The largest lottery jackpot in Canadian history is up grabs this weekend.
The top payout for Saturday's Lotto 6/49 is expected to ring in at about $55 million, according to Don Pister, a spokesperson for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).
The current record haul is $54.29 million, won by a group of co-workers in central Alberta on Oct. 26, 2005.
Saturday's total has reached record-breaking territory because no one has won a Lotto 6/49 jackpot since early March.
“The way that 6/49 works, if it's not won, it rolls over to the next draw,” Pister said.
Gayle Zolaturiuk, of Hamilton, Ont., was the last person to win a Lotto 6/49 jackpot. She won a $30-million prize in the March 9 draw.
“It was such a great feeling to hit the shops and get some new things for myself,” she said.
Zolaturiuk, in her early 50s, said she'll use the money to take care of her family, travel and buy a new home.
It was the second time this year that a large 6/49 jackpot ticket was sold in Ontario. In January, a Collingwood resident claimed a $3.5 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot prize.
According to the OLG, the odds of having all six numbers on a ticket match the ones that are drawn are approximately one in 13,983,816.
For comparison, in 2011, the odds of one dying on a commercial flight were one in about 7.6 million. Also, according to Weather.com, in any given year, the odds of getting hit by lightning are about one in 1 million, while the odds of Zeus zapping you during your lifetime are about one in 10,000.
So, in short, don't bank on being able to quit your day job just yet.
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