Lotteries
Lotto 6/49 Changes: 2022 and 2024 Rules Compared
The Lotto 6/49 rules in effect from January 23, 2024 add the Gold Ball Draw and a fixed top prize (6 of 6) split among winners – the 2022 rules had neither.
Guaranteed Prize Draw fund $0.21Draw Fund $0.89
Prize Fund $0.55
The odds of every Classic tier stayed the same: the drum is still 6 of 49. What changed is how the money is paid: a fixed top prize and the Gold Ball Draw instead of a shared jackpot pool and a guaranteed prize draw.
Rules between Sep 10, 2022 and Jan 23, 2024 are not in our sources, so this tool shows no numbers for that period.
Source: WCLC game conditions checked Oct 29, 2026 · OLG game conditions checked Oct 29, 2026
Rule versions
| Version | In effect from | Draws | Top prize (6 of 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rules of 2022 | March 7, 2022 | Main Draw, plus a guaranteed prize draw fund | Share of the prize pool |
| Gap | After September 2022 | Rules not in our sources | Not in our sources |
| Rules of 2024 | January 23, 2024 | Classic Draw and Gold Ball Draw | Fixed amount split among winners |
The rules of 2022 governed draws until September 2022. The rules of 2024 are the current version in our sources.
Before and after
| Item | Rules of 2022 | Rules of 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Price per play | $3 | $3 |
| Jackpot odds (6 of 6) | 1 in 13,983,816 | 1 in 13,983,816 |
| Odds of any prize | 1 in 6.62 | 1 in 6.62 |
| Gold Ball Draw Number | No | Yes, computer-generated |
| Top prize (6 of 6) | Share of the prize pool | Fixed amount split among winners |
| Gold Ball Jackpot | No | Yes, separate prize |
| Share of price paid as prizes | Not calculated here | 48.0% |
Odds are for one selection of six numbers. The share paid as prizes covers all prizes, including the Gold Ball Draw. The rest of the price is not paid back.
What stayed and what changed
Stayed the same
- The price of one play
- You pick six numbers per play
- Six main numbers and one bonus number are drawn
- The same prize tiers, from the top tier to the lowest
- The same odds for every Classic tier
Different in the 2024 rules
- Each play gets a Gold Ball Draw Number
- A Gold Ball Draw in addition to the Classic Draw
- The top prize (6 of 6) is a fixed amount split among winners
- A separate prize: the Gold Ball Jackpot
- Called Classic Selection instead of Regular Selection
How the Gold Ball Draw works
- Your ticket gets a numberThe computer adds a Gold Ball Draw Number to each play. You do not choose it.
- One number is drawnOne Gold Ball Draw Number is drawn from all numbers issued for that draw.
- A prize ball is drawnA white ball pays a fixed prize. The Gold Ball pays the Gold Ball Jackpot.
- Balls are removed and resetA drawn white prize ball is removed. After the Gold Ball is drawn, the prize balls are reset. See Gold Ball odds.
Related pages
Sources
- OLG – Lotto 6/49 Game Conditions · checked Oct 29, 2026
- WCLC – Lotto 6/49 Game Conditions, revision 2022-02-23 · checked Oct 29, 2026
- OLG – Conditions de jeu du Lotto 6/49 · checked Oct 29, 2026
Questions
What is different in the Lotto 6/49 new rules?
Compared with the 2022 rules, the 2024 rules give each play a Gold Ball Draw Number, add a Gold Ball Draw and make the top prize (6 of 6) a fixed amount split among winners. The price is $3.
When did the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball start?
We do not know. Our sources have no rules between September 2022 and January 23, 2024. The rules of 2022 had no Gold Ball. The rules in effect from January 23, 2024 include it.
Did the Lotto 6/49 odds change?
Not for the Classic Draw: the jackpot odds are 1 in 13,983,816 and the odds of any prize are 1 in 6.62 in both versions. The chance your Gold Ball Draw Number is drawn depends on how many numbers are issued for that draw – see Gold Ball odds.
Did the Lotto 6/49 ticket price change?
No. One play cost $3 under the rules of 2022 and costs $3 under the rules of 2024.