Canadian home lotteries: how they work, what you actually win, and are they worth it?
Updated · Tested by DailyStash editors
18+ or 19+ depending on province. Lotteries fund the associated charity — the odds reflect that. This page is informational; DailyStash does not sell lottery tickets and takes no affiliate revenue from any lottery mentioned here.
How Canadian home lotteries work
Home lotteries are provincial charity gaming licences, not commercial gambling. Each lottery is capped at a set number of tickets (the "print run"), audited by the provincial gaming regulator, and the beneficiary hospital foundation is disclosed on the licence. Once tickets sell out or the deadline hits, a live draw is streamed.
The big ones by province
| Lottery | Region | Benefits | Ticket | Overall odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princess Margaret Home Lottery | Ontario (Toronto) | Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation | CA$[VERIFY] | 1 in [VERIFY] overall |
| Calgary Foothills Hospitals Home Lottery | Alberta (Calgary) | Calgary Health Foundation | CA$[VERIFY] | 1 in [VERIFY] overall |
| QEII Home Lottery | Nova Scotia (Halifax) | QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation | CA$[VERIFY] | 1 in [VERIFY] overall |
| QE2 (Edmonton) — distinct from QEII Halifax | Alberta (Edmonton) | University Hospital Foundation | CA$[VERIFY] | 1 in [VERIFY] overall |
| SickKids Lottery | Ontario (Toronto) | SickKids Foundation | CA$[VERIFY] | 1 in [VERIFY] overall |
Princess Margaret Home Lottery (Toronto)
Ontario's Princess Margaret Home Lottery is the largest by revenue in Canada. Proceeds fund cancer research and treatment at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Ticket prices start around CA$[VERIFY]; multi-packs and add-on 50/50 draws bump the total.
Calgary Foothills Hospitals Home Lottery
Alberta's flagship home lottery, benefitting the Calgary Health Foundation. Grand-prize show homes are typically located in luxury Calgary and Canmore developments.
QEII Home Lottery (Halifax)
Nova Scotia's QEII Health Sciences Centre lottery. Prize homes have historically been located in the HRM and along the South Shore.
QE2 Home Lottery (Edmonton) — a different lottery
Distinct from Halifax's QEII, Edmonton's QE2 supports the University Hospital Foundation. Same acronym, different province, different beneficiary — an easy source of confusion when searching.
What you actually win — beyond the house
The grand prize is the show home, but nearly every home lottery bundles cars, travel, cash-early-bird prizes, and dozens of small prizes. The [VERIFY]-in-[VERIFY] overall odds figure includes those smaller prizes — the odds of walking away with the house itself are typically 1 in [VERIFY] to 1 in [VERIFY] depending on ticket count.
Are your odds any good? An honest look
Compared with a national lotto (odds of the top prize in Lotto 6/49 or Lotto Max are in the tens of millions), home lotteries have far shorter odds because ticket supply is capped. Compared with virtually any other use of the same money — a savings account, a modest RRSP contribution — the expected return is negative. You're primarily donating to the hospital with a lottery ticket attached, and that's the correct way to frame the buy.
Canadian home lottery FAQ
What are the odds of winning a Canadian home lottery?
Overall odds of winning any prize are typically better than a national lotto — often around 1 in [VERIFY] — because ticket supply is capped. Odds of winning the grand-prize home itself are far longer, usually 1 in [VERIFY] to 1 in [VERIFY] depending on how many tickets the lottery prints.
Which is the biggest home lottery in Canada?
Toronto's Princess Margaret Home Lottery is the largest by ticket revenue and prize-pool value, funding cancer research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. QEII in Halifax and the Foothills lottery in Calgary are the biggest in their respective regions.
Are Canadian hospital home lotteries a scam?
No. Canadian charity home lotteries are regulated provincial charity gaming — the licensing province audits ticket counts, prize pools, and draws. The concern isn't fraud; it's odds. You're effectively donating to the hospital with a lottery ticket attached, not making an investment.
Do you pay tax on a home lottery win in Canada?
No. Lottery winnings — including a house won in a Canadian charity lottery — are not taxable income in Canada. What is taxable: any rental income you earn if you keep and rent out the home, and eventual capital gains if you sell it above its assessed value at the time you won.