Independent site. CasinoCalcs is not affiliated with or endorsed by any lottery operator, including the National Lottery, Allwyn and Ireland’s National Lottery. Game names are used only to describe the rules the maths is based on.
- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
If you’re hunting for the best lottery odds in Canada on a prize worth the name, the answer is Daily Grand: $1,000 a day for life, and C$3 buys you a 1 in 13,348,188 crack at it. Honestly, 6/49 is so close behind, 1 in 13,983,816 for its classic jackpot, that you’d never feel the difference. Lotto Max is the odd one out at nearer 1 in 33.4 million for each C$6 play, and that’s what you pay for those headline jackpots. The free calculator above puts the same weekly budget into each game and shows your real chance over the years you plan to play.
Best lottery odds in Canada, game by game
| Game | Price | Top prize odds per play | Odds per dollar spent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Grand | C$3 | 1 in 13,348,188 | 1 in 40.0 million |
| Lotto 6/49 (classic jackpot) | C$3 | 1 in 13,983,816 | 1 in 42.0 million |
| Lotto Max (4 lines) | C$6 | 1 in 33,446,140 | 1 in 200.7 million |
The last column is the fair way to compare, since the games cost different amounts. Measured per dollar, Daily Grand and 6/49 are almost level, and Lotto Max is about five times harder. That’s the price of its bigger jackpots, which have reached tens of millions.
The regional 6/49 games sold in different parts of the country use the same 6 from 49 format, so their top prize odds are the same 1 in 13,983,816, usually for a smaller fixed prize. The BC/49 odds calculator covers one of them in detail.
Daily Grand’s hidden second prize
If you care about a life-changing win rather than the biggest headline, look at Daily Grand’s second tier. All five main numbers without the Grand Number pays $25,000 a year for life, at 1 in 2,224,698. That’s six times easier than Daily Grand’s own top prize. Spend C$12 a week for ten years and your chance of landing it is about 0.093%, against 0.016% for the top prize.
Small, yes. But it’s the best long-shot odds for a sum that would actually change things, and the CasinoCalcs calculator shows it as its own line for that reason.
Odds are only half of it
A better chance usually means a smaller prize, so ‘best odds’ and ‘best value’ aren’t the same question. Lotto Max’s jackpot is shared and can roll into huge sums; Daily Grand’s top prize is fixed and never split. Lotto 6/49 also runs its separate Gold Ball draw, which has its own odds and isn’t included here. For every prize tier in each game, use the Lotto 6/49 odds calculator, the Lotto Max odds calculator and the Daily Grand odds calculator. For games around the world, there’s which lottery has the best odds.
Lotteries are entertainment, priced to make money for the organiser. Play with what you’d happily spend on a night out. If it stops being fun, BeGambleAware.org will talk to you for free, in confidence.