Lotto 6/49: Québec residents won 887 jackpots over a 30-year span!

“Doesn’t change you, except...”

Montréal, June 11, 2012 – Tomorrow, Lotto 6/49 turns 30. This Canada-wide lottery certainly hasn’t changed the world, but it has made hundreds of millionaires in Québec, enabling them to make their dreams come true, spoil their loved-ones or support causes close to their hearts. Since June 12, 1982, some 887 jackpots were won in Québec, allowing new millionaires the opportunity to say “Bye-bye, boss!” A total of more than 6.8 billion dollars in prizes and jackpots was won in Québec.

Lady Luck has smiled upon Québec residents, thanks to Lotto 6/49
Over the past three decades, Québec’s Lotto 6/49 fans have been a little luckier than the national average. While they purchased 28% of the selections sold in Canada, they won 28.4% of the jackpots. In fact, the very first jackpot was won by a Québec resident who pocketed $1.6 million in the draw held on August 7, 1982. Québec’s largest jackpot ever was won in 2009 and totalled $32.9 million.

Quebecers love Lotto 6/49
Just 17 months after the lottery made its first millionaire, the Lotto 6/49 jackpot stood at a whopping $13.8 million for the draw of January 14, 1984. An incredible fever spread like wildfire among lottery enthusiasts. A Gallup poll showed that 85% of all Québec adults had a selection in hand for the draw. Lotto 6/49 became the talk of the town among Quebecers and in the media.

Lottery sales topped one billion dollars for the first time in Québec during the 1987-1988 fiscal year, thanks in large part to Lotto 6/49. From April 1, 1987 to March 31, 1988, the game’s fans purchased $602 million in selections, representing more than half of all lottery revenue. Since, this product continues to be popular and known to all. A 2012 study reveals that 97% of Québec adults know of Lotto 6/49.

Fun that lets you dream!
Lotto 6/49 was a Loto-Québec initiative that quickly conquered the hearts of Québec adults, becoming the most popular lottery of all time and totalling over $14.5 billion in sales in Québec since its launch. Be it through memorable and award-winning ads or slogans that have become part of every-day vocabulary, Lotto 6/49 is truly a lottery that gets people dreaming of big wins and that is played alone or as a group, among family members, friends and co-workers alike. It is a form of wagering that is associated with playing just for the fun of the game. For example, a Montréal family took home the $7.9 million jackpot on March 21st after playing the same numbers since the very first draw.

Loto-Québec celebrates Lotto 6/49’s 30 years of existence
To mark the 30-year celebrations of Lotto 6/49, Canadian lottery corporations, including Loto-Québec, are offering this lottery’s fans bonus prizes of $100,000. From May 30 to June 30, 2012, after each regular draw, 3 additional selections of 6  numbers between 1 and 49 will be drawn. What’s more, Loto-Québec launched a promotion giving Québec residents the chance to win 30 pairs of VIP tickets for the International des Feux Loto-Québec at La Ronde, in Montréal, on Saturday July 14th. Details on the bonus prizes and the promotion are available at lotoquebec.com.

Internet users are also invited to consult facebook.com/lotto649 to learn more about Lotto 6/49’s highlights.

About Loto- Québec
Loto-Québec’s mission is to responsibly manage games of chance in a controlled and measured fashion, in the interest of all Quebecers. During 2011-2012 fiscal year, the Corporation paid out 46 prizes worth over $1 million.

This press release is accompanied by a summary of Lotto 6/49’s highlights.
 

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Information: 

Jean-Pierre Roy
Director, Media Relations
Loto-Québec
Telephone: 514-499-5151

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