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Written by Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 |
Pricier tickets and longer odds didn't stop fortune-seekers in Prince George from dipping into their pockets for the largest lottery draw in Canadian history.
This Friday's Lotto Max draw, the new national lottery launched last month, weighs in with a total prize pool of $60 million, eclipsing, according to the B.C. Lottery Corporation, the old record of $54.3 million set by the Oct. 26, 2005 Lotto 6/49 draw. But the entire pot isn't up for grabs - ticket holders get a shot at a $50 million jackpot, then they're in the running for 10 additional Maxmillion prizes of one million each.
It was enough to get Peter West to buy a ticket - but not enough to stop him from grumbling a bit about having to shell out another buck for the Extra.
"They are expensive," said West, who stopped to chat at a Pine Centre lotto centre that featured a light line-up and a handful of Keno players. "It's six dollars to get the Extra, it was five dollars with the extra. The government is making lots of money on that."
A winner on Friday will also have to be slightly luckier; the Super 7 asked players to match seven out of 47 numbers while Lotto Max calls for them to hit seven out of 49. Despite the difference, Maxine Lewis at the lotto centre said ticket sales were doing "very, very well."
"Yes, it's very surprising," said Lewis.
Meanwhile, with a little prompting, West dreamed of moving back to his home town of Fort Babine - and building a mansion-sized log house with his share of the $60 million prize pool.
"And I'd help my family, too," he said.
According to the BCLC, the odds of winning a jackpot are one in 28,600,000 per play.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 November 2009 )
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