Nova Scotia Lottery

The Atlantic Lottery Corp. offers Nova Scotians access to a range of national, provincial and online lottery games. The giant national draws — Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49 and The Daily Grand — are available. Add to this the Atlantic 49 and a list of daily draws, and you have multiple ways to land a jackpot. Head online and you get to play instant games, bingo, slots and virtual table games. Online draw ticket subscriptions come with automatic win checking. Prizes are paid instantly to your Atlantic Lottery Corp. account.

This page covers all of the draws and online lottery games available in Nova Scotia, including information on how to claim lottery wins. We’ll also go over scratch cards, casino gambling and sports betting options for the province.

How the Nova Scotia lottery works

The Nova Scotia lottery is administered by the Atlantic Lottery Corp., which was formed in 1976. It runs the national and local draws for the four Atlantic provinces. The headquarters is in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Tickets are available at retail outlets, or online via the ALC website. To buy tickets online, you need an account, which also allows you to buy bundles of tickets. Subscriptions for multiple weeks are available, as well.

A big advantage to the online lottery is that you will never accidentally miss a win. It checks numbers automatically and sends email notifications for your winners. This avoids issues with the paper tickets getting lost — or people simply forgetting to check them.

You can enter second chance draws with losing lottery tickets on the ALC portal. The site gives away $40,000 each month in these draws. You can also download a separate Nova Scotia lottery app, which scans the barcode of your tickets. This is a quick way to check the numbers of older retail tickets, without needing to look up the numbers.

How to claim lottery winnings in Nova Scotia

How you claim prizes depends on how much you won:

  • Smaller wins: If you win $250 or less, simply claim your prize at any retail store with a lottery terminal.
  • Mid-sized wins: You can claim prizes of up to $9,999 at any branch of Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), or in person at the Atlantic Lottery Head Office in Moncton.
  • Bigger wins: You can claim prizes of $10,000 or more by phoning the Atlantic Lottery claims line at 1-800-561-3942. Arrangements will depend on whether you won a jackpot or a smaller windfall.

Prizes are tax-free in Nova Scotia.

Lottery games in Nova Scotia

Here are the main options for online lottery and draw games when gambling in Nova Scotia:

  • National lottery draws: Play the Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49 and Daily Grand. These games are available across Canada including but not limited to the Ontario Lottery, Alberta Lottery and BC Lottery.
  • Provincial draws: Try a range of daily lottery draw games in various formats. The Atlantic 49 draw has a $1 million jackpot.
  • Scratch cards: Choose from more than 100 retail scratch cards, many of which have $1 million+ top prizes.
  • Casino games: Slots, table games and video poker are available in the Atlantic Lottery portal. Options include the IGT MegaJackpot slots.
  • Instant win games: Play from a selection of instant win games, including online games and scratch cards.
  • Sports betting in Nova Scotia: Bet on point spreads, totals, props, futures and more via the Pro-Line system.

Nova Scotia lottery: National draws

Players in Nova Scotia can take part in all three large national draws. Each draw takes place twice a week (covering Monday through Saturday). Here are the details:

Lotto Max

This national lottery draw uses three sets of seven numbers on each ticket. You can go with all randomly generated numbers or pick one set yourself. Tickets cost $5, and the wins will start when you match at least three of the numbers.

To win the jackpot, you need to match all seven of your numbers. The jackpot prize starts at $10 million (if more than one ticket matches the numbers, it will be shared). If no one wins the prize, it will roll over to the next draw. The maximum prize for Lotto Max is $70 million. Draws take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11:30 p.m. Atlantic Time.

Lotto 6/49

To play this game, pick six numbers between 1 and 49 (again, the terminal can do this for you). As well as selecting numbers, each ticket will also feature a unique 10-digit code for the guaranteed $1 million prize draw that takes place alongside the main lottery. Tickets for this draw cost $3. Wins start when you match two or more of your numbers.

To land the main jackpot prize, you need to match all six numbers. The jackpot prize in the Lotto 6/49 starts at $5 million and rolls over to the next draw if no one wins. The highest prize ever was $64 million. The $1 million guaranteed prize draw ensures there is a new millionaire each draw. Lotto 6/49 draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 11:30 p.m. Atlantic Time.

The Daily Grand

To play the Daily Grand, pick five numbers between 1 and 49, plus one “Grand Number” between 1 and 7. Tickets for this draw cost $3, and prizes start with a free ticket if you land the Grand Number only, and rise if you match more numbers.

To win the main jackpot prize, match all five numbers and the Grand Number. The top prize is a thousand dollars a day for the rest of your life. There is an option to take a lump sum of $7 million instead. The second prize, for matching all the numbers without the Grand Number, pays $25,000 a year for life or a lump sum of $500,000. Daily Grand draws take place every Monday and Thursday at 11:30 p.m. Atlantic Time.

Nova Scotia lottery: Multi-provincial draw games

Alongside the national draws, Nova Scotians can take part in the major draw that the four Atlantic provinces share:

  • Atlantic 49: This draw is similar to Lotto 6/49, with the same selection rules and a guaranteed prize draw. The jackpot in this draw is $1 million, and there is $25,000 to be won as a guaranteed prize each week. Tickets cost $2, and draws take place alongside the Lotto 6/49 on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

You can also enjoy a series of daily draws. Many of them mix instant games at the retail terminal with evening draws:

  • Hit or Miss: Two opportunities to win in this game. For $2, you have the chance to win an immediate $25,000 on purchase, as well as the nightly draw, which offers a jackpot prize of $250,000. You win by hitting all of your 12 numbers, or by hitting none of them.
  • Salsa Bingo: Lottery gambling meets bingo in this nightly draw. Complete lines and full houses in this nightly draw to win prizes. For $2, you can win a progressive jackpot that starts at $10,000.
  • Poker Lotto: Pay $2 and enjoy two chances to win with five playing cards. Make a made poker hand and win a prize immediately on purchase. Then match as many cards as you can in the nightly draw to win a cash prize of up to $100,000.
  • Lotto 4: A daily draw game where you get to choose your stake and bets. Choose four numbers, how much you want to spend and how you want to win. This draw offers a top prize of $25,000.
  • Bucko: For just $1 (hence the name) you get the chance to win up to $20,000 on this daily draw.
  • Keno Atlantic: Another game with flexibility in how to play. Choose between two and 10 numbers and your stake. The more numbers you match and the more you bet, the more you can win. The maximum prize in this game is $3 million.

In all the draws listed above, including both national and provincial draws, you can add the “TAG” option for a dollar. This gives you the chance to win an instant $100,000.

Nova Scotia lottery draw schedule

Here are the draws you can take part in throughout the week in Nova Scotia. Draws take place at or right before 11:30 each evening, Atlantic Time.

  • Monday: Daily Grand
  • Tuesday: Lotto Max
  • Wednesday: Lotto 6/49, Atlantic 49
  • Thursday: Daily Grand
  • Friday: Lotto Max
  • Saturday: Lotto 6/49, Atlantic 49

Scratch cards in Nova Scotia

Lottery players in Nova Scotia can enjoy a range of more than 100 scratch cards. These can cost from $1 to $30. Each card offers its own combination of game(s), theme and prizes.

The Atlantic Lottery website has a list of how many big prizes remain unclaimed for each type of retail scratch card.  This is useful information when it comes to choosing which tickets to play.  If you know that all the jackpots are claimed for one type of card, you can switch to another type.

Here are examples of two popular scratch cards you can play in Nova Scotia. Note that the games and themes change regularly:

  • Sapphire 7: This scratch card is all about the sevens. It costs $7, and the top prize you can win is $70,000. On the card are four games to play. There are jackpot prizes of $20,000, $7,000 and $5,000. The overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.73.
  • 200x Multiplier: This game features 10 top prizes of $2 million and costs $20. Once again, it has various games to play, with the main game seeing you aim to match the winning numbers, with a potential multiplier applied to your prize. As well as the jackpot prize, you can also win $1 million, while there are 200 prizes of $20,000 available.

Alongside scratch cards are a selection of instant win games that you can play online. An advantage of these games is that you can set your own stake. Good examples of instant win games include Lucky Rainbow, where you can win up to $40,000 in an instant, and Gem Explosion Extreme, with a top prize of $100,000.

Online casino games in Nova Scotia

Head into the casino section of the Atlantic lottery website to try a range of virtual casino games. There are three types of casino games available:

  • Slots: These make up most the games in the casino, with more than 40 slot titles available. Many of these slots are online versions of popular games from live casinos, from IGT and Scientific Games. Jackpot slots are available. Pools include both Powerbucks and MegaJackpots.
  • Table games: If you enjoy classic table games such as roulette and online blackjack, you can play them for real money at the ALC lottery portal. There are two versions of each of those games, alongside baccarat, Let It Ride, pai gow poker, three card poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
  • Video poker: Game King fans will be able to find classic video poker titles like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild.

Sports betting in Nova Scotia

If you want to try sports betting online, hit the Pro-Line link on the Atlantic Lottery website. Here you can place a range of bets on a variety of sports leagues. Wagering options include spread bets, totals, props and futures. You can also enter picks-style contests, competing with others from the Atlantic provinces in fantasy sports-style games.

Responsible gambling and the Nova Scotia lottery

The ALC offers detailed information for anyone who may have gambling problems. This includes information for concerned friends/family members. The responsible gambling resources are available in the PlayWise area. In this section, you can assess your play to see if you have stopped playing for enjoyment, with the option to self-exclude.

You’ll also find access to helplines. Call 1-888-347-8888 in Nova Scotia if you have any personal concerns or concerns about someone else. By ensuring that people with problems are well looked after, the lottery can be kept safe for people who gamble recreationally.

How do lottery proceeds help Nova Scotia?

The profits from playing the lottery in the Atlantic provinces go to each of the provinces. In 2019-20, the Nova Scotia provincial government received $131.1 million. This money went toward education, infrastructure and health care. Of every $1 spent on the lottery in the Atlantic region, 92 cents stay in the provinces.

Wrapping up: Playing the Nova Scotia lottery online

Players in Nova Scotia can sample a range of games via the Atlantic lottery. These go beyond the headline-grabbing big national draws. Alongside the Daily Grand, Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49, you can enter the Atlantic 49 and other daily draws. Retail scratch cards have prizes reaching the millions.

You can buy your draw tickets online at the ALC website. These are automatically checked, so you will never accidentally miss a prize. You can also experience instant games, bingo, casino games, video poker and sports betting online. Best of all, the money raised will help fund causes in NS and other Atlantic provinces.

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