Thursday June 10, 2021 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
Someone in Canada will suddenly become a whole lot richer if they win the estimated $70 million jackpot coming up for the June 11 Friday night draw.
And the other prizes will bring the total winnings tomorrow night to about $120 million, says the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC).
There are an estimated 50 of the $1 million Maxmillions prize draws plus the $70 million jackpot up for grabs.
“Lottery excitement is hitting unprecedented heights as Canada’s largest lottery game sets a second national record in less than one week for total prizes,” said BCLC in a news release today.
Players can purchase Lotto Max tickets at any of the 3,500 lottery retailers in BC, as well as online at PlayNow.com or on the BCLC Lotto! app.
So far in 2021, BCLC players have redeemed over $58 million in winnings from Lotto Max.
How it works:
Lotto Max draws are run twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm Pacific Time. The ticket price is $5 for three selections of seven numbers; numbers are selected from 1 to 50. Overall odds to win any prize are one in seven (per $5 play), while odds of winning the main jackpot are one in 33,294,800 (per $5 play).
As a way of spreading the larger-prize wealth, Lotto Max offers $1 million ‘Maxmillion’ prizes when the main jackpot reaches and exceeds $50 million.
The top jackpot winner for matching 7 of 7 numbers on their winning ticket gets 87.25% of the total pool of funds.
By comparison, the 649 draw (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) offers one $1 million instant winner with every draw. Those tickets are $3 for a selection of six numbers per play.
Why it works:
Of course, the lure of spending money on lottery tickets (which is a form of gambling) is for the hope of thinking one might be set free from the regular work of making a living.
The cost of living in Canada is high, and consumer debt is high (more so on mortgages during COVID, when people otherwise had an opportunity to save and/or spend less during the period of less activity during public health restrictions).
Where the money goes:
Other than to ticket-holder winners, funds from lottery tickets and gaming in BC (including lotteries) is revenue for the BC government of which about 75% is put toward the ongoing provincial budgets for public health and public education.
===== RELATED LINKS:
New BC Lottery Corp board chair oversees $1.3+ billion annual revenue (May 21, 2021)
Lottery win 60K+ with ticket purchased at Fairway in Langford (May 21, 2021)
A $2 million pause from Victoria resident’s breakfast to check lottery ticket (January 25, 2021)