'Milestone' OLG lottery jackpot to be drawn this week
A lucky lottery player in Canada will be the winner of a record-breaking multi-million dollar prize on Wednesday.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) said its Lotto 6/49 prize will reach $68 million for the first time in history.
OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti said this will be a “momentous milestone” for the crown agency.
“Since LOTTO 6/49 was enhanced in September 2022, the jackpot has never reached the top prize of $68 million. Only one ball remains for this Wednesday's draw – the Gold Ball – meaning the jackpot is guaranteed to be won and will create a new multi-millionaire!” Bitonti said in a release on Sunday.
“It has taken 15 weeks and 30 draws for the LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball jackpot to reach its top limit of $68 million.”
The closest prize that has ever been won to this one was the $64 million ticket sold in New Brunswick in April, and years earlier, in 2015, a $64 million LOTTO 6/49 jackpot won by a Mississauga resident.
A clerk hands a customer their Lotto Max ticket at a gas station north of Newcastle, Ontario on Thursday Oct. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug IvesMost recently, a $42 million ticket sold in Niagara Falls was won on June 14.
The anticipated draw comes just months after a $70 million Lotto Max ticket expired – the biggest unclaimed ticket in Canadian history.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Filmmakers in Bruce Peninsula 'accidentally' discover 128-year-old shipwreck
Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick were looking for invasive mussels when they found something no has laid on eyes for 128 years.
NHL veteran Perry apologizes for 'inappropriate' behaviour, says he is seeking help
Corey Perry says he has started seeking help for his struggles with alcohol following his release from the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.
Chinstrap penguins nod off more than 10,000 times per day in seconds-long 'microsleeps,' study finds
A new study has documented the peculiar sleeping habits of this species of penguin. Instead of taking one long continuous period of sleep, chinstrap penguins prefer to sleep in seconds-long intervals, more than 10,000 times a day.
Factors behind Canada's drug shortages go back 'decades': expert
Experts say drug shortages have gradually worsened in Canada over the last decade, putting patients in difficult and sometimes dangerous positions. But potential solutions like rethinking where drug manufacturing is concentrated and expanding pharmacists' prescribing privileges could help ease those impacts.
Israeli military confirms release of 8 more Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza Strip
Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their ceasefire in Gaza by another day.
Claims of toxic workplace at CSIS absolutely 'devastating': PM says
Allegations of a toxic workplace culture, involving harassment and sexual assault at Canada's spy agency are 'devastating' and 'absolutely unacceptable,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
Suspect arrested in Morocco could be behind Ontario bomb threats, OPP says
Investigators have 'strong reason' to believe that a suspect taken into custody in Morocco could be behind numerous bomb threats across Ontario in early November, police say.
Cristiano Ronaldo faces US$1B class-action lawsuit after promoting for Binance NFTs
Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with class-action lawsuit seeking at least US$1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related "non-fungible tokens," or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
'The only choice': Defence Department going with Boeing to replace aging Aurora fleet
The federal government is buying at least 14 Boeing surveillance planes from the United States to replace the aging CP-140 Aurora fleet, cabinet ministers announced Thursday. The deal costs more than $10.3 billion in total, including US$5.9 billion for the jets themselves, and the planes are expected to be delivered in 2026 and 2027.