Lotto 649 is Canada’s national lottery that attracts millions of players every week for an opportunity at a life changing jackpot. The jackpot from a few weeks ago was the highest jackpot in Canadian lottery history with a payout of over $63 million, and many players bought individual tickets, which cost a standard toonie.
But the OLG announced earlier this week that as of September 1, 2013, the cost for a lottery ticket will increase to 3 dollars, which surprised many loyal lottery players. OLG Senior Vice President Greg McKenzie says the ticket price increase is a result of the proposed changes to the lottery, which will increase the odds for players to win a prize.
The changes include a guaranteed $1 million prize that will be paid out every week, and the starting jackpot will be a minimum balance of $5 million. In addition, players will win a free ticket by matching two ticket numbers to the numbers called. The free ticket will be redeemable during the following week of play.
McKenzie says the new system guarantees new millionaires every week.
“We tested these improvements with more than 10,000 players from coast to coast. They were excited about the new ways to win and they told us that it’s great value for the new price.”
