotto 649 is a straightforward single-matrix game with great tax-free jackpots and automatic entry into the $1 million Guaranteed Prize Draw. It also happens to have relatively good jackpot odds and excellent overall odds, making it arguably the best lottery in Canada.
Canada Lotto 649 is one of Canada’s biggest national lottery games.
It offers large prizes, rollovers and familiar gameplay for anyone who has played a 6/49 format game.
In this guide, we’ll examine what else makes this an appealing draw to participate in and show how you can buy Canada Lotto 6/49 tickets online.
About Canada Lotto 649
Canada Lotto 649 began in July 1982 and was the first Canadian national lottery to allow players to choose their own numbers.
Due to its popularity, this format of lotto play has since become standard across the country.
It is run by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, a group consisting of the five regional lotto corporations in the country.
The popular lotto game has undergone a few changes since its launch over 30 years ago. The most recent change occurred in September 2013 when several new features and adjustments were introduced.
Canada Lotto 649 Draws
Draws take place bi-weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 pm EST.
The draws are carried out by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation in Toronto using a Smartplay Halogen II ball machine.
In addition to the Canada Lotto 649 draw, each of the five regional corporations that form the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation offers a regional variant of the game.
They also offer add-on games that are played on the same ticket as the national Lotto 6/49 draw.
These games are named Tag, Encore, or Extra, depending on the region. The add-on game puts an additional six- or seven-digit number on the ticket.
If these numbers are matched, there is an additional $100,000 prize for a six-digit match, or a $250,000 to $1,000,000 prize for a seven-digit match depending on the region.
How to Play Canada Lotto 649
As the name implies, players choose six numbers from a ball pool of numbers 1 to 49.
A bonus number is also randomly assigned to each ticket, but this only affects the second- and fifth-tier prizes.
Players have the option of choosing their own numbers or selecting Quick Pick for a randomized set of numbers.
To win the jackpot, players must match all six numbers.
Like many other lotteries, the jackpot prize is pari mutuel and split among winners if more than one person has a matching ticket.
One thing that makes Canada Lotto 649 different from other online lotteries is the Guaranteed Prize Draw that was added in September 2013.
This guarantee means that a prize of $1 million is awarded with every draw. Entry into this draw is automatically given (for free) to each player who bought a ticket.
Therefore, the odds of winning this prize vary from draw to draw based on how many tickets were sold. Occasionally, smaller prizes are given out alongside the Guaranteed Prize Draw. These draws are called Superdraws.
Canada Lotto 649 tickets officially cost $3 per line.
Tickets in most regions can hold a maximum of 10 separate lines per ticket.
Some regions, including the Western region that comprises Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, are only allowed a maximum of six lines.
Canada Lotto 649 Prizes and Odds
This lottery draw has seven prize tiers in total and has some pretty great overall odds of 1 in 6.6.
The high odds are due to the issuance of free tickets for the next draw as one of the prize tiers. But this is more of a breaking even than a win.
The minimum jackpot is $5,000,000, and the prize carries over to the next draw if no winning ticket has been sold.
The current prize tiers and odds for winning each one is as follows:
Number of Matches
Win
Odds
6/6
Jackpot or 79.5% share of the pool's fund
1 in 13,983,816
5/6 + Bonus
6% share of the pool's fund
1 in 2,330,636
5/6
5% share of the pool's fund
1 in 55,492
4/6
4% share of the pool's fund
1 in 1,033
3/6
$10 prize
1 in 56.7
2/6 + Bonus
$5 prize
1 in 81.2
2/6
Free ticket
1 in 8.3
Guaranteed Prize Draw (10 of 10) (exact match only)
$1,000,000
Variable
Claiming Canada Lotto 649 Prizes
The ease of claiming prizes for Canada Lotto 649 is another aspect that makes it a great game.
All prizes are paid out as a lump sum and are tax-free.
Players who live abroad and buy lottery tickets online for Canada Lotto 649 have to pay taxes in accordance with their country’s laws.
All winners must come forward to claim prizes within one year of the draw date.
Notable Canada Lotto 649 Winners
Canada Lotto 649 has produced some big winners. The most notable was a single-ticket winner of a $64 million jackpot in October 2015.
At the time, the jackpot was not only the biggest lottery prize awarded in Canada Lotto 649 history. It was also the largest jackpot won by a single ticket in Canadian lotto history.
This record has since been beaten several times by winners of the $70 million Canada Lotto Max jackpot.
Canada Lotto 6/49-Should You Play?
With a reputation spanning decades and reliable bi-weekly draws, Canada Lotto 649 is an excellent lottery game to play.
Though the jackpots might not get as big as its American counterparts Powerball and Mega Millions, the great odds make it an incredibly appealing ticket.
The odds of winning the Lotto 649 jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816.
How many numbers do you need to win Canada Lotto 649?
To win the jackpot, you must match all 6 numbers that are drawn.
How long are Lotto 649 tickets good for?
All Lotto 649 tickets are good for exactly one year (365 days) after the day of the draw.
What has better odds Lotto 649 or Lotto Max?
The odds of winning Lotto 649 are considerably better than those of Lotto Max, especially since the 2019 changes that the latter lottery underwent. Currently, the Lotto 649 jackpot odds are 1 in 13,983,816, while the Lotto Max odds are 1 in 33,294,800-meaning the 649 odds are 2.38 times better.
Can a non-resident win the lottery in Canada?
Definitely. Though Canada’s lotteries are intended for the country’s residents, the lottery operators treat all winners-including non-residents and visitors-fairly and equally.
How much tax do you pay on lottery winnings in Canada?
One of the best parts about playing (and of course winning) Canadian lotteries is that the Canada Revenue Agency considers them as windfalls, meaning they are non-taxable-and don’t even have to be reported during tax season. That said, if you earn any interest from your winnings, you will be taxed on whatever that amount is.
Comments
Jean
The description at the top of this article is completely on point: this IS the best lottery in Canada!
Colleen
I like to play this more than Lotto Max. Better odds and cheaper tickets too. Does anyone actually NEED $70 million?
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Jean