Ontario Lottario
It is not surprising to know that Lottario is a Canadian lottery from the Ontario province. Fans are attracted to Lottario’s competitive uncapped jackpots and tax-free prizes. The Lottario lotto’s first draw took place on the 18th of November, 1978. The largest jackpot to date was achieved on the 5th December 1992 drawn by a single winner who took $3.6 million home. The main Jackpot starts at $250,000 and is progressive till someone wins the lotto.
The next Jackpot for this lottery has been estimated at $580,000 (at the time of writing). You get two chances to win with a $1 play as each $1 play includes two sets of six numbers from 1-45. There are two draws per ticket one the main draw and the other early bird draw. You need to buy a ticket to lay before 11.59.59 pm (ET) on Fridays to be eligible for the Early Bird Draw. As an Early bird winner, you get $50,000 and the draw for this lottery takes place every Saturday. You can play up to 26 draws in advance with ENCORE but remember that this lottery is available only in Ontario.
How to Play Ontario Lottario
Starting at a minimum jackpot of $250,000, the Lottario requires players to choose six numbers from a 1-45 number range to take home the top prize. In addition, a bonus number is also drawn and counted towards the 2nd place prize only. Players can select to fill in either 6-line or 10-line forms. Play up to 10 draws in advance. Draws every Saturday. Lottario tickets are sold until 10.30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on draw night.
There are three ways that you can play this lottery
Quick Pick
Quick Pick is the easiest way to play. Simply ask your lottery retailer for a Quick Pick OR check the Quick Pick box on the Lottario Selection Slip. The lottery terminal will randomly select two sets of numbers from 1 – 45 for you.
Pick your Numbers
- On a Lottario Selection Slip, mark six numbers from 1 to 45 on up to 10 boards (each board costs $1).
- To play ENCORE, mark the number of ENCORE plays you would like to add in the ENCORE play section box. Each ENCORE play costs $1 and you can select up to 10 plays per draw.
- If you want to play more than one draw in advance, mark the number of draws in the designated area. You can play up to 26 draws in a row.
- Give your completed Selection Slip to the lottery retailer and your ticket will be printed. You will receive a ticket with your numbers plus a second set of randomly generated numbers for each board you play.
- Also you can play Combination Play where you play multiple sets of numbers so you can win multiple prizes. You can play five-, seven-, eight- and nine-number combinations.
Combination Play
- Cost of Combination Play: $40, $7, $28 or $84.
- You win on a Combination Play ticket the same as on a regular selection. However, because you have multiple selections, you can win multiple prizes!
- 5, 7, 8 and 9 number Combination Plays are available.
- Combination Plays purchased before midnight (Eastern Time) Friday qualify for the EARLY BIRD draw.
- Draws held every Saturday.
- Tickets are sold until 9 p.m. (Eastern Time) on draw night.
- On a Selection Slip, mark your number selections from 1 to 45 for the Combination Play you want – 5, 7, 8 or 9 numbers. These numbers, plus a second set of six computer-generated numbers, will automatically be arranged into all possible sets of six numbers.
- You will receive a single ticket from the retailer that will only show the numbers you have chosen. All possible number combinations, however, will be recorded in the central computer.
- Match the numbers drawn to win. Six numbers and one Bonus number are drawn.
Five Number Combination
Choose five numbers out of 45. Each of the remaining 40 numbers is added (one at a time) as your sixth number, giving you a total of 40 different sets of six-number selections. For example, if you choose 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as your five-number selection, the 40 different combinations would be:
- 1-2-3-4-5-6
- 1-2-3-4-5-7
- 1-2-3-4-5-8
- 1-2-3-4-5-9
- 1-2-3-4-5-10
- 1-2-3-4-5-11
and so on until all possible 40 combinations are created from the original five numbers selected.
Seven Number Combination
Choose seven numbers out of 45 and you are playing seven different selections, since these seven numbers can be arranged into seven different sets of six-number selections. For example, if you choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 as your seven-number selection, the seven different combinations would be:
- 1-2-3-4-5-6
- 1-2-3-4-5-7
- 1-2-3-4-6-7
- 1-2-3-5-6-7
- 1-2-4-5-6-7
- 1-3-4-5-6-7
- 2-3-4-5-6-7
Eight Number Combination
Choose eight numbers out of 45 and get 28 different selections, since these eight numbers can be arranged into 28 different sets of six-number selections. For example, if you choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 as your eight-number combination, the 28 possible combinations would be:
- 1-2-3-4-5-6
- 1-2-3-4-5-7
- 1-2-3-4-5-8
and so on until all possible 28 combinations are created from the original eight numbers selected.
Nine Number Combination
Choose nine numbers out of 45 and get 84 different selections, since these nine numbers can be arranged into 84 different sets of six-number selections. For example, if you choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 as your nine-number selection, the 84 different combinations would be:
- 1-2-3-4-5-6
- 1-2-3-4-5-7
- 1-2-3-4-5-8
- 1-2-3-4-5-9
and so on until all possible 84 combinations are created from the original nine numbers selected.
Prizes of Combination Play
| Combo | Cost | Numbers Matched on Ticket | Number of Prizes Won in Each Category | ||||
| 3/6 | 4/6 | 5/6 | 5/6+ Bonus | 6/6 | |||
| 5 | $40 | 2 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | 37 | 3 | – | – | – | ||
| 4 | – | 38 | 2 | – | – | ||
| 4 + Bonus | – | 38 | – | 2 | – | ||
| 5 | – | – | 38 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 7 | $7 | 3 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | – | – | – | ||
| 5 | – | 5 | 2 | – | – | ||
| 5 + Bonus | – | 5 | 1 | 1 | – | ||
| 6 | – | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||
| 6 + Bonus | – | – | – | 6 | 1 | ||
| 8 | $28 | 3 | 10 | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | 16 | 6 | – | – | – | ||
| 5 | 10 | 15 | 3 | – | – | ||
| 5 + Bonus | 10 | 15 | 2 | 1 | – | ||
| 6 | – | 15 | 12 | – | 1 | ||
| 6 + Bonus | – | 15 | 6 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 9 | $84 | 3 | 20 | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | 40 | 10 | – | – | – | ||
| 5 | 40 | 30 | 4 | – | – | ||
| 5 + Bonus | 40 | 30 | 3 | 1 | – | ||
| 6 | 20 | 45 | 18 | – | 1 | ||
| 6 + Bonus | 20 | 45 | 12 | 6 | 1 | ||
Early Bird Prizes
| Combo | Number of “EARLY BIRD” Matches on Ticket | Share(s) of “EARLY BIRD” Pool |
| 5 | 4 | 40 |
| 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | 4 | 10 |
Prizes you can win in Ontario Lottario
The “total prize pool” for any Lottario draw is 50% of Lottario draw sales less the total amount of all the $5 prizes and less $50,000 (the amount of the Early Bird prize pool). The total prize pool is then allocated among the 4/6, 5/6, 5/6 + Bonus and 6/6 prize categories as indicated in the chart below. If there is more than one winner in the 6/6, 5/6 + Bonus, 5/6 or 4/6 prize categories, the prize in that category will be shared among the winners in that category. Any amount not won in the 6/6, 5/6 + Bonus, 5/6 or 4/6 prize categories is added to the 6/6 Jackpot prize pool for the next draw.
Jackpot (6/6 number matches) funds accumulate if not won and may grow beyond the $250,000 guaranteed minimum.
A winning set of numbers entitles a winner to a prize in only one of the above regular draw prize categories. Eligible tickets can also win an Early Bird prize.
The prize pool for Lottario is based on a pari-mutuel share. A pari-mutuel share is a calculation where the total monies allocated to a prize category are divided by the total number of winners in that category. Sometimes, customers select certain number combinations more often than other number combinations, and this may result in a reduced prize share. Some of the more popular combinations are based on a sequence of numbers, vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines on selection slips, multiples of numbers, variations of historic dates or birth dates, etc. These combinations vary from draw to draw and change depending on customer play patterns
Lottario prizes must be claimed within 12 months of the draw date.
Unclaimed prizes from Ontario-only Lotto, Sports and Instant Games are directed to profits paid to the provincial government to benefit the people of Ontario.
How to claim a prize when winning Ontario Lottario
You can claim your prizes in the following manner in case you win Ontario Lottario
Prizes below $1000 can be had from the lottery retailer at the store.
If you have won prize of $1,000 or more:
- You can drop off a prize claim in person at one of the select OLG Slots and Casinos.
- You can drop off the claim in person at the Toronto Prize Center, 20 Dundas St. West, Toronto.
Prizes over $250,000 must be claimed in person at the Toronto Prize Center.
Claiming a prize up to and including $50 can be done at any OLG lottery retailer.
Claiming prizes from $50 to $999.90 can be done at select OLG lottery retailers. Check with your retailer to see if they can pay out this amount.
To claim a prize of $1,000 or more, you must complete a Lottery Prize Claim Declaration Form. This applies to both single and group play wins. All prize claim documentation must include the claimant’s legal first and last name as shown on the valid government-issued identification that will be presented with the claim documentation.
No income taxes or fees of any kind have to be paid to Canadian authorities on lottery winnings in Canada.