'Mind-blowing' $128 million up for grabs in rare Lotto Max draw
Canada's biggest lottery draw in history is up for grabs on Tuesday with $128 million ready to be handed out.
"This is rare," OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti said on Monday. "I don't recall such a run in my recent memory."
Tuesday night’s Lotto Max jackpot will be $70 million, with another 58 Maxmillion prizes on the line.
No one has won the jackpot since April 24, meaning the prize has snowballed for seven weeks.
"We started rolling on April 27 draw," Bitonti said. "The April 24 draw, that was $10 million, and was won by two tickets in Ontario."
Lotto Max draws happen twice per week and players must match all seven numbers to win the jackpot or Maxmillion prizes.
Tickets start at $5 per play and the draw happens on Tuesday night.
The last $70 million dollar winner was a couple from Noelville, Ont. in February.
"I've awarded many 70 million prizes," Bitonti said. "It's always life-changing for these folks."
"People show me their bank statement and sometimes they have a couple hundred bucks. It's mind-blowing at that point when they show me their phones and I see it go from something like $1,000 to $70 million."
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU WIN?
According to the OLG, the odds of winning the $70 million payout with a single play is 1 in 33.2 million.
lf you defy the odds and find yourself with one of Tuesday's winning tickets, Bitonti recommends immediately signing the back of it and then contacting OLG.
He said many people take a few weeks before claiming their prize so they can get their affairs in order.
"When we award them the prize they are still in a state of shock," Bitonti said. "They may have some ideas of what they want to do and it may include buying a new car, house, some travelling. But then we always ask the question, what are you going to do with the other $69 million?"
"Their lives change overnight."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.