{"id":937176,"date":"2026-10-18T03:44:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T03:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/937176\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T03:44:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T03:44:13","slug":"lotto-max-draw-90-million-jackpot-is-canadas-largest-ever-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/937176\/","title":{"rendered":"Lotto Max draw: $90-million jackpot is Canada’s largest ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Canadians dream of a life-changing win, the Lotto Max offers a record $90-million jackpot. John Vennavally-Rao breaks down the odds. <\/p>\n

PICKERING, Ont. \u2013 Mansions. Boats. Cottages. And, for at least one hopeful Ontarian, a lot more cats.<\/p>\n

Those are just some of the dreams fuelling a rush on tickets for Saturday\u2019s record $90-million Lotto Max jackpot, the largest single lottery prize ever offered in Canada. It got there after no winning ticket was sold for Tuesday\u2019s $85-million draw.<\/p>\n

At Smokers Corner, a convenience store in Pickering, Ont., the line to buy tickets has been long at times. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been crazy, actually,\u201d said owner Issa Kakisa. \u201cPeople coming in, spending a little more money than normal, and just everybody\u2019s got a dream and wants that $90 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some are spending hundreds of dollars at a time, Kakisa said, and one customer dropped $2,000 on this draw alone. His store has some history with big wins, as they sold a winning ticket worth $1 million two years ago. <\/p>\n

\"\"Lotto Max Canada record-breaking $90 million A sign at Smokers Corner in Pickering, Ont., advertises the record $90-million Lotto Max jackpot ahead of the Oct. 16, 2026 draw. (CTV News) <\/p>\n

As for what people in line said they\u2019d do with the money?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d get a mansion, fill it with all of my cats … I\u2019d get more cats,\u201d said Taylor Locke. She said she\u2019d also buy a house for her mom, a boat and a cottage, and give a lot of the money to animal shelters and people experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

Cindy O\u2019Neill kept it practical. She said she\u2019d pay off her mortgage, buy her brother a house, make sure her kids are looked after and save the rest for charity and travel.<\/p>\n

Her husband, standing nearby, reminded her that he had his eye on a Land Rover. She laughed. <\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, I\u2019d buy him a Land Rover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret Ward said she\u2019d be happy with one of the smaller prizes of $100,000 or $1 million. But if she landed the full $90 million, she\u2019d pay off a few debts and then go car shopping.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d buy a new car, and I\u2019d buy my husband a new car, and I\u2019d buy my kids a car,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019d all get a car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Javad Gezelbash, who is retired, bought two tickets for himself. He\u2019d already bought three more the day before as part of a group purchase. If one of them hits, he has his plan ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be donating to a hospital, some of it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd travelling around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ralph Gomes isn\u2019t retired yet, but he\u2019d like to be. His wife had already bought a ticket, and he stopped in to buy a second one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lotto Max Canada record-breaking $90 million Customers line up to buy tickets at Smokers Corner in Pickering, Ont., ahead of the record $90-million Lotto Max draw (CTV News) About those odds<\/p>\n

The odds of winning the jackpot are roughly one in 33 million, which is about the same as flipping a coin and getting heads 25 times in a row.<\/p>\n

What would it actually be like to win $90 million? According to one financial expert, it may not all be upside. <\/p>\n

Wolfgang Klein, a Toronto-based portfolio manager with Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management who has worked with lottery winners, said a windfall that size can be a lot to handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe psychological impact is something that they are really, really, probably not prepared for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Klein said winners can feel euphoria, confusion and even guilt, and many feel obligated to help others out. People also tend to come out of the woodwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019d be fun to win $90 million \u2026 but be careful what you wish for,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of a sudden, people you haven\u2019t heard from in decades begin to communicate with you and become your friends once again.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of his clients won $5 million on Lotto 6\/49 and found the experience bittersweet.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir children stopped working. They began to rely on the lottery winner for a monthly income,\u201d Klein said. \u201cChildren, grandchildren, cousins, friends, charity. Where do you say no? When do you say no? And you have to learn to say no.\u201d<\/p>\n

His advice for the winner is to cash in on the ticket as soon as possible. He says even a very conservative portfolio of government bonds and GICs would produce a good income.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo per cent on $90 million? It\u2019s $1.8 million a year,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can do very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Lotto Max Canada record-breaking $90 million A woman holds her tickets for the record $90-million Lotto Max draw on Oct. 16, 2026. (CTV News) Check your pockets<\/p>\n

Some fortunes never get collected. In 2022, a $70-million Lotto Max ticket was sold in Toronto\u2019s Scarborough area, but a winner never came forward, and after a year the prize went back into the pool. <\/p>\n

Another big prize could soon meet the same fate. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says a $40-million winning ticket sold last year in Grey County, Ont., is set to expire on Oct. 28.<\/p>\n

As for who should win on Friday night? <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope someone who is a good person gets it,\u201d said Locke, who has plans for her cats. \u201cHopefully it\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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