Friday’s Lotto Max draw is set to offer a record-breaking $90 million jackpot prize, making it the largest lottery jackpot ever available to win in Canada. The draws occur every Tuesday and Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. The previous $85 million jackpot from Tuesday rolled over as no one claimed it, allowing the prize pool to increase.
In April, Lotto Max, a national lottery, announced an increase in its jackpot cap from $80 million to $90 million, marking the first time this increase has been put into effect. The odds of winning the main jackpot are one in 33 million per $6 play, according to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).
To put this into perspective, the likelihood of winning is comparable to flipping a coin and having it land on “heads” 25 times in a row, a rare probability of one in 33.5 million. In comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning in Canada are less than one in a million, as reported by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
Despite the challenging odds, lottery winners do exist, with prizes continually growing. Previously, the largest lottery prize in Canada was $80.4 million, won by two friends in London, Ontario, last December. The first $80 million Lotto Max jackpot was won in 2025 by a man from British Columbia who quit his job hours before claiming the prize.
The history of Canadian lottery wins includes various record-breaking jackpots, such as the $70 million prize in 2020 and the $65 million draw in 2019. The first $60 million Lotto Max draw took place in 2015, following a rule change that previously capped the jackpot at $50 million.
The first national lottery in Canada dates back to 1974 when nine women from Quebec City split a $1 million prize, dedicated to raising funds for the Montreal Olympics. Despite the long odds, the allure of winning big keeps lottery enthusiasts coming back for a chance at life-changing winnings.
