Insider Buzz: Canada to change Lotto 6/49
Canada's Lotto 6/49 is going for gold with bigger jackpots and better chances of winning. Starting May 30, the first major changes in the game's 22-year history will take effect.
"We're hoping these changes will provide added excitement," said Kathleen Polyak, spokeswoman for the Western Canada Lottery Corporation.
The game will still be based on the popular 6/49 format, but it will offer bigger jackpots more often, a new $5 prize category and better overall odds of winning a prize.
But to enable bigger prizes, the cost for one set of numbers is going up from $1 to $2.
It's anticipated about half the Lotto 6/49 jackpots will be $10 million or more.
A new 2/6 plus the bonus number prize category will be added to the game to improve the odds of winning a prize from 1 in 54, to 1 in 32.
The change will also see the add-on game for Lotto 6/49 and Western 6/49 change from The Plus to Extra.
The Plus awards free play prizes that include a $1 Lotto 6/49 selection, while Extra awards only cash prizes and offers two major prizes of $250,000 and $100,000.
Cost for the Extra will stay at $1.