Quotidienne 3: how Loto-Québec's nightly digit game works
Quotidienne 3 is Loto-Québec's nightly three-digit game. You pick three digits from 0 to 9, choose how much to bet and whether the order counts, and a draw every evening decides whether you win a fixed prize for each dollar you bet. It has two siblings, Quotidienne 2 and Quotidienne 4, that work the same way with two and four digits. This guide covers the bet types, every prize and its odds from Loto-Québec's game rules, how much of each dollar comes back, and how the three games compare. All figures come from Loto-Québec's rules and game explanations pages, checked on November 10, 2026.
For Loto-Québec's twice-weekly number lottery, see our guide to Québec 49. For the difference between Loto-Québec and private sites, see Loto-Québec vs offshore casinos.
How a Quotidienne 3 bet works
- Your number. Three digits, each from 0 to 9. Digits can repeat, so every number from 000 to 999 is possible: 1,000 combinations in all.
- Your stake. $0.50, $1, $2, $5 or $10 per selection.
- Your bet type. In exact order ("dans l'ordre"), in any order ("dans n'importe quel ordre"), or both.
- The draw. Every night. Sales close at 10:30 p.m.
- Where. Hand a filled-in slip to a retailer, ask for a quick pick, or play online at lotoquebec.com or in the Loto-Québec app.
You can buy the same selection for more than one draw, and the Extra and Rejouer options are available. Your ticket shows the game, the draw date or dates, your selections, the amount bet and a control number. Each winning selection earns one prize.
One rule is unusual for a lottery: Loto-Québec can, at its discretion and at any time, refuse bets on certain selections. The game falls under Quebec's regulation on prediction contests and number games, which includes limits on Loto-Québec's liability.
Quotidienne 3 prizes and odds
Prizes are fixed amounts for each dollar bet. A $2 bet wins twice the prize in the table, and a $0.50 bet wins half.
| Bet type | Your number | Prize per $1 | Odds (1 in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact order | Any number, digits in the drawn order | $450 | 1,000 |
| Any order | Three identical digits (e.g. 111) | $450 | 1,000 |
| Any order | Two identical digits (e.g. 112) | $150 | 333.3 |
| Any order | Three different digits (e.g. 123) | $75 | 166.7 |
The any-order prizes follow from simple counting. A number with three different digits, like 1-2-3, can be drawn in six arrangements (123, 132, 213, 231, 312, 321), so it wins 6 times in 1,000 and pays one sixth of $450. A number with one pair, like 1-1-2, has three arrangements (112, 121, 211) and pays one third of $450. Three identical digits only have one arrangement, so any order and exact order are the same bet.
A worked example: you bet $2 in exact order on 4-7-2. If the draw is 472, you win $900. If you had bet $2 in any order instead, you would win $150 on 472, 427, 742, 724, 247 or 274.
How much of each dollar comes back
Divide each prize by its odds and you get the average value of a $1 bet:
- Exact order: $450 / 1,000 = 45 cents
- Any order, two identical digits: $150 / 333.3 = 45 cents
- Any order, three different digits: $75 / 166.7 = 45 cents
Every Quotidienne 3 bet returns 45 cents per dollar on average, whatever number and bet type you choose. Picking any order wins more often but pays less, and the two balance out exactly. Unlike Québec 49, the prizes are fixed per dollar, so the return does not drop when other players win on the same number.
In practical terms, 55 cents of every dollar stays with Loto-Québec over the long run.
Quotidienne 2 and Quotidienne 4
The other two games use the same stakes, bet types and nightly draw.
Quotidienne 2 uses two digits, so there are 100 possible numbers.
| Bet type | Your number | Prize per $1 | Odds (1 in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact order | Both digits in the drawn order | $50 | 100 |
| Any order | Two identical digits (e.g. 11) | $50 | 100 |
| Any order | Two different digits (e.g. 12) | $25 | 50 |
Quotidienne 4 uses four digits, so there are 10,000 possible numbers.
| Bet type | Your number | Prize per $1 | Odds (1 in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact order | All four digits in the drawn order | $4,500 | 10,000 |
| Any order | Four identical digits (e.g. 1111) | $4,500 | 10,000 |
| Any order | Three identical digits (e.g. 1112) | $1,125 | 2,500 |
| Any order | Two pairs (e.g. 1122) | $750 | 1,666.7 |
| Any order | One pair (e.g. 1123) | $375 | 833.3 |
| Any order | Four different digits (e.g. 1234) | $187.50 | 416.7 |
Comparing the three games
| Quotidienne 2 | Quotidienne 3 | Quotidienne 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Possible numbers | 100 | 1,000 | 10,000 |
| Top prize per $1 | $50 | $450 | $4,500 |
| Best odds of a win | 1 in 50 | 1 in 166.7 | 1 in 416.7 |
| Average return per $1 | 50 cents | 45 cents | 45 cents |
Quotidienne 2 returns the most per dollar, 50 cents against 45, and wins most often. Quotidienne 4 pays the largest prizes but wins least often. Quotidienne 3 sits in the middle on both counts.
The Forfait quotidien plays Banco, Quotidienne 2, Quotidienne 3 and Quotidienne 4 at the same time on one purchase. Our guide to how keno works gives Banco's full prize table and the return on each bet type.
Adding the Extra
The Extra is offered with each Quotidienne game. It is a seven-digit number that costs $1 per draw and cannot be played alone. Matching all seven digits pays $1,000,000, shared, at odds of 1 in 10,000,000, and smaller prizes come from matching digits from either end of the number. At a retailer, check that the ticket shows "EXTRA" and the draw day. "EXTRA NON PARTICIPANT" means the Extra is not in play.
Past draws do not predict the next one
Loto-Québec's Bien jouer site explains that winning numbers in draw lotteries are selected by a random number generator and that each draw is independent of earlier and later ones. A number that has not come up in weeks is no more likely tonight, and a number that hit last night is no less likely. Draws take place under the supervision of an external audit firm. Tracking past results changes nothing about the 1 in 1,000 chance of an exact-order Quotidienne 3 win.
Claiming a prize
- Sign the ticket. Loto-Québec tells players to check the ticket and sign it before leaving the point of sale.
- $600 or less. Claim at any Loto-Québec retailer. That covers most Quotidienne 3 wins: an exact-order hit at $1 pays $450.
- Over $600. Paid through Loto-Québec, at its offices in Montreal and Quebec City or through its claim process. A $2 exact-order win ($900) is already above the retailer limit.
- Deadline. Winners have 12 months after the draw to claim. Unclaimed prizes go back to players as bonus prizes and special draws.
- Taxes. The Canada Revenue Agency says you generally do not report lottery winnings of any amount; interest earned on invested winnings is taxable. Our guide to gambling winnings and tax in Quebec has more.
Who can play
You must be 18 or older. Loto-Québec states that selling lottery tickets to minors is against the law, and every lottery product carries the 18+ logo. Online, your age is confirmed when you open your account.
A nightly game adds up
Because there is a draw every night, small bets compound. A $1 Quotidienne 3 bet every night is $365 a year, and at the average return of 45 cents that is about $200 lost over a year. At $10 a night it is $3,650 staked. If the nightly ticket has stopped being a small habit, Jeu : aide et référence is free and confidential at 1-800-461-0140, and our guide to Espacejeux covers the limits on a lotoquebec.com account.
Sources
- Loto-Québec, Règles de jeux (Quotidienne 2, 3 and 4, Extra)
- Loto-Québec, Explications des jeux (Quotidienne, Forfait quotidien, Extra)
- Loto-Québec Bien jouer, Loteries
- Loto-Québec, unclaimed prizes release (October 24, 2019)
- Loto-Québec, how to claim a lottery prize (release, June 30, 2016)
- Loto-Québec, responsible commercialization actions (PDF)
- Canada Revenue Agency, Amounts that are not reported or taxed
Key terms
- Random number generator (RNG)
- An RNG (random number generator, "générateur de nombres aléatoires") is the software that decides slot and table game results. Labs certify it.
- House edge
- The cut a game is built to keep for the casino on average, shown as a percentage of what you bet.
- Implied probability
- The win chance hidden inside the odds: turn any price into a percentage and you see what the book thinks will happen.