Canada ought cap lottery jackpots to $9 million CAD, like Japan.

[StackExchange]

I picked $9 million CAD, in view of Japan†. I picked Canada, as I want to retire there. LottoMax's jackpot is $80 million, 6/49's $68 million. Giant jackpots worsen wealth inequality, and are unjust.

Better to LOWER lofty jackpots, but RAISE the probability of winning jackpot. LottoMax ought offer MORE chances of winning SMALLER slices (of the same pie). Rather than one winner hoarding $70M, $70M ought be fairly distributed, for example as $2M to 35 people. Koreans agree with this standpoint.

The biggest jackpot in the history of the game fell in 2003. After a couple of rollovers, the sum had reached approximately 70 million US dollars. The lucky drawing produced 13 top-prize winners. Each one of them went home 5.4 million dollars richer. When this massive jackpot came into existence, Lotto 6/45 was subjected to massive criticism. According to opponents, such serious sums were to lead to lotto fever, making many people spend excessive sums of money on the acquisition of tickets. At the time, the price of the ticket was approximately 2 dollars. Due to the serious social pressure, the ticket price was reduced. This is how the prize pool decreased, as well, preventing the game from producing such massive jackpots again.

I'm aware of lotteries with smaller jackpots + (scantly) higher probabilities of winning, such as Daily Grand. But they are a red herring.


†Japan caps at $9M CAD. 1¥ = $0.01 CAD.

The top prize starts at a ¥600 million and can roll over until it caps at a staggering ¥1 billion (approx €8.5 million)- the largest jackpot offered by any lottery in Japan!

New Zealand caps at $41.6M CAD. NZ$1 = $0.83 CAD.

As soon as the First Division prize hits NZ$50 million, the next draw referred to as a ‘Must Be Won’ game where, if no one wins the jackpot, the money rolls down to be shared amongst the ticket holders in the next winning division.