Answer

92 CENTS OF EVERY LOTTERY DOLLAR STAYS HERE IN ATLANTIC CANADA.

Here are the cents and dollars of that breakdown for 2021/22:

37 cents Profit back to Atlantic Canada. In 2021-22 we returned $438.1 million in profit to the four Atlantic provinces to help fund the important services we all use.

37 cents to Winners in Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Lottery awarded $439.7 million in prizes to winners across Atlantic Canada.

9 cents to Retailers in Atlantic Canada. Retailers received $111.4 million in commissions. Nearly 4,000 Atlantic Canadian businesses earn income from the sale of Atlantic Lottery products.

3 cents to Salaries and Benefits. Atlantic Lottery employs more than 642 people in all four Atlantic provinces. They live, work and spend their salaries in our communities.

6 cents to Operations in Atlantic Canada. Overall operations contributed indirectly to more than 7,915 jobs and $1.7 billion in economic activity across the region.

4 cents to Operations outside Atlantic Canada. Atlantic Lottery sometimes partners with companies outside of the region, depending on the needs and the availability of third parties and the services they provide.

4 cents in Taxes. Atlantic Lottery pays taxes too, contributing more funds to governments in support of essential services for Atlantic Canadians.

43 Comments

Eric Duffy

09/16/2016

If as much money as you claim is funding roads schools and hospitals in Atlantic Canada, then why are we driving on horrific roads ,schools are closing all over the place , and there hasn't been a new hospital built in the Maritimes in decades ? You also claim that there is a guaranteed 1 million dollar prize given out for EVERY 6-49 AND Atlantic 49 draws which happen twice a week so by my calculations that means there should be 208 new millionaires every year !....this falls WAY short of the number you advertise !!! I think you should have to account for EVERY dollar you say is being spent , and tell us exactly where it's being spent.....in fact I dare you to !

Atlantic Lottery

09/20/2016

Hi Eric; Thanks for posting your comments. Atlantic Lottery’s mandate has always been to provide revenue to the four Atlantic provinces. This money is recorded as general revenue and each province decides how they use it. So, although you won’t see a sign on your local road, school or hospital, it’s likely they were funded in part by lottery profits. We recently released our annual report for fiscal 2015/16 which details how we generate our revenue, where it’s spent and how much we give to each province. Our recent annual reports can be found on our corporate web site (http://bit.ly/ALAnnualReport). Each draw, Lotto 6/49 offers a $1 million Guaranteed Prize and Atlantic 49 offers a $25,649 Guaranteed Prize. Unlike a regular lotto-style draw where winning numbers are selected from a range of all possible numbers, guaranteed prize draws are only selected from selections sold to players. The location of these guaranteed wins are listed each draw in the winning numbers information on our corporate web site. While we don’t advertise all of our winners, we do our best to post the name and photo of all Guaranteed Prize winners who bought their ticket in Atlantic Canada in the winners’ section of our corporate web site. While Atlantic 49 is only offered in Atlantic Canada, Lotto 6/49 is offered across Canada and we don’t post or advertise winners who bought their tickets outside of Atlantic Canada. -Janet @ Atlantic Lottery

Jamie

10/07/2016

I don't see an amount/percentage being allocated to programs to help those with gambling problems. If there is an amount deducted for problem gamblers please provide the details.

Atlantic Lottery

10/07/2016

Hi Jamie; Thanks for your question. In 2015-16, we returned $431.6 million in profit to the four Atlantic provinces which is used to fund essential services and programs such as roads, schools and hospitals. Atlantic Lottery’s role when it comes to player safety is one of education and awareness rather than treatment for gambling problems, which lies with the provinces. Fundamental to Atlantic Lottery’s responsible gambling (RG) strategy is delivering education and awareness programs around informed player choice. Examples of our commitment to RG include: awareness campaigns around the risks associated with youth gambling; Responsible Gambling Employee and retailer training; Responsible Gambling information available to players in all of our retailer locations and on alc.ca. All of these RG programs result in creating more informed players. Thank you. Sandy @Atlantic Lottery

Jamie

10/19/2016

Thank you for your response Sandy. Can you provide a contact for NB that can answer the question around the amount of funds that are used for programs and treatment for problem gamblers?

Atlantic Lottery

10/24/2016

Hi Jamie; You'll need to contact the Department of Health. You can either call (506) 457-4800 or send an email at (http://www.gnb.ca/0051/mail-e.asp). Thank you – Janet @ Atlantic Lottery

Chris patrick duke

12/10/2016

Wwhere do the money go to when u win

Atlantic Lottery

12/12/2016

Hi Chris; In 2015-16, Atlantic Lottery paid out more than $405.5 million in prizes to winners. When winners arrive at Atlantic Lottery, we ask if they would like to receive their winnings by cheque or through direct deposit. We also ask them what they plan to do with their money. Often their decision depends on how much they have won as well as their financial, family and job situation. In the past we have seen winners pay off bills, take trips, help out family members or retire. We never advise winners on what they should do with their money but recommend they contact a financial adviser if they need advice. Although Canadians don’t pay taxes on lottery winnings, winners who have questions around taxes should contact a tax specialist or Revenue Canada. Thank you for your question. Janet @ Atlantic Lottery

peter

08/03/2017

Many winners are outside atlantic Canada can you give approx. percentage of players in each provence there always seems to be more winners elsewhere

Atlantic Lottery

08/09/2017

Hi Peter; Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 are lottery games that are shared with the other lotteries across Canada. Sometimes it does seem like others win more often but your odds of winning any prize on one of our national draw games are exactly the same, no matter where you live in Canada. It’s the percentage of sales that provides the rationale for why provinces like Ontario and Quebec produce a larger number of top prize winners per year. We do know that provinces that have a higher percentage of sales usually have a larger number of winners per year. While Atlantic Canada may have a smaller percentage of sales, we still have a fair share of winners every year. One thing that all of these wins have in common is that they are completely random as there is no way to predict where a winning ticket will be sold. Thank you for your question. - Janet @ Atlantic Lottery

Catherine

02/22/2018

The ticket numbers are generated by a computer, which can obviously be manipulated. With the older system, which was televised, we actually got to SEE the numbers roll out. Now we don't really get to see how the winning numbers are selected. It would be great if ALC brought back a process that was much more transparent.

Atlantic Lottery

03/02/2018

Hi Catherine, we do offer a broadcast of the draws on our Youtube channel. If you visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHE9NhmAnF5x997dckiiQvQ or search Atlantic Lottery in the Youtube search bar you will be directed to our channel where all the live draws are posted. Kind Regards-Matt

J. Barb

05/07/2018

Where do you post the actual amounts that are distributed to organisations. Telling us that funds are distributed to schools, roads etc. is not definitive enough and a list should be issued annually identifying organisations, their locations, the amounts and the funds disbursed and the project funded. Where is that? If you do not do it then perhaps it is time that you did.

Atlantic Lottery

05/07/2018

Good morning, thank you for sharing your concerns with us. Last year we gave back the provinces $422 million. Our job is to ensure we give back 100% of our profits to the 4 Atlantic provinces and from there, they use it to fix things like roads, schools, hospitals...You can find more of details, of what ALC did last year, including ALC sponsored community events, in the following links; https://www.alc.ca/content/alc/en/corporate/giving-back/where-the-money-goes.html & https://www.alc.ca/content/alc/en/corporate/giving-back/current-events.html. Atlantic Lottery is owned by the four provincial governments, which means our job is to make sure that all of our profit goes back to those governments instead of in the hands of private shareholders. Our elected officials then choose how these funds will be spent. Public projects such as roads, infrastructure, schools and hospitals are key initiatives for our elected officials. Unfortunately ALC does not have this specific information from the Government. We are transparent about our expenses/profits, including how much is given back to the Government, but where the money goes from there is decided by elected officials. Please let us know if you have any further inquiries. Thank you -Alysia

John

05/16/2018

Why are there a larger number of winners in NFLD then the other 3 Atlantic Canada?

Atlantic Lottery

05/20/2018

Good morning John, thank you for your inquiry. Larger provinces and cities may have more winners than smaller locations however this is because there are more people buying tickets in heavily populated areas, and consequently, more people winning prizes. Atlantic Canadians are winning the lottery every day, whether it is a large prize or small. It is never known where winning tickets will be sold, chance takes care of that and each player, regardless of where they live, has the same odds of winning. Players in Newfoundland do purchase a larger number of tickets than the rest of Atlantic Canada, so it's possible that the province will also have more winners, although luck comes into to play as well since wins are always completely random. Please feel free to visit our website at www.alc.ca for a list of recent winners throughout Atlantic Canada. Kind regards -Alysia

Andrea

06/25/2018

Hello! I am wondering if ALC supports sports teams/clubs for young athletes?

Atlantic Lottery

06/25/2018

Hello Andrea, thank you for your inquiry. Like many organizations, we have been reviewing our Community Relations program to determine how to best use our dollars in supporting communities across Atlantic Canada. As a result of this review, we will no longer be accepting requests for donations of money or merchandise. Instead, we will focus our fundraising activities with charities in other ways. Atlantic Lottery will continue to be very active in our community relations efforts to help various charities, large and small, across Atlantic Canada with their fundraising initiatives. For more information on our Sponsorship program, we invite you to visit our website at https://alc.ca/content/alc/en/corporate/giving-back/sponsorships.html. Submissions for large events should be in to us 9-12 months in advance, and 4-6 months for small and medium sized events. The evaluating process usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks - sometime longer! Please review the guidelines for application to see if you meet the requirements for submitting a sponsorship application. Kind regards -Matt

Marquis

10/13/2018

Yeah ,, our roads are still pretty crappy.. and our mayor created this so called ‘building tax’ if you wanted a new home built. Not once did our city mentioned anything about the lotto funding our roads and schools and buildings, they take the funds straight out from the home owners pockets who lives near by.. Everyone here is losing their jobs and hospitals are being demolished. So where are these percentages of the lotto pool exactly going to? Must be all going into Ontario and Quebec.

Marquis

10/13/2018

“Where does the remaining un-won maxmillions go?” I noticed everyweek that the maxmillions rises but the jackpot of $60,000,000 doesn’t get any higher.. For example, last night we had 42 extra maxmillion draws - but only 17 of them was won, ‘where does the extra 25 million go?’ .. Have you guys ever thought about perhaps just making the maxmillion draws as a ‘gauranteed prize draws?’ - Plus, the maxmillions numbers doesn’t even get recorded into the ‘have my numbers ever won’ website? The same 6 to 7 numbers will never come out ever again.. Is there a way we can also get those maxmillion numbers added into the ‘have my numbers ever won’ system?

Cam

10/18/2018

Why can't the max millions be guaranteed prize draws? I just heard this was the highest jackpot in the history of Canada lottery at $113 million.. Okay, so let me get this straight.. The jackpot is $60 million, max millions are at 53 extra draws.. Technically, this shouldn't even be recognized as the highest jackpot ever because only about 7 to 12 people would win out of those 53 max millions. If you do the math, that's only about a $70 million jackpot.. So where does the extra $48 million dollars worth of max millions go? .. I say bring this game back to how it was when we had 'Super 7'.. 2 bucks for a set of 3 numbers.. and if you wanted extra giveaways like max millions - then the max millions should be guaranteed prizes.

Kell

10/18/2018

yup, 60 million dollars with 53 maxmillions.. the way this will go is: "Congratulations in advanced to the lucky person who lives in Quebec for winning the 60 million dollars, and congratulations in advanced to all 15 maxmillion winners in Ontario and Alberta.. And the extra 38 million dollars that went nowhere will end up being split to all those shady people.

Atlantic Lottery

10/18/2018

Hi Cam, Thank you for sharing your comments. We do appreciate hearing what folks are thinking/saying. Yes we proudly advertise that this is the highest jackpot we've had in our history, because it is and we like sharing that news. These amounts have never been guaranteed prizes. So to put it in perspective, when you see record high jackpots down in the States at $300,000,000, they advertise the same way, it doesn't always get won, but, they are still record high jackpots. As far as the max millions that are not won. For instance, if the $60 M jackpot goes, than we add it to the base for next week. For example, if it goes and the base amount goes down to $7 M, we'll add the 48 max millions (or whatever is not won) to that base and start at $54M. Hopefully, that makes it a bit easier to understand. I will submit your comments as a suggestion for going forward. If you have any other comments, please do let us know. Kind Regards, Darlene

Cam

10/18/2018

Thank you Darlene, yes that makes sense. So if only one person wins the max million out of the 53 - another $60 million jackpot will continue. and yes, please do forward our comments and concerns about making the 'max millions into guaranteed prize draws' :) I believe it would make a lot of people happier knowing we have guaranteed chances.

Jo

10/24/2018

Okay, this might sound a bit silly.. But if I were to hope, wished and believed really hard that I will win the $60,000,000.00 on Lottomax this Friday.. Do you think it will happen? Thanks!

I want to win

10/24/2018

Here I will answer your question.. We all feel the same way as you Jo. Especially me, I mean - just look at my name? We all have dreams, winning the lotto is by luck and not by hope.

Ray

10/29/2018

So the jackpot of 60million dollars wasn't won for a total of 11 weeks. Then on the 4th week the extra maxmillions started accumulating. We have a total of about +150 max millions draws within 8 weeks, and about 100 million maxmillions was not won. that's (+$100,000,000 million dollars unclaimed). My question is, 'you guys told us that the remaining unclaimed and un-won max millions will be added onto the next draw..' But why did the jackpot only increase by $20miilion dollars? But you have +$100,000,000 million dollars of un-won max millions? Where did the 80miilion go?

Atlantic Lottery

10/29/2018

Hi Ray, thank you for your question. The extra millions help pay out all the secondary prizes included in Lotto Max. This prize amount would include not only paying out the top prize but any prizes including maxmillions and all secondary prizes such as free tickets. The jackpot is estimated each week based on actual sales experienced from the week before as well as estimated sales for the following week. Thanks, Mel

Ray

10/30/2018

I have read many customers complaining and requesting to have maxmillions to be changed to guaranteed prizes.. And just out of curiosity -- 'will the max million in Lottomax ever change to "Guaranteed Prize draws" ? or there is no chance that will ever change?

Atlantic Lottery

10/30/2018

Good evening Ray, thank you for your inquiry. The Maxmillions will remain as not guaranteed the for the time being. We constantly review our products and talk to groups of players in an effort to offer games they will enjoy. We appreciate your feedback and your comments will be shared with our Marketing department. For further inquiries, don't hesitate to contact us. Regards, Joline

Stephen M.

04/29/2019

As much as I have an issue with your continued dealings in life-destroying, false-promise addiction machines (so-called "VLTs")... ...I love how you routinely WRECK AND SILENCE the idiots whining about winnings and profits going outside Atlantic Canada or into undefined government projects (because they don't know basic probability laws or how governments and finance ACTUALLY WORK).

Atlantic Lottery

04/29/2019

Hi Stephen, Video Lottery is offered as a form of entertainment; our intention for offering gaming is not to negatively impact individual people or families. All of our games are based on chance. The outcome of each play is random, and the odds of winning are the same for everyone who plays. Most players over time will spend more than they will win, so we encourage each player to know how the games work and play within their own budget. We want everyone who uses our products to enjoy them and not encounter difficulties. If it is no longer fun or entertaining, there are free, professional services available to help. The contact number for the gambling helplines in each province are: NB: 1-800-461-1234 NL: 1-888-899-4357 NS: 1-888-347-8888 PE: 1-855-255-4255 All of our profits at Atlantic Lottery go back to the four provincial governments. They use it for things like social programs, roads, and education. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Kind regards, Olivier Customer Care Center info@alc.ca 1-800-561-3942

Jerry Subway

05/01/2019

Why is that everytime I play lottomax and I pick my own numbers -- why does the quickpicks always try and match the numbers I choose? example: I picked, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 .. the quickpicks will give me --> 2-3-5-6-8-9-11 .. or is that just coincidence all the time? Thanks

Atlantic Lottery

05/01/2019

Hi Jerry, thanks for your inquiry. When the system randomly selects your two other rows of numbers on your Lotto Max ticket, it is purely coincidental that some numbers might follow or match up with your personal numbers. The number selection is completely random, no matter if you choose instapik or your own numbers. If it were only for one of the two, it wouldn't be truly random anymore. I hope this helps clarify things a bit for you. If you have any other questions, please let us know. Kindest regards, -Mel

Jerry Subway

05/01/2019

:) Thanks a bunch Mel. I bet you guys get a lot of crazies asking funny questions all the time.. on behalf of everyone, we truly strongly apologize. a lot of us just want to win -- and when we don't win, everyone starts inventing conspiracy theories in the lotto industry.. im sure you all know what I mean by now :)

Atlantic Lottery

05/01/2019

No worries at all Jerry. Thanks for the question, and best of luck to you! :) -Mel

Geno

05/28/2019

I was reading what Mr. J Subway above was saying about lottomax and picking his own numbers, and how the quickpicks give some of the same numbers as his own....you say it's purely coincidental. Yes By,,,,,,,funny how it's happening to so many people. me included... but you did say there's not very many in atlantic canada who pick their own numbers for the first set of Lottomax so, there;s nothing can be done to please us small amout of people or, is that a possibility?

Atlantic Lottery

05/28/2019

Hello Geno, As previously detailed, we are not currently able to provide a way for players to select their own numbers on all three lines for Lotto Max. There are currently no plans to change this. Regards, Olivier

geno

06/12/2019

it is purely coincidental that some numbers might follow or match up with your personal numbers. (you don't really believe that do you Mel from above? If coincidental it would happen the very odd time , not 90 odd % of the time. maybe should do a survey in just the atlantic provs. would be interesting.

Joseph santos

08/30/2019

It blows my mind how mismanaged lottery payouts and revenues really are and how little provincial and federal governments care about the people of Canada!!!! Here something that really bothers me .... just recently a man claimed a 60 million dollar payout... Western Canada I believe . Regardless!! Population of Canada roughly- 37 million . Number of households in this country roughly 14 million !! Number of families living beyond their means for whatever reasons low income, cost of living ,life style , and countless other reasons is at an alarming 40 to 50 percent !!! Average Canadian family debt load is around 2 to3 hundred thousand dollars People literally living paycheck to paycheck mostly to pay their debt and live a decent life !! Life is so short My question or thought is why can't a lottery payout such as this one just claimed be made into a fifty fifty division .... would the winner be less happy with 30 million ? That would leave enough to give every Canadian family 1 million dollars and federal and provincial governments generate even more revenue to help with schools roads medication or deficit!!!! It's a win win situation .. just imagine Canadian government actually giving a crap and looking after Canadians !!!

Atlantic Lottery

08/30/2019

Hello Joseph, thank you for sharing your comments. We always welcome and appreciate customer feedback. There are five lottery jurisdictions in Canada. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) services the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Each lottery corporation participates in three national games, Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max and Daily Grand, and each offer their own regional games. The Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC) oversees each lottery jurisdiction in Canada, as well as our national games. Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max are obvious favorites with many lottery players because of their large jackpot prizes. Increased sales and player excitement when the jackpot is high indicates to us that large jackpots are the most popular feature of these games. The prize structure for these games is designed to offer large jackpots as well as significant secondary prizes. The subsidiary prizes, however, are designed to offer smaller prizes to a greater number of people. We constantly review our products and talk to groups of players in an effort to offer games they will enjoy. Atlantic Lottery is publicly owned by the four Atlantic Provinces - which means that we return 100% of our profits to Atlantic Canada. All of our profits go back to the provincial governments. The government then allocates these funds towards roads, schools and other social services which benefit all Atlantic Canadians. You can find more of details, of what ALC did last year, including ALC sponsored community events, in the following links; https://www.alc.ca/content/alc/en/corporate/giving-back/where-the-money-goes.html & https://askaway.ca/community-proud/. Kind regards -Alysia

Lois Stewart

09/18/2019

This story covers Atlantic provinces lotteries - I am asking where the lottery money goes across Canada. It could pay our national debt off but I believe those numbers are used to control the voters!

Atlantic Lottery

09/19/2019

Good morning Lois, Thank you for your inquiry. Atlantic Lottery is publicly owned by the four Atlantic Provinces - which means that we return 100% of our profits to Atlantic Canada. All of our profits go back to the provincial governments. The government then allocates these funds towards roads, schools and other social services which benefit all Atlantic Canadians. You can find more of details, of what ALC did last year, including ALC sponsored community events, in the following links; https://www.alc.ca/content/alc/en/corporate/giving-back/where-the-money-goes.html & https://www.alc.ca/content/alc/en/corporate/giving-back/current-events.html . Unfortunately ALC does not have specific information from the Government as to where our profits are spent. We are transparent about our expenses/profits, including how much is given back to the Government, but where the money goes from there is decided by elected officials. Kind regards, Cristina