Wanna play the lottery? Here’s everything you ever wanted to know (but were too ashamed to ask).

“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime” is how the old adage goes. Well, retired fisherman Joe Katalinic recently found out that you can know how to fish and be given a fish — and end up just fine. It also wouldn’t hurt if the “fish” just so happens to be the $60 million Lotto Max prize.

When asked about what he’ll do with his winnings last August, Katalinic replied that he would be going all over British Columbia to visit his relatives. That’s nice and all, but maybe he also decided to swing by the Luxury & Supercar Weekend, too. The great thing about stories like this is it could literally happen to anyone, and if it could happen to anyone, then why can’t that anyone be you? If that sounds good to you, read on for our beginner’s guide to playing the lottery!

Origins

The earliest mention of a lottery is found in the Bible, as a means to divide the land of Canaan. Ancient Origins notes that the Israelites decided the winner by drawing lots. Another example of an early form of the lottery is found in the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece as a means of choosing a leader. Lastly, ancient Rome had a version of a lottery too, but used it more as a form of punishment instead of a reward. In their lottery, soldiers would draw lots to decide which members of an erring military unit would be punished. Given all of these examples, aren’t you glad that we’ve evolved as a species to the point that we only use lotteries to determine who gets a boat-load of money?

Rules

Lotteries are governed by 5 corporations here in Canada, namely: the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, Loto-Québec, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and the Western Canada Lottery Corporation. Now, why so many corporations are lining up to give money away is beyond us, but that’s just how it works.

As a collective, they’ve decided that only people 19-years-old or older can play the lottery. This, in our opinion, is a good idea because can you imagine what would happen if you gave a teenager millions of dollars for playing a game (we’re looking at you Fortnite)? Other than that, the only other rule you have to be aware of is that Canada does not tax lottery winnings — as they probably already know that your family members will be taxing you enough after finding out you’ve won.

Types of Lotteries

If you’d like to get started with playing, there are many types of lotteries you can choose from based in and out of Canada. Lottoland states that the US MegaMillions and the Powerball are popular options, as their current jackpots reach $280 million and $93 million, respectively. Meanwhile, other options include the Cash4Life programs, which rewards its winners $1,000 a day for the rest of their lives, and the Multi Keno, which draws numbers twice every day for their $6 million jackpot. These options all come with their advantages and disadvantages. But at the end of the day, all you need to know is that if you get the numbers right, the only numbers you’ll be caring about from then on are the 0s at the end of your account balance.

How to Play

Just like everything in the world these days, the lottery can be played online. Much like real-life lottery stands, there are three modes of lotteries you can play online. Standard is when you choose your own numbers, so losing will entirely be your own fault. Syndicate is when you play with a group and pick a number, 30 lines in total, and pool your money together to get a better price on your ticket. Try not to be the guy or gal who messes up the winning combination. Lastly, the bundle gives you a mix of both. You get to mix in your personal number combinations along with the ones in syndicate, which should make things more fun — and the slashed ticket prices don’t hurt either.

So there you have it, that’s basically all you need to know about the lottery! So grab a friend (or two) and get playing. If you have any more questions or if you noticed anything we’ve missed, leave a comment below!