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Lotto 6/49 raising stakes 26.11.2003
Dillon McNuggets Gamble Tribune
Lotto 6/49 — the grande dame of Canada's national lotteries — is changing.
Starting next May, the lottery will offer bigger jackpots and a greater chance of winning something — but for twice the price.
The changes to the twice-weekly lottery are in response to consumer research that shows players want bigger jackpots more often.
"People are saying the bigger the jackpot, the better," said Jim Cronin, spokesperson for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC).
"And they have told us they are willing to pay $2 to win," he said.
OLGC is a member of the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, which represents all of Canada's five government-run lottery corporations.
Cronin says OLGC anticipates the regular jackpot will be $4 million or higher, and more than half of each year's jackpots will be $10 million or more.
The odds of winning a prize will improve to 32 to 1 from 54 to 1 with the introduction of a new $5 prize category.
Currently, players get $10 for matching three numbers of the six drawn.
After May 29, players who get two numbers plus the bonus number will win $5.
The $12 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot tonight is the first big one in awhile, Cronin said.
He dismissed the suggestion that bigger jackpots and more expensive tickets would encourage people to spend more than they can afford.
The Interprovincial Lottery Corp., representing Canada's five government-run lottery corporations, announced yesterday the ticket price will double to $2 and jackpots will be larger after the May 29 draw.
Jason Azmier, a senior analyst with the Canada West Foundation, a public policy research institute, said increased jackpots would make it more attractive.
"If you have $20-million jackpots or $10-million jackpots every week, or whatever the figure, it's going to be more attractive for people looking for an escape," he said.
"These are often low-income families. What we don't know is what are the social costs of gambling in this country."
He estimated revenue from lotteries across Canada amounted to $4.5 billion.
Lotto 6/49 is played throughout Canada and is drawn every Wednesday and Saturday. The lottery is played by choosing six numbers from one to 49 and has a minimum jackpot of $1 million that rolls over each time the lottery is not won. The first rollover guarantees a jackpot of $5 million and the second rollover guarantees a jackpot of $10 million.
The new Lotto 6/49 will still be based on matching six-of-49 numbers format but will offer larger jackpots, a new $5 prize category, and better overall odds of winning, the corporation said in a release.
Under the new Lotto 6/49 game, jackpots are expected to start around $4 million and grow to $10 million or more on about half of the draws annually. The jackpots are also expected to reach $25 million during the year.
The largest jackpot ever won in the 6/49 lottery was $26.4 million in September 1995, while the biggest jackpot in a Canadian lottery was awarded under the Super 7 in May 2002, when a record $37.8-million pot was split among four winning tickets from Quebec, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The largest unclaimed jackpot in Canada was a 1989 Lotto 6/49 ticket worth $4.6 million.
One on-line lottery site compared major lotteries around the world and said Canada's 6/49 is among the most popular.
"Canadian Lotto 6/49 is one of the world's favorite tax-free lotto games, awarding up to $1 billion each year," said online betting site 14G.com.
"For years, Lotto 6/49 held the world record for the largest single tax-fee lump-sum jackpot," it said.
Over 65 per cent of Lotto 6/49 tickets are purchased in Ontario and Quebec. The Prairies and Territories account for 14 to 15 per cent of the sales on Lotto 6/49 and Super 7, said information on the Western Canada Lotteries Corp. Web site.
The ILC said the changes follow extensive consumer research across Canada that indicated players wanted bigger jackpots more often.
Azmier said while some people might be deterred by the higher price of the ticket, he expected revenues to increase.
"I'm sure they have done their research," he said.
Across Canada, all proceeds from Lotto 6/49 and other lottery games are returned to provincial governments and are used to support various public programs and services.
Sheba__
