Lotteries may sound like something from the past that our grandmothers used to be excited about. However, surprisingly, in Canadian provinces, lotteries are still alive and kicking. They are available for playing offline and sometimes even online. In some provinces, you can install an official mobile app for playing the lottery and tracking your wins. Many people still perceive the lottery as a part of their regular fun.
So, are province lotteries in Canada still a thing? Are they still fun to play? Let’s find out.
Playing Lottery: Advantages
Surprisingly enough, lotteries are still among the top gaming preferences for Canadian folk. Not clear what makes the situation the way it is, is it the history, the habit, the social aspect of it, or the fact that lotteries are safe and regulated? Not exactly clear but it seems that Canadians still believe that playing lotteries is fun.
While the lottery is no longer an attraction of a Sunday fair, it still brings the same excitement. Being able to buy a ticket online or pick it up when leaving a supermarket is some innocent fun that still provides excitement, pleasant anticipation, hope, and the joy of winning.
Most lottery tickets in Canadian provinces cost even less than a cup of coffee. This brings us to the fact that this is a very affordable entertainment that many people pursue. The low cost of entry is a serious advantage for many people.
Buying lottery tickets can also be part of socializing. Some people buy lottery tickets as small gifts for their friends or even kids. If you watch the draw results with friends or generally share buying lottery tickets as a hobby, this is another conversation subject or even a conversation starter.
If you are into real benefits and long-lasting effects, well what about that: all lotteries in Canada work with charity projects and send an impressive percentage of their incomes to local charities. This way, every time you buy a lottery ticket for fun and probably a win, you also support a good cause in the province. Many local communities thrive on gambling businesses while all-province lotteries can reach out to many projects.
Ontario Lotteries
What makes Ontario so unique with its lotteries and with its gaming sector in general is its recent update.
Ontario does a very good job with all its gambling activities, to be honest, and lotteries included. The key point here is that Ontario managed to reform its legislation back in 2022 and now all the gambling activities and businesses are not only legalized and can be licensed and supervised but they also actually meet the needs of modern players.
For example, Ontario became the first province to update online casino gambling rules. Today, platforms like Casino Days Ontario can apply for a local license and operate in the province legally, which was not even close to the case before 2022.
That being said, Ontario has the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to regulate and supervise its offline and online gambling sectors. Its strict regulation is combined with plenty of legal opportunities but in terms of lotteries, the new rules have only updated the way lotteries are handled online.
Now, the list of lotteries currently available in ON includes:
● Pick-2;
● Pick-3;
● Pick-4;
● Lottario;
● Ontario 49;
● Daily Keno;
● Lightning Lotto;
● Poker Lotto;
● MegaDice Lotto.
The majority of these lotteries are available both online and offline. You can check up on the draws on the OLG website, see the results of the previous draws, check your wins and history, or read the lottery rules.
All-Canadian Lotteries
Three main lotteries work across Canada and are available in any province under the same rules. So if you are into something you know and love, or you want to buy some lottery tickets when traveling, these may be your best lottery options.
The Daily Grand lottery sells tickets for only $3 but the main prize is too good to be true yet it exists. The luckiest player will secure $1,000 every day for the rest of their lifetime. All you need to do is to guess 5 numbers from 1 to 49 and wait for the draws on Monday and Thursday.
The Lotto Max lottery requires a little bit more effort at guessing. You have to guess from three sets of numbers to hit a win. The ticket costs $5 and the minimum jackpot is $10,000 but it continues to grow and the maximum win limit is $60,000. This is something to look forward to every Friday.
Eventually, the third major lottery available in all Canadian provinces is Lotto 6/49. It is also said to be one of the most popular lotteries and many people consider it their favorite one. The tickets cost only $3. The initial gamble requires you to choose 6 numbers out of 49. The jackpot for this set is $5 million minimum and can increase as the prize pool grows. However, there is also the second gamble with the second prize pool, up to $1 million this time. Players have to guess from a 10-digit set of numbers and this draw is for guaranteed wins, although smaller than the maximum jackpot. The draws take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
