Canadian Lotteries 

What Are the Five Ways to Play Lottery in Western Canada?

Kamal Kaur
What are the five ways to play lottery in Western Canada?

The Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 1974 that operates lottery and gaming-related activities for its members, the governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut participate as associate members.

WCLC works in conjunction with the following marketing organizations: Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, Saskatchewan Lotteries, Manitoba Lotteries Corporation, Lotteries Yukon and Sport North Lottery Authority. In conjunction with the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, WCLC offers Canada’s highest payout lotteries, Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max and Daily Grand.

Here are the five ways to play the lottery in Western Canada

  1. Lotto packs
  2. Play by Subscription
  3. Group Play
  4. Advance Play
  5. Combo Play

Lotto Packs

lotto packs

Lotteries like Lotto Max Tuesday and Lotto Max Friday. 6 49 lotto, Daily Grand, Western Max can be played with Lotto Packs. There are 14 packs to choose from:

$18 MAX Pack consists of:

  • An advance play LOTTO MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ for both the Tuesday and Friday draws ($12 value)
  • An advance play WESTERN MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ for both the Tuesday and Friday draws ($6 value)

Super Pack consists of:

  • One DAILY GRAND ticket with one quick pick selection (line) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($4 value)
  • One LOTTO MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($6 value)
  • One WESTERN MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($3 value)
  • One LOTTO 6/49 ticket with two quick pick selections (lines), two Guaranteed Prize Draw selections and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($7 value)
  • One WESTERN 649 ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($4 value)

Triple Pack consists of:

  • One DAILY GRAND ticket with two quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($7 value)
  • One LOTTO MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($6 value)
  • One LOTTO 6/49 ticket with two quick pick selections (lines), two Guaranteed Prize Draw selections and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($7 value)

Classic Pack consists of:

  • One LOTTO MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($6 value)
  • One LOTTO 6/49 ticket with one quick pick selection (line), one Guaranteed Prize Draw selection and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($4 value)

$11 MAX Pack consists of:

One LOTTO MAX ticket with six quick pick selections (lines) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($11 value)

$10 LOTTO 6/49 Pack consists of:

One LOTTO 6/49 ticket with three quick pick selections (lines), three Guaranteed Prize Draw selections and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($10 value)

$10 PICK Pack consists of:

  • A PICK 2 ticket with one selection and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($3 value)
  • A PICK 3 ticket with one Straight Play selection ($2 wager) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($3 value)
  • A PICK 4 ticket with three Straight Play selections and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($4 value)

$5 PICK Pack consists of:

  • A PICK 2 ticket with one selection ($2 value)
  • A PICK 3 ticket with one Straight Play selection ($2 value)
  • A PICK 4 ticket with one Straight Play selection ($1 value)

$6 649 Pack consists of:

  • One WESTERN 649 ticket with one quick pick selection (line) and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($2 value)
  • One LOTTO 6/49 ticket with one quick pick selection (line), one Guaranteed Prize Draw selection and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’ ($4 value)

DAILY GRAND Pack consists of: A DAILY GRAND ticket with two quick pick selections (lines); and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’

$6 LOTTO MAX Pack consists of: A LOTTO MAX ticket with three quick pick selections (lines); and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’

$7 LOTTO 6/49 Pack consists of: A LOTTO 6/49 ticket with two quick pick selections (lines) and two Guaranteed Prize Draw selections; and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’

WESTERN MAX Pack consists of: A WESTERN MAX ticket with six quick pick selections (lines); and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’

WESTERN 649 Pack consists of: A WESTERN 649 ticket with four quick pick selections (lines); and one EXTRA ‘ENTERED’

Play by Subscription

play lottery by subcription

In this way you play the lottery by choosing the subscription plan that’s right for you and we’ll automatically enter you into the selected draws – from three months to a year!. Your numbers are automatically checked for you and prizes paid when you win*. Prize cheques are mailed to you or directly deposited into your account!

There are three easy ways to subscribe:

Subscription lotteries

Subscription orders must be paid in full prior to the Subscription being processed. Visa or MasterCard are accepted online or over the phone; cheque or money order are accepted for mail orders. 

If you wish to pay for a subscription with a credit card, you may want to confirm with your card provider what, if any, additional fees may apply to a lottery Subscription purchase.  Some card providers (banks, credit unions, etc.) use a “cash advance” code for lottery purchases.  WCLC does not set these codes, and the additional fees go to the card provider. Some consumers have successfully argued to have these additional charges removed – but this is something that must be negotiated between you and your credit card provider.  WCLC is not responsible for any additional charges or fees when using a credit card for a lottery subscription purchase.

Group play

Group Play

Group Play lets you pool your money together for more chances of winning the lottery! Here you can play the lottery with your friends or family. Keep in mind that the way a group chooses to administer their lottery purchases and prizes is up to the members involved.

With Group Play, it’s important to have proper documentation that identifies who is participating. The Group Buying Agreement (GBA) is available free of charge and helps groups coordinate who is taking part. This form will not eliminate all risks of dispute, but it certainly may reduce them.

If you don’t use this form, but create your own, then  include the following:

The GBA or your own written form is for the group’s own records and does not have to be registered with WCLC. It will be requested, however, if the group wins a prize over $1,000.

• the name of the group trustee
• the type of game(s)
• the draw date and, if possible, the ticket numbers
• each member’s name, address, telephone number, share and signature

If the group membership does not change from draw to draw, one GBA can be completed and kept on file for future draws until a change within the group happens.

If group membership changes for each draw, a separate listing should be done per draw to identify the active participants.

Groups may wish to buy their tickets by Quick Pick or by picking their own numbers at Retail. On DAILY GRAND, LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX, WESTERN 649, and WESTERN MAX, you can purchase up to 25 consecutive Advance Play draws at Retail. Don’t forget to add EXTRA on your tickets for more chances to win.

For those who want to play the same numbers for up to a year, sign up for Play by Subscription! This is a great way for groups to coordinate their lottery purchases, and all winnings are either deposited directly into the Trustee’s account or sent by prize cheque. Plus at the end of the Subscription, a Winner’s Certificate is sent to show what winnings occurred. This makes it easy to track winnings and help decide what to do when it comes time to renew.

Advance Play

Advance play

Advance Play allows you to play the same Selections for up to 25 consecutive draws with all of your favourite lotto tickets.

You can play 1-25 draws on LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX, DAILY GRAND, WESTERN 649, WESTERN MAX, PICK 2, PICK 3, PICK 4 and Combo Play.

For KENO, you can play up to 99 draws.

One ticket will be issued for all eligible draws. Information on the ticket will indicate the number of eligible draws, the Selection(s) played and the first and last draw date.
Simply tell the Retailer how many draws you’d like your Quick Pick ticket for, or mark the number of draws you want to play on the Selection Slip.  For a number not shown on the slip, leave it blank, and the Retailer can enter any number up to 25. NOTE: For PICK, this option is not available. You can only play 1, 2, 5, 10 or 25 draws using the selection slip.

Note: The maximum amount the Ticket Terminals can process in a single transaction must be less than $1,000. So some Advance Play options may not be available.

Combo play

Combo play

Combo Play is a great way to play combinations of numbers on the same DAILY GRAND, LOTTO 6/49, LOTTO MAX, WESTERN 649 or WESTERN MAX ticket! Whether you choose your own numbers using a Selection Slip or ask the retailer for a Combo Play Quick Pick, you will receive a ticket showing your selection of numbers and the eligible draw date(s). The computer system will record and keep track of each possible combination. You win on a Combo ticket the same as on a regular selection. However, because you have multiple selections, you win multiple prizes!

 Each combination is played as if it were a single selection on a single ticket. The odds of winning on Combo Play are determined by the game played and the number of combinations. You can play up to 25 draws, up to a maximum of $1,000 per transaction.  Note: not all Combinations can be played for 25 draws on one ticket.

When playing LOTTO MAX and WESTERN MAX, the terminal will add two Quick Pick Combinations to your ticket. On LOTTO 6/49, your Combo ticket will include a corresponding number of Guaranteed Prize Draw selections which will be printed as a range. DAILY GRAND is a little different because your seven combinations will print right on the ticket. 

You can add extra on any Combo Play ticket, you can add one EXTRA number for a chance to win the $250,000 Top Prize or the $ 100,000-second prize! The EXTRA number(s) is valid for the same draw date(s) as the Host Game listed at the top of your ticket.