Ring in the New Year as a millionaire.
That’s the thought behind the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s newest Ontario lottery game. Dubbed the $100 Ultimate Instant Ticket, the latest voucher gives punters OLG’s best possible odds on a seven-figure prize.
In total, 40 $1 million prizes and many other $100,000 opportunities are up for grabs. The lottery will announce the 40 million-dollar winners on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, the six-figure payouts will continuously roll out as instant scratch-and-wins.
Billed at $100, the Ultimate is one of the most expensive lottery tickets on the Canadian market.
However, OLG’s president and CEO Duncan Hannay says it’s worth it.
“$100 Ultimate will create more millionaires in Ontario than any other instant game has before. This exciting new product is the latest way we are bringing our customers more chances to win big by taking our Lottery business to the next level.”
Ultimate Ticket a hot commodity despite $100 sticker
OLG is only offering The Ultimate for a limited time.
To that end, punters have until Dec.31 – or while quantities last – to nab their vouchers at retail locations throughout the province.
OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti tells PlayCanada that there are only 988,400 Ultimate tickets up for sale.
He added:
“As we always do, OLG distributes the tickets to ensure broad geographic coverage, so that people from communities across Ontario have the opportunity to purchase. Since the ticket was launched on Oct.31st, sales have been brisk.”
Regardless, if – and when – punters purchase their tickets, it will come at a hefty $100 price tag.
In comparison, a Lotto Max ticket – one of OLG’s most popular lotteries – is $5.
Approximately 1 in 25,000 odds of winning an Ultimate $1 million
According to OLG, however, the Ultimate gives bettors about 1 in 25,000 odds (actual odds are 1 in 24,710). Those are the best chances ever associated with an OLG million-dollar sweepstakes.
For instance, here’s how the Ultimate compares to other popular OLG lotteries:
- Lotto Max: 1 in 33,294,800 ($10 – $70 million jackpot)
- Lotto 6/49: 1 in 13,983,816 ($5 million classic jackpot)
- Daily Grind: 1 in 13,348,188 ($1,000/day for life or $7 million lump sum)
- Ontario 49: 1 in 13,983,816 ($2 million jackpot)
- Encore: 1 in 10,000,000 ($1 million jackpot)
Add in the nostalgic New Year’s Eve grand unveiling, and Bitonti said the end of 2022 should be a special time for many players.
“Having the draws for the $1 million prizes on New Year’s Eve adds to the excitement knowing that we are ending 2022 by creating new millionaires across the province.”
Instant Scratch-and-win prizes range from $100 to $100,000
However, beyond simply the million-dollar ticket, there is still much value to be had with the $100 purchase.
That’s because each voucher comes with an “Instant portion.” In this section, players scratch for a chance to win on the spot. Every ticket has four instant games, with prizes ranging from $100 to $100,000.
Bitoni explained the rules:
“In the first three games if the player uncovers three identical prize amounts in the same game, they win that prize. In the fourth game, if the player matches one of the “Lucky Numbers” to one of the thirty “Your Numbers”, they win the corresponding prize.”
Thus, when including the Instant Portion section alongside the one-million-dollar prizes, Bitonti says the total ticket odds for winning any prize are 1 in 3.55.
Ultimate tickets already available in Alberta
Interestingly enough, the Ultimate already exists in Canada. In fact, the Western Canada Lottery Corporation launched the event on May 30. However, in this version, the million-dollar odds are stacked at 1 in 100,000. And in that case, WCLC only printed 300,000 tickets.
Regardless, a WCLC spokesperson recently told Daily Hive News a lot of cash is still up for grabs, with over $20 million in total prizes available.
Here are a few of their possible payouts:
- $1 million (three in total)
- $50,000
- $10,000
- $5,000
- $2,500
- Other cash prizes
A WCLC spokesperson commented:
“Overall, since the ticket’s debut this summer, we have seen some great interest from players who are interested in big play and big prizes. The Ultimate is one of many different products and various price points we provide to appeal to a wide range of players in our region, and we’re happy with the reception to it so far.”
PlaySmart program supports $100 ULTIMATE TICKET
While it may be easy to get wrapped up in the elevated odds, OLG is doing its part to ensure punters are playing the Ultimate responsibly.
To that end, PlaySmart – OLG’s responsible gambling portfolio – supports all its products, including the $100 ticket.
According to its website, despite the perceived scarcity in instant games – as with the Ultimate, PlaySmart does not recommend buying multiple tickets.
Instead, the responsible gambling tool states winning tickets are randomly distributed and buying more doesn’t necessarily equate to better odds. They also remind players there’s no special order for ticket distribution.
Some other pointers include:
- Don’t chase losses (trying to win back misses)
- Think of instant tickets as a fun moment in the day
- Accept you may lose or win; keep it fun
- Have fun, and don’t stress over ticket selection
- Where you buy your ticket is irrelevant
OLG’s lotteries continue to make headlines
OLG – and its lottery games – have been at the forefront of Canadian news outlets of late.
Consider the Crown corporation enjoyed its second-largest prize pool ever on Oct.21. However, to get there, a record-setting 20 draws took place –adding great interest to the national lottery game.
In the end, the total prize pool swelled to $133 million. Broken down, 63 Maxmillions prizes – valued at $1 million apiece – and one $70 million jackpot were up for grabs.
The latter sold in Calgary, Alta. Despite that, a Western Canada Lottery Corporation spokesperson confirmed to PlayCanada, via email the $70 million ticket is still unclaimed.
“The prize in question has not yet been claimed. Further information is unavailable until the winner comes forward and their claim is completed, at which time the information would be available on our website.”
Under most lottery regulations, winners have one year from the time of the draw to claim any outstanding prizes.
