Whoever wins the next Lotto Max jackpot will be in a league of their own as the grand prize for the Canadian lottery hits an unprecedented $75 million.
Friday’s jackpot will mark the first time Lotto Max reaches this figure, as the main cap for the lottery has now increased to $80 million, according to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).
If the $75-million Lotto Max jackpot is not won on Friday, the amount will roll over to $80 million for the September 17 draw—making it the largest lottery jackpot available for players to win in Canada.
Lotto Max is drawn every Tuesday and Friday.
“When Lotto Max was introduced in 2009, a lottery game that offered multiple $50 million jackpots a year was unheard of in Canada,” the OLG said in a previous news release.
In 2015, the jackpot cap increased to $60 million, and then to $70 million in 2019, offering players an even bigger jackpot experience.
There are also 12 Maxmillions prizes up for grabs on Friday, OLG added, meaning players have a chance to win $87 million in top Lotto Max prizes.
The odds of winning the main jackpot are 1 in 33,294,800 per $5 play, the OLG said, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 7 per $5 play.
How would a $75-million lottery win impact your life? According to one $70-million winner in April, traveling across Canada was on their bucket list.
In April, OLG presented Doug and Enid Hannon with the $70-million prize they won from the Lotto Max draw held on February 20.
Enid said she bought the winning ticket at a grocery store in the City of Kawartha Lakes while heading to their “camp.” However, it was her husband who discovered the big win the following day when he checked the ticket on the OLG app.
“I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area,” he said. “So, when I saw ‘Big Winner’ on the phone screen, I was shaking! My heart was pounding. I had to stare at it for a while and process all those zeroes. Then I had to check it a few more times.”
The couple said they “hugged and cried” and began talking about how the windfall would help family and others. They kept their massive secret from their children and grandchildren until a week before collecting their prize. The couple first sought financial and legal advice as they made plans for their newfound wealth.
With their money, the Hannons said they have a “few plans,” including travel, but their top priority is to support their family. They also intend to share some of their winnings with community causes they support.
In February, a northern Alberta man said he intended to honor his late wife with some of the $70 million he won in a Lotto Max draw the month prior.
Brian Hoover’s January 16 win holds more than just financial value—it represents the fulfillment of a dream he shared with his late wife and a poignant opportunity to honor her legacy.
“This is bittersweet for me,” Hoover said in a statement. “We always talked about what we would do if we won the lottery.”
Winning the lottery was a longtime inside joke and a shared aspiration that fueled many hopes and dreams for the couple, though his wife passed away before they could be realized.
At the time, the Beaverlodge man said he was in the beginning stages of planning but hoped to provide for his community. “We had three children, and my wife was heavily invested in their lives,” he said. “She liked to take them to parks, any park. My first thought is to have a park named for her.”
Hoover said he was considering sponsoring some program for local schools, paying off family mortgages, helping friends, and eventually treating himself.
