What is Daily Grand?
Daily Grand is a nationwide Canadian lottery focused on guaranteed-income prizes rather than growing jackpots. It launched in 2016, and despite the name, draws are held twice a week: Monday and Thursday evenings at approximately 10:30 PM ET. Tickets cost $3.
The headline prize is $1,000 a day for life. Unlike most jackpot games, that prize is fixed — it does not grow if no one wins. The game's appeal is the stability of a lifetime annuity rather than a single large payout.
How to play
A $3 Daily Grand play gives you one set of five main numbers plus a single Grand Number. The Grand Number is drawn from a separate pool of seven — meaning you need to match both the main five and the correct Grand Number to win the top prize.
- Pick 5 numbers from 1 to 49 (main set).
- Pick 1 Grand Number from 1 to 7.
- Accept Quick Pick or self-pick — odds are identical either way.
Prize tiers and odds
Daily Grand has eight prize tiers. The top two tiers pay an annuity by default; all other tiers pay fixed cash amounts. Overall odds of winning any prize are approximately 1 in 6.8.
| Match | Prize | Odds per play |
|---|---|---|
| 5/5 + Grand Number | $1,000 / day for life (or $7M cash) | 1 in 13,348,188 |
| 5/5 | $25,000 / year for life (or $1M cash) | 1 in 2,224,698 |
| 4/5 + Grand Number | $1,000 | 1 in 60,673 |
| 4/5 | $500 | 1 in 10,112 |
| 3/5 + Grand Number | $100 | 1 in 1,373 |
| 3/5 | $20 | 1 in 229 |
| 2/5 + Grand Number | $20 | 1 in 76.3 |
| 1/5 + Grand Number | Free $3 play | 1 in 13.4 |
Annuity vs. lump sum
The top prize is advertised as $1,000 a day for life, but winners can choose a lump-sum cash option of $7 million instead. The second-tier prize ($25,000/year for life) has a lump-sum option of $1 million.
The 'for life' prize carries a guaranteed minimum of 20 years of payments. If the winner dies before the 20-year mark, the remaining balance up to that 20-year guarantee is paid to the estate or designated beneficiary. After the 20-year guarantee expires, payments continue as long as the winner is alive, but stop on death.
Understanding the Grand Number
The Grand Number is drawn from a separate pool of only seven numbers, which makes matching it alone surprisingly common — the odds of matching just the Grand Number are roughly 1 in 7. But matching it in combination with main-set numbers is how most Daily Grand prizes are structured.
Two of the game's top three tiers require the Grand Number. Without it, the prize structure drops sharply: matching all 5 main numbers without the Grand Number is worth $25,000/year for life — but matching 4 main + Grand is only $1,000.
Frequently asked questions
- Can two people win the Daily Grand top prize on the same draw?
- Yes. If multiple tickets match all 5 + Grand Number, each winning ticket receives its own $1,000/day for life annuity (or each can elect the $7M cash option). The prize is not divided.
- Is the $1,000/day prize taxed?
- No. Canadian lottery winnings — including lifetime annuities — are not taxed as income. Interest or investment returns earned on the money after it is paid out is taxable.
- What happens to Daily Grand payments if I move out of Canada?
- Payments continue to the winner regardless of country of residence. You may owe tax to your new country of residence depending on its lottery-income rules, but Canada does not withhold.
- How often is the Daily Grand top prize won?
- On average a few times per year. Unlike a growing-jackpot game, Daily Grand's top prize does not snowball — it simply rolls un-won until someone hits 5/5 + Grand Number.
- Does Daily Grand have a bonus number?
- No. Daily Grand uses the Grand Number instead of a bonus number. There is no separately drawn 'bonus ball' after the main 5.