Canada to change Lotto 6/49

May 20, 2004, 7:25 am (7 comments)

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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.

Calgary Sun

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Comments

qutgnt

Some more smoke and mirrors.  Why the need for huge jackpots?  Isnt that what super 7 is for.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

    That free play idea is a great way for lotteries to offer more prizes and lower the overall odds without giving up any extra money.
    When I was younger, I bought car tires from a department store that sold tires the same way.  They would take a 30,000 miles tire and sell it for $20 more and guarantee it for 50,000 miles and when it wore out at 30,000 miles, they would sell you a new one for a $20 discount.  I thought I was getting a bargain for years.
    Ohio did the same thing with Super Lotto last year.  The overall odds of winning were 1:451 when the lowest prize was $5 with a 3+1, then they offered a free play with 3+0 and the overall odds of winning were 1:53 and the amount of actual payout remained the same.  There were some law suits a few years ago in some states as to whether a free play was actually a prize or a second chance to lose.

RJOh

qutgnt

Well in this instance how does one know if the free play takes over for a real money prize and is deducted as so.  A free play is worth about 50 cents, and if its represented as a buck in the prize pool than its highway robbery and smoke and mirrors.

CASH Only

Soon to be $200,000 per year?

lottoshlep's avatarlottoshlep

Just to rub salt in our lot

lottoshlep's avatarlottoshlep

Encouraging News from K

CASH Only

My neighbours, er neighbors, need to protest NY Lotto 6/59, eh?

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