Simulators

Lottery Quiz: Guess the Odds of Canadian Games

Guess how likely each event is, from a coin flip to a Lotto Max jackpot. Then compare your guess with the real odds counted from the official game conditions.

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Woman raising her hand to answer, holding a big pencil

How the quiz works

  1. Read the eventEach question names one event, from a coin flip to a lottery jackpot.
  2. Set your guessMove the slider. Each equal step to the right makes the chance tenfold rarer.
  3. See the real chanceThe quiz shows the answer, counted from the official game conditions or from coin and dice math.
  4. Check your scoreThe score counts how many tenfold steps your guess was from the real answer.

All chances used in the quiz

EventChanceWhere it comes from
Heads on one coin flip1 in 2Coin math
A six on one die roll1 in 6Dice math
Any Lotto Max prize, per play1 in 6.22Lotto Max game conditions
Daily Keno: both numbers match on a two-number play1 in 12.7OLG Daily Keno game conditions
Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball from a full set of balls1 in 30Lotto 6/49 game conditions
Double six with two dice1 in 36Dice math
Ten heads in a row1 in 1,024Coin math
Twenty heads in a row1 in 1,048,576Coin math
Daily Keno: all ten numbers on a ten-number play1 in 2,147,181OLG Daily Keno game conditions
Daily Grand top prize (5 of 5 + Grand Number)1 in 13,348,188Daily Grand game conditions
Lotto 6/49 jackpot (6 of 6)1 in 13,983,816Lotto 6/49 game conditions
Lotto Max jackpot (7 of 7), per play1 in 33,446,140Lotto Max game conditions

The quiz picks its questions from these 12 events. Rows run from most likely to least likely.

Easy-to-mix-up chances

Any prize is common

1 in 6.22

Any Lotto Max prize, per play, is only a little less likely than a six on one die (1 in 6).

Gold Ball vs double six

1 in 30

With a full set of prize balls, the Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball is more likely than double six (1 in 36).

Twenty heads vs a jackpot

1 in 1,048,576

Twenty heads in a row is more likely than the Lotto 6/49 jackpot (1 in 13,983,816).

Top Daily Keno prize

1 in 2,147,181

All ten numbers on a ten-number Daily Keno play is less likely than twenty heads in a row.

Jackpots are not equal

1 in 33,446,140

The Lotto Max jackpot per play is less likely than the Lotto 6/49 jackpot or the Daily Grand top prize (1 in 13,348,188).

Words used in the quiz

One in N
On average, the event happens once in N equally likely tries. A bigger N means a rarer event.
Per play
The chance for one play of a game. A Lotto Max play has four selections.
Log scale
A scale where each equal step is a tenfold change, so coin flips and jackpots fit on one slider.

More odds to explore

The rarity scale

Everyday events and jackpots lined up from common to rare.

Compare Canadian lotteries

Published odds of each game side by side.

Keno quiz

The same kind of quiz for keno odds.

Sources

Questions

How is the lottery odds quiz scored?

Each answer is scored by how many tenfold steps your guess was from the real chance. The fewer steps away, the closer your guess.

What are the odds of winning any Lotto Max prize?

Per play, the odds of any Lotto Max prize are 1 in 6.22, from the official game conditions. The jackpot (7 of 7) is much rarer: 1 in 33,446,140 per play.

Which chances in the quiz are hardest to picture?

Very rare events are hard to picture. For example, twenty heads in a row (1 in 1,048,576) is more likely than the Lotto 6/49 jackpot (1 in 13,983,816). The rarity scale lines them up.

Are the quiz answers official odds?

The lottery and keno answers come from the game conditions of Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Daily Grand and OLG Daily Keno. Coin and dice answers come from basic counting.