Independent site. CasinoCalcs is not affiliated with or endorsed by any hospital lottery or charity lottery operator. Game names are used only to describe the rules the maths is based on.
- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
One ticket in a draw of 350,000 is a 1 in 350,000 shot at the grand prize home. The CasinoCalcs hospital lottery odds calculator above starts there, then adds the numbers that make these draws feel better: with 3,000 prizes in the draw, a single ticket wins something about 1 time in 117. If you play the 50/50 as well, the free calculator shows your chance of the jackpot and what a dollar of 50/50 tickets is worth on average.
Hospital lottery odds calculator: the main draw
| Tickets in the draw | Grand prize (1 ticket) | Any prize (3,000 prizes) |
|---|---|---|
| 200,000 | 1 in 200,000 | about 1 in 67 |
| 350,000 | 1 in 350,000 | about 1 in 117 |
| 600,000 | 1 in 600,000 | about 1 in 200 |
Every number here comes from two figures: how many tickets are in the draw and how many prizes there are. Charity home lotteries publish both in their rules, so look them up before you buy and type them in. Three tickets give you three times the chance, roughly 1 in 39 for any prize on the 350,000 example, at three times the cost.
The 50/50 draw
A 50/50 splits the ticket money: half to the winner, half to the cause. If C$3 million of 50/50 tickets sell, the winner takes C$1.5 million. With 10 tickets out of 600,000, that’s a 1 in 60,000 chance. If those 10 tickets cost C$50, their average value is C$25, because only half the money goes out as the prize. Across all players, a 50/50 returns 50 cents per dollar; bundle discounts move your own figure up or down a little.
Why people buy anyway
Because the money funds hospital equipment, research and care, and the prize is the bonus. That’s a fine reason to buy a ticket. It’s not a good reason to buy ten. For other draws, the raffle odds calculator handles any raffle, and the lottery odds calculator covers number games.
Charity lotteries are still lotteries. Spend what you’d happily donate. BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential if playing stops being fun.