Lottery jackpot cap to hit $80 million next month in Canada

The cap for the Lotto Max jackpot will soon rise to a record high.

Starting next month, the cap for the main jackpot will rise to $80 million, which the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said is “an amount no Canadian lottery has ever reached before.”

That’s up from the current limit of $70 million.

“We made this change because we want to keep the game fresh and every few years, we do make a change here or there,” OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti told INsauga.

He noted that Lotto Max launched in 2009 and started with a $50 million jackpot cap, before eventually rising to $60 million in 2015, then $70 million in 2019 and soon, $80 million.

The change will take effect with the Sept. 10 draw.

For the Tuesday, Aug. 20 draw, there is a $70 million jackpot up for grabs plus an estimated 44 $1 million Maxmillion prizes.

Bitonti said if the $70 million isn’t won before the cap rises, the Sept. 10 draw would see a $75 million jackpot. And if it rolls over one more time, the jackpot will hit $80 million on Sept. 13.

If the jackpot is won before Sept. 10, players may have to wait a bit longer to possibly see an $80 million prize as it takes time to grow.

There won’t be any other changes to the game and it will still cost $5 per play.

Maxmillion prizes will continue to be up for grabs when the jackpot reaches and exceeds $50 million, the OLG said.

And your odds of winning the main prize won’t change either, standing at 1 in 33,294,800 per play.

Lotto Max is played on Tuesdays and Fridays.