Simulators

Office Lottery Pool Simulator

Set the group size, lines per draw and number of years. The simulator below shows what the pool spends, how often it wins any prize and what each member gets back.

Game
Each member spends$6,24020 years, group total $62,400
Jackpot at least once0.0311%41,600 lines in all; one line: 1 in 133,784,560

Over 20 years the group wins about 1,783 prizes of any size. Prizes of known size bring back about $1,463 per member for $6,240 spent each. Not counted (no fixed amount): 7/7, 6/7 + bonus, 6/7, 5/7 + bonus, 5/7, 4/7 + bonus.

Assumptions you can change

A year is
A free play is worth
89 groups like yours0.0%ended up ahead
Typical member−$4,782result after 20 years; 5% of groups: −$4,840 or worse, 5%: −$4,708 or better
Spent$6,240
Back on average$1,463

The group’s chance is higher than one person’s, and its prize is shared: per member the average result per dollar is the same as playing alone.

Source: olg.ca: lotto max (2026-10-29)

How it is calculated

Lines = plays per week × weeks × lines per play. Jackpot at least once = 1 − (1 − p)lines.

Weeks1,040

Lines41,600

Average prize money$14,630

Seed of this run1

The groups are simulated with the same seed for the same link, so a copied link shows this very run.

Example
Woman writing on a clipboard with empty rows

Group play in numbers

Group size

10 people

For example, a group of 10 coworkers. Here everyone pays an equal part of every line and owns an equal share of every prize.

Lines per draw

Each line is one Lotto Max play under the current game conditions. More lines cost more, and every line has the same odds.

Money per person per year

Price per line × lines per draw × draws in the year, divided by the number of people. The simulator above shows the exact amount.

One player's lifetime chance

0.016%

Our calculated jackpot chance for one player over a lifetime of draws. It is not the result for your group – the simulator above shows that.

Cost per person

Cost per person = price per line × lines per draw × number of draws ÷ number of people

Example: For example, with 10 people: cost per person = total cost of all lines ÷ 10.

Results over years

Result over the yearsWhat it means
No prize at allNo line matched any prize tier, free play included
Back less than paid inPrize shares and free plays were below total payments
Back more than paid inPrize shares and free plays were above total payments
No jackpotNo line matched 7 of 7 in the simulated years
Share of a jackpotA line matched 7 of 7; prize split among members

Free plays count as a return. A run without a jackpot is also below or above payments. Each run is random, so results change between runs.

Playing alone vs in a pool

Alone

  • You pay the full price of every line
  • You keep the whole prize

In a pool

  • The cost of each line is split
  • Each member gets only a share of a prize
  • More lines mean more money spent in total

How a pool prize is split

  1. Agree shares in writingList every member and how much each one pays per draw.
  2. Add up all paymentsTotal payments = the sum of what every member paid for that draw.
  3. Divide by sharesEach member gets the prize × their payment ÷ total payments.
  4. Check the centsThe Lottery Pool Calculator splits any prize to the cent.

Waiting time for a prize

How long a player or a group can expect to wait for each prize tier.

Lotto Max lifetime

One player's lifetime of Lotto Max draws: total spend, prizes and the net result.

Sources

Questions

Does a lottery pool change the odds of winning?

No. Each line has the same odds whoever pays for it. A pool only splits the cost and the prizes among members.

How often does an office lottery pool win the jackpot?

Very rarely. The chance depends on how many lines the group plays and for how many draws; the simulator above shows it for your settings. For comparison, one player's lifetime jackpot chance from our calculations is 0.016%.

How is an office pool prize split?

By the shares agreed before the draw. If everyone pays the same, everyone gets the same part. The Lottery Pool Calculator splits any prize to the cent.

Is it allowed to run a lottery pool at work?

The answer depends on the laws where you live and on your workplace rules; this page is not legal advice.