The Canadian national lottery is called the Lotto 6/49. The draws for the winning numbers are held twice a week on every Wednesday and Saturday. It was first launched in 1982 and has been extremely popular ever since.

How to play: You have to pick six numbers from a group of 49. The jackpot is usually about 3.5 million dollars. A bonus numbers is also picked which is used to go with a main five number match. This gets the ticket-holder the second prize which usually ranges between $100,000 and $500,000. If more players win a prize, the money is shared and the jackpot rolls over to the next draw if no winners are picked for any one draw.

Costs: Tickets cost $2 for every line of a set of six numbers and each ticket has ten lines. The number of maximum lines on a ticket differs from one area to another like in Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; the maximum lines per ticket have to be only six.

Winnings: The 6/49 lotto’s largest jackpot so far was picked up by a 17 oil and gas plant workers in Camrose, Alberta. They shared $54.3 million. The jackpot had bloated because of a peak in sales with statisticians stating that two in every three adults in Canada had purchased a ticket.

Such is the craze and acceptance for the lottery culture in Canada that high school mathematics classes can involve studies on the lotto odds. Most Canadians can easily tell you quite accurately the odds of winning the jackpot and the coverage in the media about the lottery results is tremendous. There are interesting articles and studies published on lotto techniques and tips in the Canadian media on a regular basis.

It is also the most popular subject of party and light conversation at all levels of society. Winners of the lotto become heroes in the Canadian society and are feted by all. The increased sales have also helped the organizers set up a charitable section. Tickets can be bought all over the market at booths, shops and kiosks or online. Several advertising campaigns are run for the tickets or with combo offers along with the tickets and other products.

However, before you buy a 6/49 ticket online, you will need to verify the credibility of the site and ensure that they help you pick up the winnings if required. There have been several frauds associated with lottery tickets so you will need to be careful. Though, results of the Lotto are broadcast online and in the media, no emails are sent out.

Canada has another national lottery along with the 6/49 lotto. The Lotto Super 7 was started in 1994. Both lotteries are run by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation which includes five commissions at the regional level and are answerable to their respective provincial and territorial provincial and territorial governments. But you don’t have to be a resident of Canada to play in the lottery though, the ticket buyer has to be at least 18 years of age before playing the 6/49 Lotto.