Press release
Lotto 6/49 draws temporarily suspended following the September 10 draw
Lotto 6/49 draws temporarily suspended following the September 10 draw
Montréal, September 7, 2022 – The Canada-wide roll-out of the new and improved Lotto 6/49 lottery game—for which the first draw was to be held on September 14—will be postponed for Québec players. Since Loto-Québec cannot guarantee the smooth roll-out of the game due to the launch of an unlimited general strike by its professional staff, management prefers to reschedule it. As a result, the government corporation must halt Lotto 6/49 draws following the September 10 draw until further notice. It is technically impossible to continue the game in its current form beyond this date since the other provinces will be transitioning to the new, improved version.
Given the current circumstances, it will not be possible for players to have their Lotto 6/49 tickets validated at a retail location or check their Lotto 6/49 tickets via the app as of September 11. Ticket holders are urged to hold on their ticket until things go back to normal. Loto-Québec thanks its customers for their understanding and wishes to reassure customers that the integrity of its draws will not be compromised as a result, and all valid prize claims will be honoured.
All other lottery games remain available for customers to play, both online and at retail locations.
About the unlimited general strike by SPGQ-member employees
The suspension of Lotto 6/49 draws is a repercussion of the pressure tactics used by employees represented by the Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ). The agreement in principle reached with the SPGQ on August 25 was unfortunately rejected by its members. The government corporation is disappointed that the union has repeatedly taken the indefinite general strike route, just as it did a few weeks ago and during the previous round of negotiations.
Since employees are at the heart of its activities, Loto-Québec is committed to offering them the best possible working conditions and maintaining its ability to attract new talent while fulfilling its responsibilities as a government corporation.