Talk:Lotto 6/49

Untitled
I think Lotto 6/49 has been going in Germany for 50 years and was invented there. This should be the main theme of a Lotto 6/49 entry.

See:

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,378904,00.html
 * Was it actually called Lotto 6/49? If so then perhaps a Lotto 6/49 (Germany) article can be created. 23skidoo 01:57, 13 January 2006 (UTC)

Slight error in reported odds
Hi - I have written most of the Lottery Math article, and, though not really important, there's a slight error in this article's reported odds for 5 balls (and no bonus ball). You say that it's 1 in 55,492 - but I have calculated it as 166474/3 = 55491.3333 recurring (see bonus ball section), which rounds to 1 in 55,491. I am confident I am right about this, because I have calculated all outcomes for this lottery as fractions, and they add up to 1 exactly (as they should). --New Thought 00:30, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
 * A very reasonable explanation for this has been given here.--New Thought 15:58, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Actually I don't get this odd (for 5 balls with no bonus), BC lottery lists it as 1:55,492, but I get it as 1:54,201 and that is what other identical lotteries list in other countries (6/49 in Poland or 6/49 Germany - scroll down). For 6,4,3 I get identical odds as listed and all odds add to 1.0 in my case. 142.103.8.38 (talk) 23:37, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Prize Pool?
How does it make sense that you win 9% of the pool with 4/6 #'s but only 4.75% with 5/6 #'s... Is this to suggest you win more money if less numbers hit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.55.142.23 (talk) 04:46, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree, if anyone knows the answer, please share. Why would getting 4 numbers be better than getting 5? 69.156.37.253 (talk) 02:37, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Simple - the pool reflects the total prize money for all winners in that category. There are fewer people that get 5/6 numbers, so sharing the pool of 4.75% results in a larger payout per winner than sharing the pool for the 4/6 winners. For example, in the latest Lotto 6/49 (16-Jan-2008), there were 258 winners with 5/6 numbers, each getting $1,939.50 (total pool is $500,391.00, 4.75% of all winnings for that drawing), whereas 12626 winners had 4/6 numbers, each getting $75.10 (total pool is $948,212.60, 9% of all winnings for that drawing). Mind  matrix  15:22, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Ahh! Excellent, I had not thought about it that way! Thank you very much for this clarification! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.202.95.19 (talk) 18:20, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Was slightly confused, as for example, if you hit 3/6 numbers the "win" is $10. now obviously this does not imply that the entire prize pool for 3/6 is $10, but rather each person who hits 3/6 gets $10. Therefore, I had assumed that the same premise held true of 4/6 and 5/6, respectively. Thanks again! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.202.95.19 (talk) 18:25, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Added "Share of ..." to make it more clear 216.232.61.241 (talk) 23:35, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Critical Evaluation
Why is the term 'social conservative' applied to the Lotto 6/49 as a form of gambling with out any support for the use of the term? Where does the evidence for social conservatives view of gambling come from?Schoeppe (talk) 06:02, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Minimum Jackpot
Last Wednesday (May 21, 2008), the jackpot was $3,010,652. The article says that the jackpot prize is of at least $3,500,000. Obviously, that is incorrect. So, what is the minimum jackpot? The article should be corrected but I don't know what the minimum is. 76.65.71.14 (talk) 00:58, 24 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't know, but this may explain it somewhat. Perhaps the advertised value is the total pot available to be won, instead of just the grand prize. Mind  matrix  14:28, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Accuracy of odds
I've reverted an edit which changed the accuracy of the odds of winning; while correct, it did introduce a subtle usability issue. First, all of the numbers in the table should have the same accuracy, for consistency. This is because readers may not detect the difference between a comman and period, and may be confused by what appears to be decreasing odds for fewer numbers. Second, there's no real advantage to it. However, if you'd like greater accuracy, please limit it to one decimal place - anything more is superfluous. Mind matrix  23:20, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Spiel games
I think a table should be added to more clearly define the spiel games for each region. Extra is mentioned, but missing is the method of play, top prize, and the difference between BCLC and WCLC Extra. It could show the region, game name, method (ie. quantity of numbers), and top prize. I'd do it, but I don't have time right now, and I haven't done much with tables before.Lest69 (talk) 01:47, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

Why does it...?
Why does the % of what you win for the top prize drop to 40% after the jackpot reaches 30 million? | can't think of a logical reason for this. (The reason is that when the prize grows beyond 30 million, the change in % winnings for each category changes such that more people have a greater chance they will win a % of the jackpot. This reduces the chance that one person will win the larger jackpot. It allows more people to win a % of the larger pool) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.45.97.225 (talk) 05:20, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Largest jackpots
There's one for the WP:Did you knows: The two largest jackpots in history shared the same 3 numbers.. 11, 20, and 37. Weird. -- OlEnglish (Talk) 04:17, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Wow, after following the (now-outdated) wikinews link I learned another weird fact.. the 2nd AND 3rd largest jackpots in history were won by 3 people in Ontario and 1 person in Quebec. jeez, they're always from Ontario.. -- OlEnglish (Talk) 04:25, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * That's just demographics; the combined population of Quebec and Ontario is about 62% of the country. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dicrostonyx (talk • contribs) 00:35, 22 July 2016 (UTC)

Data about winners needed
This page is good, but some information is needed: 1. How many people have won the jackpot since 6/49 started? 2. How many win the jackpot each year? 3. Where are most winners coming from? —Preceding unsigned comment added by John Lincoln (talk • contribs) 21:35, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

Article Needs References
The statement "Indeed, casual conversations with Canadians reveal that it is common knowledge that the odds of winning the jackpot are about "1 in 14 million" " does not have a reference. It should. Could someone provide one or at least tag it? I do not know how.174.6.130.25 (talk) 11:22, 21 June 2009 (UTC)BeeCier
 * ✅. Good eye. I've tagged it with Weasel-inline for now. -- &oelig; &trade; 19:17, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

How Are The Numbers Picked?
How are the numbers picked? Are they picked by a computer or by physical draw?174.6.130.25 (talk) 11:22, 21 June 2009 (UTC)BeeCier

they are picked with a Ryo-Catteau Lantana ball machine see http://www.olg.ca/lotteries/draws_faq.jsp —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.34.95.41 (talk) 12:44, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

"Critical evaluation" section removal
Regarding this edit, I think there's some good content there that could have been retained or salvaged perhaps with some rewording. For instance the mention of the media coverage is factual and informative and also sourceable. -- &oelig; &trade; 05:57, 24 September 2010 (UTC)

Phrasing adjustment in "2022 reformat" section

 * What I think should be changed: In the section "2022 reformat," this article states that "The jackpot will increase at the discretion of the ILC, rather than being directly determined by the game rules." While this is technically correct, phrasing that more accurately reflects the actual game experience would be "The Gold Ball jackpot will start at $10 million and increase by $2 million each time it is not won up to a potential jackpot of over $60 million."
 * Why it should be changed: As written, the article is technically correct in that it reflects the letter of the game rules, however these rules are kept intentionally broad to allow for flexibility in the way jackpots are administered (as they are often set in alignment with sales). All game rules for all national lotteries in Canada are positioned this way, as formal changes to the game rules must be publicized six months before they take effect -- as you can imagine, this does not leave much latitude to offer higher or lower prizes reflective of that week's sales. A more accurate reflection of the way jackpots will grow (noted in the phrasing above) has been publicized separately from the official game rules in each lottery region across the country.
 * References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button):

JTowns121 (talk) 18:51, 18 August 2022 (UTC)
 * That's what the article says already? I had edited it after more recent PR/coverage mentioned it would be $2 million. ViperSnake151   Talk  20:45, 18 August 2022 (UTC)
 * So you did -- this can all be disregarded. Thank you!
 * Unfortunately I'm quite new to Wikipedia and I'm not sure if I need to close or withdraw this edit request...or how to do that :| JTowns121 (talk) 18:10, 19 August 2022 (UTC)