Lotteries by the numbers

1974

Canada's first national lottery takes place to raise money for the Montreal Olympics.

Nine

Number of lucky ladies from Quebec City who shared that first prize of $1 million.

1,950

Approximate number of tickets that shared top prize in last year's Christmas-time Spanish lottery, El Gordo, one of the world's most lucrative lottery jackpots.

3,000

Years since the first recorded lotteries, keno, took place in China.

$6,500

Amount Elecia Battle of Cleveland was ordered by the courts to pay in 2004 after she falsely told police she'd lost a winning lottery ticket in a $162 million draw.

22,680

Kilograms of chicken legs Torontonian butcher Jose Lima gave away in April 2008 to celebrate his $14.5 million Lotto 6/49 win.

$45 million

The third largest Lotto 6/49 win, it was taken home by two ticket holders in August 2008.

$50.3 million

The second-largest Lotto 6/49 jackpot was won in February 2009 by four ticket holders: three in Ontario and one in Quebec.

Three months later, a single ticket sold in Edmonton was the winner  in another blockbuster jackpot of $49.9 million.

$54 million

The largest win in Canada took place in October 2005 when 17 oil company workers from central Alberta split the winnings  from a single Lotto 6/49 ticket.

$390 million

Largest lottery jackpot in the world. Won by two Mega Millions ticket holders in the U.S. in March 2007.

$13.6 billion

Net revenue from government-run lotteries, video lottery terminals, casinos and slot machines in 2007.