Calculators
Daily Grand vs Lotto 6/49: Two Games at the Same Price
Daily Grand and Lotto 6/49 cost the same per play. Compare their odds per play and per dollar, their top prizes and their returns per dollar, using the official game conditions.
Dollar for dollar, the top prize is about as likely in Daily Grand as in Lotto 6/49. No game gives back more than it takes on average.
Daily Grand
Lotto 6/49
Lotto 6/49's Gold Ball draw depends on how many draw numbers are issued and is not in this table.
Highlighted: the better figure in the row. Fixed prizes per $1 count every fixed and shared prize at face value and a free play as one more play; jackpots and prize pools depend on sales and are left out.
How it is calculated
Source: OLG game conditions checked Nov 2, 2026 · OLG page checked Nov 2, 2026
Same price, different draws
| What | Daily Grand | Lotto 6/49 |
|---|---|---|
| Price of one play | $3 | $3 |
| Draw days | Monday and Thursday | Wednesday and Saturday |
| Numbers on one play | five main numbers and one Grand Number | six numbers, plus a Gold Ball Draw Number |
| Top prize odds per play | 1 in 13,348,188 | 1 in 13,983,816 |
| Any prize per play | 1 in 6.79 | 1 in 6.62 |
Odds per play from the game conditions. Full tier lists: Daily Grand odds and Lotto 6/49 odds.
A prize for life against a fixed sum
Daily Grand
- Top prize (5 of 5 + Grand Number): $1,000 a day for life
- Or one lump sum of $7,000,000 instead
- Second prize: $25,000 a year for life (or $500,000 at once)
- Several winners in one draw share the lump sum
- For life or lump sum
Lotto 6/49
- Top prize (6 of 6): $5,000,000
- Several winners in one draw split it equally
- Each play also gets a Gold Ball Draw Number
- Gold Ball prize: $1,000,000 or the Gold Ball Jackpot
- How the Gold Ball draw works
What comes back per dollar
| Game and what is counted | Per dollar |
|---|---|
| Daily Grand – fixed prizes, top two prizes left out | 19.0% |
| Daily Grand – top two prizes as lump sums, won alone | 46.2% |
| Lotto 6/49 – fixed prizes, classic top prize at face value | 22.6% |
| Lotto 6/49 – share set aside for all prize funds (not a return) | 48.0% |
A free play counts as a new play. The second Daily Grand row is an upper bound: shared prizes pay less. Each value is below the price.
The same weekly money for a year
Weekly budget, for example
$12The same money each week in each game. In Daily Grand it buys 4 plays a week. A Lotto 6/49 play costs the same.
Daily Grand top prize
1 in 63,867Chance of the top prize at least once in a year with this budget.
Lotto 6/49 top prize
1 in 66,909Chance of the top prize at least once in a year with this budget.
Daily Grand prizes a year
30.7Winning plays on average in a year, any prize size.
Lotto 6/49 prizes a year
31.5Winning plays on average in a year, any prize size.
Sources
- OLG – Terminal hours and draw information · checked Nov 2, 2026
- OLG – Daily Grand Game Conditions · checked Nov 2, 2026
- OLG – Lotto 6/49 Game Conditions · checked Nov 2, 2026
- OLG – Conditions de jeu du Grande Vie · checked Nov 2, 2026
- OLG – Conditions de jeu du Lotto 6/49 · checked Nov 2, 2026
- WCLC – Lotto 6/49 Game Conditions, revision 2022-02-23 · checked Nov 2, 2026
Questions
Which has better odds, Daily Grand or Lotto 6/49?
Top prize per play: 1 in 13,348,188 in Daily Grand, 1 in 13,983,816 in Lotto 6/49. Any prize: 1 in 6.79 and 1 in 6.62. Both cost $3, so per dollar the top prize odds are 1 in 40,044,564 and 1 in 41,951,448.
Which pays back more per dollar, Daily Grand or 6/49?
Daily Grand: 19.0% with the top two prizes left out, up to 46.2% with them as lump sums won alone. Lotto 6/49: 22.6%, classic top prize included, pool prizes left out. The figures count different things, so they are not directly comparable.
Is the Daily Grand top prize bigger than the 6/49 top prize?
The Daily Grand top prize is $1,000 a day for life or a lump sum of $7,000,000. The Lotto 6/49 classic top prize is $5,000,000, split if several plays win. The 6/49 Gold Ball prize is $1,000,000 or the Gold Ball Jackpot.
Do Daily Grand and Lotto 6/49 draw on the same days?
No. Daily Grand draws on Monday and Thursday. Lotto 6/49 draws on Wednesday and Saturday.
How does Daily Grand compare with Lotto Max?
See Lotto Max vs Daily Grand. It compares the odds and the prizes per dollar in the same way.