https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/lotto-max-tickets-to-see-price-hike-changes-in-how-you-play-what-does-this-mean-for-your-odds-at-winning/article_fd605358-0198-47a2-99a4-b15c16fd4f70.html


  Lotto Max tickets to see price hike, changes in how you play. What does this mean for your odds at winning?

  Starting Friday, Lotto Max tickets will be a tad more expensive — and a little different. 

  Published in the Toronto Star on April 7, 2026

  By Femi Dawodu, Staff Reporter


Your Lotto Max ticket is changing later this week — and potentially so are your odds.

Starting Friday, Ontario players will pay $6 for a ticket — up from $5 — as the game gets fresh updates. Players will now have four sets of numbers to choose from, up from three, and will be able to select seven numbers from 1 to 52 instead of 1 to 50. 

In a press release, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) said the changes mean “improved overall odds of winning any prize.”

The changes don’t stop at the ticket counter, however. The OLG also announced the jackpot will be able to climb as high as $90 million and there will be more $100,000 prizes every draw. 

The price increase and changes will follow Tuesday night’s $75-million jackpot. 

So you might be wondering, what does this mean for my chances at winning the jackpot?
What these changes mean for your odds

According to Jeffrey Rosenthal, a professor of statistics at the University of Toronto, the effect is subtle.

“With the old system, there were almost 100 million ways to choose seven numbers from 1 to 50,” Rosenthal explained. “With the new rules, it’s almost 134 million ways, because you’re choosing from 1 to 52. But now you also get four entries per ticket, not three.”

The result of these changes mean “the chance of matching the jackpot with four numbers in the new system is almost exactly the same as it was before with three numbers in the old one,” said Rosenthal. “It’s only a tiny bit less likely now.”

While OLG is touting improved odds of winning any prize, Rosenthal notes that these odds include even the smallest prizes, like a free ticket or $20. When it comes to the jackpot, your chances are “almost the same” as before.

Rosenthal also points out another reality for regular players. 

“They’ll have to pay a little bit more because they’re paying $6 each time instead of $5. And to be honest, some players spend too much on lottery tickets, so now maybe they’ll spend even more,” he said. 

As a statistician, he offers a word of caution to players, “all these lotteries, on average, you’re going to lose more money than you win. That’s why lotteries make so much money for the government.”

The Consumer Council of Canada weighed in on the price increase, raising concerns about the effect on Ontarians’ wallets.

“A 20 per-cent price hike is never ideal for consumers,” the council said in a statement to the Star.

The council highlighted the struggle for low-income consumers, arguing that the increased cost comes at the worst possible time. It suggested that for some, the new price point represents a barrier that makes winning the lottery “something they can only dream about from the sidelines.”

The OLG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


  Femi Dawodu is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. He can be reached at fdawodu@thestar.ca.