Extra vs Encore explained

Written by NextGen, British Columbia · Last updated October 2026

When you buy Lotto Max or Lotto 6/49, the clerk or app usually asks whether you want to add Extra (or Encore in Ontario) for $1. These add-ons are separate games with their own draws — and, confusingly, "Extra" is not the same game in British Columbia as it is on the Prairies. Here is how each one works, according to the operators' own rules.

The basics that apply everywhere

• An add-on costs $1 per number and can only be bought together with a host game such as Lotto Max or Lotto 6/49.
• Your add-on number is printed on the ticket by the terminal. It has nothing to do with your Lotto Max or 6/49 numbers — it is checked against a separate add-on draw.
• The add-on is valid for the same draw date(s) as the host game on the ticket.
• The add-on is regional: a BC Extra number is checked against BCLC's Extra draw, an Ontario Encore number against OLG's Encore draw, and so on. Always use the results published by the corporation that sold your ticket.

Extra in British Columbia (BCLC)

BC's Extra uses four two-digit numbers from 01 to 99. On each draw date for an eligible game, BCLC draws four numbers from 01 to 99, and you win by matching numbers on your Extra selection. BCLC's game conditions set the prizes:

We checked these odds ourselves: there are C(99, 4) = 3,764,376 ways to draw four numbers from 99, which gives the top-prize odds exactly, and the lower tiers follow the same counting. Matching one number returns your dollar, which is why "any prize" odds look generous (about 1 in 6.5) while most of those wins are $1.

Extra in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the territories (WCLC)

WCLC's Extra is a different game: you receive a seven-digit number, and you win by matching the drawn number in exact order from the right-hand side. Matching the last digit wins $2; matching more digits from the right wins more. WCLC's published prize table:

WCLC lists the odds of winning any prize as about 1 in 10. WCLC Extra draws are held every day, and it can be added to Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Daily Grand, Western Max, Western 649, Lightning Lotto and the Pick games. "Right-hand side" matters: if the winning number is 1234567 and yours is 9999967, you match the last two digits and win $10; a ticket ending in 76 wins nothing even though it contains the same digits.

Encore in Ontario (OLG)

Ontario's add-on is called Encore. It also costs $1 and uses a seven-digit number generated by the terminal — you cannot choose it. Encore can be added to games including Lotto Max, Lotto 6/49, Daily Grand, Ontario 49, Lottario, the Pick games and Daily Keno, and one Encore number is drawn for all host games. OLG advertises 22 ways to win, because you can match from the right, from the left, or a combination of both:

• All 7 digits: $1,000,000 (1 in 10,000,000)
• Last 6 digits: $100,000 · last 5: $1,000 · last 4: $100 · last 3: $10 · last 2: $5 · last digit: $2
• First 6 digits: $10,000 · first 5: $500 · first 4: $50 · first 3: $10 · first 2: $5
• Combinations such as first 5 + last digit ($502) or first 2 + last 4 ($105)

OLG lists the overall odds of winning any Encore prize as 1 in 9.17.

Is an add-on worth $1?

That is a personal entertainment choice, but the arithmetic is worth knowing. Multiplying each prize by its odds and adding them up gives the average amount returned per $1 ticket. Using the official tables above, BC Extra returns about 45 cents per dollar on average, and WCLC Extra about 46 cents. In other words, like the main games, add-ons are priced so that players as a group get back less than half of what they spend — the rest funds operations and provincial programs. The top prizes are far easier to win than a Lotto Max jackpot, though: 1 in about 3.8 million for BC Extra's $500,000 versus 1 in 33.4 million for the Lotto Max jackpot.

Checking your add-on

Ticket checkers and official apps check the add-on automatically along with the host game, which is the easiest way to avoid mistakes. If you check by hand, make sure you are looking at the add-on results for your province and draw date — a BC Extra ticket compared against WCLC's seven-digit number (or vice versa) will give a meaningless answer. If you win, claim it like any other prize; see how to claim a lottery prize in BC and Western Canada.