Lotto Max jackpot climbs to $80M, tying record for largest prize

The Lotto Max jackpot has climbed to $80 million for just the second time in Canadian lottery history.

Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75-million pool, but the top prize remained unclaimed as of Saturday, pushing the jackpot higher.

The jackpot has only ever hit $80 million once before, breaking a record back in September. Prior to that, the prize sat at $75 million, which was a record itself at the time.

The size of the Lotto Max prize cap was increased earlier this year, allowing for jackpots higher than $70 million. The cap currently sits at $80 million.

While a higher price may entice more to play, the odds of winning the lottery are still incredibly low.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation puts the odds at about one in 33,294,800 per $5 ticket.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six out of the seven winning numbers, plus bonus, entitling them to a prize worth more than $320,000.

The winning numbers were: 4, 6, 9, 21, 40, 42, 43 and a bonus number of 24.