Lotto Max jackpot hits record $85 million for Oct. 13 draw

The Lotto Max jackpot has grown to a record $85 million for the draw on Tuesday, Oct. 13, after no ticket matched all seven numbers on Friday, Oct. 9, according to Global News and Loto-Québec.

Global News reported that the prize is the largest in Canadian lotto history. CP24 and CTV News described it as the biggest top prize ever available in Canada across all Canadian lottery brands.

The winning numbers on Friday were 6, 10, 19, 25, 29, 39 and 50, with bonus number 36, according to CP24.

Loto-Québec said in a release on Oct. 10 that the Tuesday draw also carries an estimated 16 Maxmillions prizes of $1 million each and 85 prizes of $100,000 each, for a total prize pool of $101 million.

The previous record was $80.4 million, which CP24 reported was split between two friends in London, Ont., in December. Global News, for its part, noted that the most recent major win came in December 2024, when a player from Hamiota, Man., shared a jackpot with a ticket sold in Quebec. The two reports describe the December win differently, and Canada News Media has not independently confirmed the details.

The jackpot is now close to the game’s ceiling. Global News reported that Lotto Max raised its jackpot cap to $90 million earlier this year and added $100,000 prizes to every draw. CP24 said the operator announced in April that the top prize could reach $90 million, and that prizes have always been claimed before reaching that level.

Tony Bitonti, a spokesperson for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), told CTV News that if no one wins on Tuesday, the jackpot will rise to $90 million. If there is still no winner after that, CP24 reported, the jackpot stays at $90 million while the Maxmillions and $100,000 prizes grow.

That detail matters for players. Once a jackpot is capped, the extra money flows to the lower prize tiers rather than to a bigger top prize. Ticket buyers then have a better chance of winning a smaller prize even if the top prize never gets bigger.

Quebec has a history with the game’s biggest prizes. According to Loto-Québec, the largest jackpots ever won in the province were three $70-million wins, on Feb. 25 and Oct. 9, 2020, and on June 7, 2022. The corporation said Quebec players have won more than $4.37 billion since Lotto Max launched in 2009, including 54 jackpots and 257 Maxmillions prizes.

Outside Quebec, the push is on in the Prairies. Kevin van Egdom, a spokesperson for Lotto Spot, said in a news release that the record is “a first for LOTTO MAX, and we want to celebrate it with players right here in the Prairies.” Global News reported that Lotto Spot is running street-team promotions in the region.

The odds of matching all seven numbers are extremely long, and the lottery corporations were not quoted on them in the reports reviewed. Anyone who plays should treat tickets as entertainment, set a spending limit in advance and check tickets promptly after each draw. Provincial lottery corporations also offer responsible-gambling tools, including spending limits, on their websites and apps.

The Tuesday draw results will be published on Canada News Media once they are available.

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Photo: file photo of a lottery play slip, not from the draw.

Sources: via Global News, CP24 and Loto-Québec (via Cantech Letter).