OTTAWA: Canada’s popular lottery, Lotto Max, is undergoing a significant overhaul starting April 10, 2026, introducing higher stakes and a new pricing structure. For the first time in several years, the cost of a single play will increase from $5 to $6. To offset this price hike, players will now receive four lines of numbers per ticket instead of three, and the pool of numbers to choose from will expand from 50 to 52.
The most exciting change for enthusiasts is the increase in the maximum jackpot cap, which is jumping from $80 million to $90 million. In addition to the massive main prize, the new format introduces more opportunities to win smaller amounts. Every draw will now feature multiple $100,000 prizes, the number of which will scale alongside the main jackpot. This means that even if the top prize isn’t won, dozens of players could still walk away with substantial six-figure sums.
While experts from the University of Waterloo note that the addition of two extra numbers to the pool slightly reduces the mathematical odds of hitting the main jackpot on a single line, the extra fourth line included in the new ticket price actually improves the overall chance of winning any prize. By shifting the overall odds from 1 in 7.0 to 1 in 5.8, lottery officials aim to keep the game engaging by ensuring more frequent, smaller wins while chasing the record-breaking $90 million dream.
