I bought a lottery ticket when I lived in Oregon. It was 10 plays for the powerball. The numbers were drawn that day and when I got home from work I checked my ticket in the newspaper. It was 1 in the morning and I had to wake up my girlfriend because I had ALL the numbers! After all the excitement I realised that I had all the numbers from the previous draw. I was bummed. So I checked my numbers against the current draw and imagine my surprise that I still had 5 numbers but not the powerball! I couldn't believe that virtually the same numbers were drawn from the last draw with the exception of one. I got excited all over again! This was back when I was naive about checking what the winnings would be for 5 numbers and I just took it to the local convenience store in Rogue River just off Rogue River Highway. I presented it to the clerk(I hadn't signed it, but perhaps I should have?!) and she calmly said I had won $599.00 and paid me on the spot. Now after having more knowledge of how people can scam you I did some research and found that a 5 number draw is worth $200,000, is this correct?! Is there really anything I can do about it now? I'm not certain, it's 2007 and all this happened in roughly between 1994 and 1997. If I did some research on what draw had back to back almost identical draws (with the exception of one number) I would know exactly what date it was. But, what could I do? I wonder how this man proved that he was the rightful owner and how he got his winnings? If anyone knows anything about doing something about something like this, I'd be happy to share the winnings with them 50/50, but unfortunately I think I'm out of luck, so to speak. Anyways, my email address is sixfigureincomeforyou2@yahoo.com if anyone is interested.

I do not understand why the exception in this situation, why store owners and their employees are aloud to buy scratch and lottery draw tickets when no other "draws" that I know of allow their employees or even members of their immediate family for that matter to purchase them...for the specific reasons that the OLG is being investigated for.

These owners are indeed employees of the OLG as they make a commission off of every scratch ticket and lottery draw ticket that they sell...the more they sell, the higher the bonus they receive also.

Something is definitely not right with this present practice and should all OLG games be adhered to by the same eligibility rules as most other draws and make ALL employees of the OLG (that is EVERYONE who sells a ticket of ANY KIND, ANY WHERE), it could and would end all the obvious fraud and make the OLG the respectible Commission it should be as well as put the cash back into the hands of honest, hopeful Canadians. The rules have been broken, they know where the problem is, why aren't they fixing it? Hmmmmm!

What is perhaps more disturbing about the whole affair is the fact that the warrant being prepared by Constable Al Lee of the OPP was never issued and Lee notified the OLG about his warrant, without specifically mentioning the obstruction allegation. Copied on one of his messages about the search was the OLG's head of security, Mike Sharland, a senior officer at the OPP who is currently on secondment to the OLG.

Almost a decade ago my 649 nightmare began. I had a fairly recent 649 ticket with the winning numbers BUT it was one draw off. I had checked the numbers myself.

I made the grave mistake of telling the "new" female clerk whom was also the young daughter of the proprietor (as I discovered last year).She was interested in seeing the ticket but I did not have it with me at the time but I remembered about 5 of the numbers & told her what they were. Then about 1-2 wks later I gathered up a few old tickets, put them in my wallet & on my next trip to the variety store, had the female clerk check them out with their "new" lotto machine.

No winners, EXCEPT for one 649 ticket which made the newly installed machine play a very long strange song which I have never heard since. While commenting to her & asking about the odd song, I momentarily glanced at the newly installed screen & noticed 1.2 MILLION was shown & assumed it was the jackpot for the NEXT draw.

I ASKED her about the song & the new screen showing 1.2 MILLION, but she said nothing & while she was still stareing at the till (as if in a trance) she quickly handed me $10 & nothing else (without looking at me)! I never saw my "one draw off" ticket OR the owner`s daughter again.I wanted to frame that ticket.There-after the owner would quickly avoid me (in or out of the store).I thought this odd to say the least.

Even odder was the fact that about 1-2 months later the owner`s BROTHER rushed into the store, interupted my purchases & shouted he wanted a 649 "quick-pick" . Put it in his new green sports-jacket pocket while he stormed out. Quite a spectacle . 1 month later he won 1.2 MILLION dollars from an old 649 "quick-pick ticket he said he had purchased from his brothers variety store!! His wife found that ticket in his new green sports-jacket. So it could not have been my missing ticket ? After all, I did see him purchase it ?

Oh.. did I mention the fact that I had been checking my tickets improperly ? I assumed that the date on the ticket was the purchase date so I would check it against the next draw which in reality would be 1 draw off when I checked it myself!!. Due to the fact that the winner was a very important & prominent citizen in the community & I saw him purchase it myself, etc. Who am I to doubt. But the episode still haunts me !

And just recently I was informed by OLG that the variety store never ever had a big win ! So...What happened to my lost ticket now that I know the sports-jacket ticket was NOT the winner as he claimed??? Was I only given $10 for a big win ticket?? It now appears that the only way I will ever know is by way of sodium pentathol injection & polygraph. I told OLG that I want these tests done to myself & them (even if I have to pay for it myself) but they stated they do not do tests like that.Welcome to my never-ending lotto 649 nightmare.

A. VICTIM

I had won on 6/49 in 1996. my friend at the time took my ticket to the retailer to validate my ticket. she was told she won 250,000.00 the cashier took the ticket and told her she had to send it in her self . that day she quit her job because she took 2 other ticket that day this happened in ottaw ontario,..I DID CALL THE OLG AND THEY also told me this was true.

Concerning scratch tickets...I am a former variety store employee and I was continually asking our OLG rep why it was that the OLG was allowed to choose where the winners were going to be...not so much where the winners were going to be but most certainly where they were NOT going to be!

Our delivery of tickets from the OLG came on such a schedule that we would be selling old scratch tickets when there was a new series or new game out for two weeks before we got delivery at our store meaning that there was absolutely no way we could sell a winning ticket. When we complained to the OLG they said there was nothing they could do about the delivery shedule and we would just have to wait. To me this is manipulating where the winners are going to be.

If the lotteries were run squeaky clean and pure, (which they're obviously "NOT"), and completely without corruption (self-admittedly and proven "NOT"),
... but even if they were,
... the odds on ever profiting are so ridiculously small that that they would still amount to nothing more than a government TAX ON STUPIDITY!!

Yes we all like to buy that little piece of hope (me too). Some do so faithfully (absurdly silly of them), some do it almost religiously (sort of a government "cult" I guess), we all should boycott these crooked bastards AT LEAST until the entire industry gets audited and cleaned up.......... let me think here, can we really trust the likes of Stephen Harper to lead such a charge?? !!! God help us all!

....Invest in real estate folks - the odds of prosperity are infinately better. "good luck" to all.

P.S. More lottery scandals to surface soon, down east on the rock. Cheers

Watched your program tonight the 1 of August on your follow up concerning the OLG. Fraud seems to be a problem to control without a good solution.

Maybe a look at the Australian lottery system could offer a simple solution. In Australia anyone who plays the lottery is issued an identification card with a unique number and the person's name and address are registered with the Australian lottery commission.

From then on any purchases are registered under that person's identification. There is very little if any chance of fraudulent clerks stealing the legitimate winnings from a lottery player.

I have no beef with Lotto kiosk owners or operators in general, but I take precautions. After seeing what happened to that poor man in the IGA at Old Orchard, I have only allowed the Alburz cigar shop in that mall to sell/check/pay out any tickets to me. Even if I feel lucky and buy a ticket elsewhere I'll keep it until I can get it validated at that trusted place.

That store shows the screen to the people, has the ticket checker machine in open view: their hand on your ticket never leaves your sight! plays the music loud, and hands you back your validation receipt with your ticket, whether you've won or lost. There ARE honest retailers!

This story is a black eye for the lottery orgs that have allowed lax rules for its employees and who have allowed questions and queries from consumers to be brushed under a rug, or outright poo-poohed. Good on the CBC to look out for all Canadians and bust these nogoodniks and the governments, provincial OR federal and their minions that allow them to rip off ordinary Canadians.

SIGN YOUR TICKET!

p.s., as for the spokeswoman from the OLG in the 5th Estate interview... in my opinion she could sell a chemical plant in Bhopal without batting an eye. An apology? phhhtttt

I was at a local (big-chain) grocer's one day maybe four years ago when there was quite a line-up for the previous day's big lotto (before auto ticket checker machines). An elderly man was having a problem with his ticket. The man was shouting out to the people lined up that he had a winning ticket, and that the clerk had it, and that she first offered him a free ticket, then $10, then $50, then $100. He wanted his ticket back, and insisted that the ticket the green-gloved clerk offered him was not his ticket. I was not in the line-up, I had come in to the store to shop. The gentleman complained loudly for some minutes, then left the store visibly shaken.

The very next day I visited the store and the Lotto kiosk was closed (very unusual). A couple days later when I visited again, the kiosk was open again but the green-gloved woman was gone.

I often wondered what had happened to that poor man. He seemed an intelligent, respectable and upright person and was assuredly well-spoken and clear about what had happened to him. I do recall that the clerk kept pushing one ticket at him, then pushed another at him, but by then the man had lost all patience.

The man was tall, white and about 70. I do hope he wasn't ripped off but I suspect he was.

I just saw the Fifth Estate re: Bob Edmonds. I will NEVER forget this man or this story. A kindred spirit, for sure. I am not a lottery player because I have never been "lucky". My Grandfather played Wintario every week for as long as I can remember, and "won big" several times.

Who'd have thought there may have been more times he won? Or maybe I had been lucky at least once! I never even gave it a thought until my (now ex) husband began work for BCLC several years ago, in one of their casinos. The amount of inside fraud was absolutely shocking, and even when some upper management was fired for embezzlement, he still would never hear my pleas to leave that job and report the frauds. He still works with the casino, in a management position now, and I sadly have to say, he is fitting right in.

I'm positive that a good lot are absolutely honest, and I have met many. I just hope that the decisions he makes never hurt someone as kind hearted and honest as Mr. Edmonds. Maybe when the OLG reporting is done, Fifth may investigate casinos... I agree, the OLG frauds are only the tip of the iceburg.

Dawn

I was shocked by the way the OLG treated Mr. Edmonds. What I would really be interested in knowing is just exactly what happened to the woman who stole the ticket, and whether she was ever convicted of her crime.

Thank you Fifth Estate for this report - it needed to be told. Even though Bob Edmonds as passed, kudos to him for his dogged fight to have everyone learn the truth and reclaim his win. I have played Lotto 649 for years - but I play with a subscription. Some do not know this even exists. Unless OLC themselves are corrupt, this is a fullproof way to be assured you win. When your numbers come up, they just send you a cheque - up to a certain amount - and if a big win, they call you. No fuss, no muss, no forgetting to play - you just always have a tickets. This works perfectly if you play the same numbers. You can keep renewing and you have choices as well, when you renew. With this type of scandal it's the only way to go. No outside person is ever involved.

Congratulations on your MASTERLY expose' of the OLG'S GROSS dereliction of duty in trying to cover up the fraudulent theft of Mr.Bob Edmunds'winning lottery ticket.
The GROSS ABUSE of the ONTARIO GOVERNMENT'S Lotteries is ABSOLUTELY intolerable, as is the outright lying obfuscation and "spinning" by their spokeswoman. They continued to abuse their "massive" power to try to crush the little guy - fortunately he,(barely), outlived their evil abuse.
Situations like this can ONLY occur with the knowledge of the highest ranking officers of the organization - many heads should roll! Please follow up, for us citizens, this aspect of the case, including the lying spokeswoman, those responsible for the policy of persecution etc. AFTER acknowledging to themselves that Mr.Bob Edmunds was right and those that DECIDED to ignore the OPP's inquiry. THANK YOU John Eadie Elizabeth Gardner

your report led to the ombudsman investigating the o.l.g.
the problem is that the interprovincial lottery corporation
that runs the 649 and super 7 is not subject to the ombudsman's investigation since it is owned by the five lottery corporations which should make it the responsibility of the federal government. ihave not heard of any federal investigation. was there such an investigation. some investigation should be made as to wether the numbers are actually random or are they computer generated.rather than steal the big prizes, just keep stealing s0 many small prizes every draw that no one can trace.

May 16.This year winning tickets,top two prizes lotto 649 were Ont 78 Que 36 All the rest of Canada 48.Super 7 top two prizes Ont 27 Que 36 Rest of Canada 10.Somehow this looks like the fix was and still is.Where I buy my tickets the machine is in sight and you can see the clerk enter the ticket.When the validation slip comes out it is handed to you.Whats to stop a dishonest clerk from taking a winner and splitting it by having someone else cash it.If you want to win at this game ,put your money in your wallet

I thought your program on the Lottery was excellent.
Sorry to hear that Bob Edmonds passed away, he was
my hero. Do hope you continue with this. I would
like to know what is the the percentage of winners
in each Province. Heard Quebec had the highest
percentage of winners.

I HAVE ENQUIRED WITH THE OLC IN REGARDS TO PAST NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN DRAWN OVER THE YEARS AND IT SEEMS THAT THEY DO NOT WHAT TO ENTERTAIN THIS TASK.3,5,18,20,44,45 ARE THE NUMBERS I HAVE PLAYED FOR THE PAST 12-15 YEARS.I UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION IS LONG PAST CLAIMING ANY PRIZES!?.FOR PIECE OF MIND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THESE 6 NUMBERS HAVE EVER BEEN DRAWN FROM 649! AS WELL MY "SUPER 7"NUMBERS ARE 3,5.18,20,44,45 AND 27(BIRTHDATE). BEING THE OLC HAS NEVER RESPONDED IS THEIR ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW I COULD RETRIEVE THIS INFO? THANKS S.MCMAHON

From a quote I saw:

"We rob from the poor and call it the Lottery"

Chris

The OLG's website spouts such claims as "Play with Confidence", and they call themselves "leaders" in the gaming industry.

Let's see - the lottery validation machines that just recently became available in Ontario (thanks to media reports of dishonest retailers), have been in use in British Columbia for a number of years. And the OLG has the nerve to call themselves leaders?!

Some time ago, I recall the story of a computer programmer at the OLG who won a multi-million dollar prize on one of their own lotteries? OLG employees and their families should NOT be eligible to win anything on their own lotteries!

Hospitals that run lotteries do NOT allow anyone directly connected to their lotteries to play. The OLG needs to follow the same rules.

I used to spend from $5 to $20 per week on lotteries - now I spend $0! I refuse to give these criminals any more money until they clean up their act! I will continue to support hospital-sponsored lotteries ONLY.

Thank you for your journalistic intergrity and persistence in keeping the spotlight on the underhanded and unethical behaviour of the OLG.

I will never again purchase an OLG Lottery product, especially since I learned that they continue selling Scratch and Win Tickets AFTER the big prizes have been won!
Even thought the OLG "settled out of court" with Bob Edmonds (resulting in him getting LESS than he rightfully won after he paid his legal fees), and even though the OLG spent close to a half million dollars in legal fees trying to get Bob Edmonds to 'go away", there is still one other glaring injustice that remains unresolved.

The LaPlantes still have a quarter million dollars of stolen money in their possession, and none of your TV reports indicate whether the OLG is actively pursuing THEM in the courts and whether a criminal investigation has resulted in any consquence for their blatant and callous theft.
Please shift your spotlight there.

I watched your show with interest and more than ever am digusted by the Lottery Corporation. They arrogantly go about their business in a corrupt manner and I am forever convinced that they are just as crooked as the retailers. They are all about profit, making sure the odds of winning are beyond reason. Just think about the following:

They raise the cost of 6-49 tickets to $2 under the false pretence that higher jackpots are what people want. So what do they do change subsidiary prizes to lower amounts and increase the encore winnings to 1 million but raise the odds from 1 in a million to 1 in 10 million. Yup as an intelligent consumer I say thanks OLGC for the thinking of my interests, (I say this tongue in cheek) knowing full well I haven't a hope in heck in winning this prize. Another cash grab on their part.

The have issues with Retailers being honest and following insider rules and regulations, so what do they do to fix the problem they do the turtle (hide their heads) and reclassify Retailers to no longer be an insider thus making them exempt from these rules. Way to go you have just given them the blessing and license to officially steal with no repercussion.

These crooks need to be fired, audited like the SEC does with crooked businesses and their Executives. The best thing that we Canadians should do is boycott the Lottery Corporation, do not buy tickets, do not go to their Casino's, even if the boycott lasts a week it will have an impact. We need to force them out of business in order to bring in the proper governance structure.

Scratch tickets are the biggest rip off of all. Note that at Christmas time they sell holiday packs with guaranteed winners. Well joy for me, I spend $10 dollars and will probably win $3, profit $7 for OLGC. This proves to me that they in fact know which and where the winning tickets are in a batch, thus controlling where they will end up.

My rant could go on and on, think best I stop now, my point is made I think. Let us all be responsible Canadians and stop spending our hard earned money on these losing propositions.

3 point solution: Players should always sign their tickets. Retailers should insist on only checking signed tickets. All tickets should be returned to players, with a recycling bin available on the customers side of the counter so that it is THEIR decision to throw out a losing ticket.

Also, who is it that decides the winning amounts? Prize amounts should not be so top heavy. Why can't the 2nd, 3rd, etc. winning numbers be worth more?

Where do all the profits go? We need more disclosure and access to information with it being a public company. The public should have some input into who benefits from the profits of the OLG.

Thank you CBC for your public service and great programmes such as Market Place and Fifth Estate.

I have always been suspect of the OLG. I was concerned years ago with the scratch tickets offered to the buying public. My question to the OLG at the time was, "when all the grand prizes are won in a particular game-why are tickets still offered with the public totally oblivious to what's really available with respect to actual prize money."

Another area of concern for me is the cut off time prior to the draw. With all the technology at hand, and notwithstanding, the time they would have to calculate the various prizes; it seems a little deceptive when I asked them the question. It got to the point, where they asked me to refer any further comments or questions to their law department.

I also find it very odd that I have possession of two tickets-purchased on two separate days-from two separate stores-both quick picks-and both lines (12 numbers in all) are completely identical. I'm not a Statistician, but would love to hear a better response than the one I received from the OLG.

I have never been one to spend money on lotteries but I did have alot of fun with my friends beating the odds and winning with just about every scratch ticket we picked. I haven't done this in years and i'm not sure if anyone has ever discovered the problem with how scratch tickets are produced. Let me explain what we figured out fifteen years ago.

First you have to understand how the scratch tickets are made. The tickets are printed in large sheets of losers and winners with all of the tickets on the sheet displaying the same message. Many sheets are run before the sheets go through a die cutter to produce the finished ticket (losers). The presses are set up to run the next batch of tickets (winners)which are randomly inserted into the losers. Simple! Fool proof? Ha, hardly.

The system breaks down in the die cutting process. Remember, the print runs are done at different times which means the die cutting is done at different times. Since it is nearly impossible to set up the die cutter to cut the exact size for every run there is a slight difference between the size of winners and losers. But not so small that you can't detect it.

If you take a complete stack of tickets and place one edge of the stack on a flat surface you can feel the difference in ticket sizes by running your finger over the oppisite side of the stack. Do this slowly and you'll be amazed at the small differences your fingers can feel. If you don't find anything at first turn the stack 90 degrees and try again.

We did this with the scratch tickets offered by the beer companies wanting to promote their products in bars and pubs. It was easy to covince the bartender to give you the whole stack so that you could pick your own ticket. Our success rate was about 90%.

I've never had the guts to ask a lottery retailer for all of the scratch tickets so that I could try this with their product. But, think about how easy this would be for the lottery retailer to do.

I'm confident that I'm not the only one to figure this out!!!

P.S. Does anyone need Molson or Labbatt t-shirts and hats...I have lots. Never worn!

hey players, last nite SUPER7 payout was JUST $18.000.000.00, SALES from Feb 2nd to last night topped out at 106.5 million dollars!! Where is our (players) 50/50?? (or 45-55%, as OLG says is rightfully OURS?)
see www.lotterybuddy.com and/or www.sympatico.msn.ca/lottery

W 5 has done the investigation of the lottery and scratch ticket sales and winners, I wonder if anything has been looked at concerning the casinos?? They have just combined to become the OLG. Does anyone have any info on this?

When it was a charity casino we seemed to have alot more payouts and jackpots compared to now when its OLG.You can spend 100.00 and get only maybe 50 credits. On $ 20.00 you may not get any credits. I'm sure if they paid out more the people would end up coming back more often. Alot of people refuse to go now.

I am sure that you have just the tip of the iceberg.

As far as Chief Super. Mike Sharland to wear both hats; OPP/OLG is this not against the police code of ethics,
conflict of interest.

Not only should the employees who cashed in winning tickets be charged. The cover-up by the OLG simply tells me that there is more to this coming from the top
and there should be a full investigation by independent commission. And if need be fraud/theft charges be
laid.

Good job CBC, keep up the good work. The little guy gets shafted too many times.

Unlike the 649 draw where the numbers printed on balls drop randomly out of a turning drum, the Encore option offered for an additional $1 is chosen by computer and is drawn by computer. One of the prizes is a free ticket if either the first or last digit on the number printed on your ticket is the same as the winning OLG Encore number. In other words the chances of winning at least a free ticket are 1 in 5.

Send one of the 5th Estate staff out with $300 from petty cash. Buy 100 separate 649 tickets including the Encore option. Return all winnings to petty cash. The odds are that you should win 20 free tickets at least on the Encore alone.

If you suspect a problem - repeat the excercise again. If you decide the game is rigged, just imagine what is going on through the entire system.

P.S.
This organization needs to be openned up from the inside out - taking no prisoners.

Unlike previous generations who were at times frustrated with crime, the reason so many Canadians are frustrated with their sense of community is that abuses by public officials seem to be beyond redress - there is the feeling that anyone who manages to get in on the inside track of government is entitled to do just about what they want knowing they are protected by the machinery of bureaucracy.

With all of the attention to retailer thefts of lotto prizes, I thought I would check my numbers. I buy the same numbers each week for both the 649 and the Super 7.

The ALC web site used to have a "have my numbers ever won" section on their web site. Now it is no longer there. With all the suspicision in the light of recent reports and statistics perhaps they should reinstate that option so their regular customers can assure themselves they have not been defrauded.

This would prove to their customers they care. That is if they do. The down side is it may bring more fraud on the part of their employees to light.

Many thanks to The Fifth Estate for enlightening us all about fraudulent lottery retailers.

Last summer I bought my lottery tickets at a local gas station and returned the next day to have them checked. Although I never personally checked my tickets on the internet I knew I had at least a few of the winning numbers as I play the same numbers each and every week with the occasional quick pick too and had seen the winning numbers on the local news.

To my amazement I heard no "music" and even asked the clerk if he was sure I hadn't won anything to which he replied a quiet no without making any eye contact. I left the premises never to return as I truly felt I had been scammed and to be honest, I thought that I was probably the only person who had felt this way.

Thanks to The Fifth Estate I now know that I was not wrong and sadly not the only one. Ever since that draw I have checked my tickets on the internet and continue to have them checked at other lottery retailers.

It would be interesting to find out whether or not a substantial win has been claimed from a very young guy named Sam at the gas station in Burlington although there are still a few months left to claim a prize from that ticket.
Should you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks again for producing such an enlightening programme and good luck with your ongoing investigations.
Yours, a little wiser but a little too late,
Lynne Hall

What a crock! The Minister of Justice should ask the RCMP to investigate and to lay charges where applicable, such as the provision of incomplete files in response to the court order. The guy heading OLG should be turfed NOW!

I'm sick and tired of company executives hiring media experts to try and fool us into believing that everything is under control and fixed. A recent approach is for executives to say they are accountable, then nothing else happens. This is no longer good enough. For a company like OLG to have had such weak processes and controls is criminal and heads should roll!

After all these tv spots, why is so much attention being focused on this corporation. I mean if anyone knew the strict security and integrity protocols in place they would not waste time with all these allegations. I mean after all it is a form of entertainment. Look at the Alcohol and Tabcacco industry, it costs taxpayers billions in health care, but no one complains about having cancer or liver problems. I think the media always needs some sort of excitement to revel up the public.

Why don't you and your tv show focus on the real criminals - the store owners the are "stealing" winnings from customers rather than try and blame a government organisation. Think about how much money is given back to communities, back to charities and other non profit organisations....what would they do without it? If you dont think they need it, and would feel good about it - prod on...file your class action lawsuits that everyone is talking about....but who are you really hurting? OLG or the people who benefit from it? Think about it

Great work.

My thoughts are on a somewhat different topic & that is to wonder exactly the chances of winning with these lottery tickets.

My elderly father purchases BC49 tickets & for several years I have looked on-line so that I can report winning numbers to him.

I may have missed some, but it seems to me that for the past number of weeks there has been no winner of the (fixed, $2M) top prize - and often not the second tier prize either! The amounts being handed-put appear to be really pretty miniscule & this begs the question of the extent to which ticket prices, number of tickets sold, & prizes are actually in reasonable congruence.

Simple solution. Retailers and immediate families who sell these tickets cannot claim winnings. Also, the machine that verifies the winning ticket has a window that faces the CUSTOMER not the retailer.

Scam that.

SIGN THE BACK OF THE TICKET!! DON'T BE LAZY IT COULD COST YOU MILLIONS!

I watched the Fifth Estate - Western Provinces at 10 p.m. on Wed March 14th. Why was the 22 year old lady that won the $ 12 odd Million Dollars not published, her picture or name because I was always led to believe that when you won, you gave OLG permission to publish the winner of the ticket. Did they fall by the wayside on this protocol as well?

Why is M. Sharland now working for the OLG when he was with the OPP at the time of the scamming of money by the OLG? This is called "double dipping". Who do you believe? I would like to see a full investigation of the OLG by Mr. Ombudsman himself, that is can you trust him?

There are many retailers scamming the public on the smaller wins.

One particular place in Barrie would would punch in the wrong numbers and would even hand back the losing slip. I pointed out this to them and it was sorry sorry sorry. Then I would collect my ten or so dollars.

How much of this would add up in a day for the retailer if not caught? The same guy would insist you gave him only two tickets to check, any number of these scams for five or ten bucks. But it adds up in their pockets.

The worst was the hired help at another place here in Barrie. Years ago when SONY was giving out prizes one sicko was actually paying a few bucks to buy back these winning tickets from the special need people. She would convince them the money was better and the exchange was made.

I find it ironic that the OPP allowed Chief Super. Mike Sharland to wear both hats; OPP/OLG. Doesn't the OPP have members seconded to the Alcohol and Gaming Comission (AGCO) to ensure the OLG is following the rules and possess the honesty and integirty expected of it?

If so, then how can these OPP members seconded to the AGCO monitor a senior officer (Sharland) without bias. Duncan Brown handpicked Sharland to be VP of Security and Surviellance for the OLG.

I always check my tickets before going to a store that way I know what I'm getting or not getting.

Regarding scratch tickets how do I know that the retailer has not scanned a ticket to see if it a winner? If it is a winner then they can purchase the ticket.

If it is not a winner they just simply put back under the glass and sell it to a customer. The customer scratches the ticket finds it is not a winner and throws it out.

Hi there, I felt I had to write after reading most of the comments posted here, as a former low level employee of the olgc, who worked in the sales department I feel I have to make comments of my own.

First of all I do absolutely believe that most retailers are honest, but that all consumers should protect themselves by being aware of what they believe are their entitlements and signing their tickets.

Second, I have to agree that the upper management of the corporation has a huge disregard for the general public. And I believe that Duncan Brown especially not only has a disregard for the consumers, but even to his own employees, if he did care for the consumers and his employees he would have been first and foremost on camera explaining the lottery, not leaving Teresa Roncon to do his dirty work (I understand it's her job, but in this situation, it would've been for the best, to prove they are transparent to have him speak)

I have watched your News stories with Interest. I have been a long time lottery player winning at the most 150.00 (I think i have won about 1000.00 in the 30+ years I have been playing it).

I have always had suspicions the there was something not right with the Lottries. If you look at the winners of the big prizes you will see that the majority of the big winners are from Ontatio and Quebec. I feel it is time to split the Lottery in half (Have a 649 and Super 7 Western Canda and Eastern Canada) I relize most of the population are back east but it is time the Lottery corporations give the west better odds at winning the big prizes.

Also the BC49 prize is always 2 million, when it is not won where does all the money go, it should build like the 649 and Super 7 do. Please read this on your Show as I know others out West Feel the Same.

Fifth Estate,

I have now purchased my last OLG ticket. I will not participate with an Ontario Corporation that seconds an OPP officer and this person becomes above the law. The OPP officer who pushed the investigation should not be transfered and/or withdrawn from the investigation.

Last Year, Febuary 2006, I had a busy day & went to a gas station & filled up my Van, I bought a lottery ticket. It was for the Saturday night draw & I was feeling lucky.
Sunday Morning, the night after the draw I took my year old Grandaughter for a walk while she slept & went to a convenience store where my Husband always bought lottery tickets for the lottery pool he runs for his co-workers.

I handed the owner of the Store, who knew me, my ticket & as the bells & whistles went off, he JUMPED UP & turned the window that shows you how much you have won towards himself & with a big grin said "OH YOU'VE WON". When he said $10 I just told him to put it towards another ticket.

BUT TO THIS DAY, I KNOW HE ROBBED ME OF OTHER WINNINGS, WE DON'T BUY LOTTERY TICKETS THERE ANY MORE. I EVEN WENT TO THE GAS STATION WHERE I BOUGHT MY TICKET TO ASK FOR THEIR HELP. I EVEN PHONED SAULT SAINT MARIE LOTTERY OFFICE. THEY WERE NOT NICE AT ALL & SAID IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL.
I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE INVESTIGATING THIS AS IT'S BEEN GOING ON A LONG TIME & I WAS PRE-OCCUPIED THAT SUNDAY MORNING THAT I WASN'T MORE CAREFUL.
I CAN SUPPLY YOU WITH MORE DETAILS IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION..THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE.

Fraud under the criminal code has a very broad meaning but those who have acted upon false pretences to pilfer the unwary or elderly and trusting of winning tickets have forgotten the essential about this law whereas by Deceit and Falsehood aqcuired thus said rightful items! And i say unto those who mock this journalistic investigation of integrity, Shame on you!

Under what conditon does the alarm go off when your lottery ticket is checked? It has been a while now, around 10years ago that I went into a convenience store in Edmonton and when my ticket was checked the bells went off on the machine. I was surprised and said, "whow what did I win the jackpot?" The person, who I had known for years, said "One sec, I had better check again". With that he said, "Yeah you won." He took my ticket and gave me money which was under $100.00.

People should come together and "launch a class action lawsuit" against OLGC. perhaps then they will take notice and be called accountable for their actions and misuse of power.

So the cover-up continues. I am really interested in seeing how this one will play out... especially with the cops involved...

Is this a re-run? What did this show add that the other one didn't say. Seems like they are short for stories to rehash this one.

I personally don't buy lottery tickets so I may not understand how it all works. But with all the technology that's out there today there must be a way to track who buys each ticket. Maybe tickets buyers should have to purchase a ticket buying number that will automatically show up on their receipt when they buy a ticket.

When I make a grocery purchase at the CO-OP the first thing they ask for is my membership number. This number shows up on my receipt along with all my purchases. I have they proof that I bought these items and so do they. Just an idea.

This is a wide spread problem that is happening to lotteries across the country. Today the Atlantic Lottery Corporation tried to scoop the fifth estate by announcing that they have determined that lottery retailers win 10 times more than average players. They made a sad attempt to separate lottery retailer wins from lottery retailer clerk wins to try to make the numbers look better but I don't buy it.

Thanks to your show you are forcing these lotteries to take steps to protect their customers instead of letting them sweep the facts under the carpet as been their habit in the past.

I think there is something funny going on with scratch tickets & the Lottery Corp isn't saying what. I have worked in a retail business for 7 years.

In the past 4 months Scratch tickets have been recalled from the Lottery Corp. The first was the green series of $4 Cash for Life, which made the OLG bump up the launch date of the new 7th Anniversary $4 Cash For Life tickets on sale now.

When I questioned the OLG while placing my lotto supply order, their explanation was all the top prizes where won. I asked if this was the case why didn't they recall the $5 Money Multiplier(all top prizes won) on sale now still, they said because it didn't fall into the large payout category of Cash for Life.

Recently this week the OLG recalled Super Bingo, now that makes their previous explanation false. Something is going on with scratch tickets & either someone in the lottery corp is involved or another retailer. But, the lottery corp knows where the winning batch of scratch tickets are sent & which retailer. Is there inside information?

Also,when a new lotto ticket is launched not every retailer gets these, it goes by order date (meaning it has to be launched the week or your order, which is bi-weekly) & by postal code. This does not make an even playing ground for retailers.

I think that if a retailer is suspected of frauding the consumer, then their lottery license should be suspended until the investigation is completed. Not all retailers are dishonest, but its the few bad apples that make it hard on the honest ones!

Why has there not been a Management change at the OLG? In the private sector, heads would roll. Why is access to their documents so secretive?

This is another example of the public, (the taxpayer owns this Corporation) being treated like idiots. Its time this Corporation become accountable to us the (shareholders), taxpayers. There is no excuse for the incompetance being displayed by OLC.

Yes, why ARE the drawings not conducted on TV, as they used to be? That's the question that remains with me after reading these comments. It's odd how that disappeared, and hardly anyone seems to have noticed. The price goes up to $2, we swallow it. The drawings are held behind closed doors, we swallow that. Why not just send them the money directly, and be done with it?

The best ideas here are to sign your ticket (of course) and to initiate a stub-based ticket. Nothing like hard evidence that never has to leave your hands.

The Loto needs to make a scan-machines for ticket holders.

I witnessed my girlfriend (the time) getting ripped off. It wasn't hard to figure out. Just hard to prove. This really shouldn't be concidered fraud, but should be called theft.

She cashed in a scratch & win Bingo ticket, that we though was worth $2, at a store she only visited a few times. They clerk scaned it & we all heard music. No one knew what it meant, we just thought it was a new system. When she was told that they couldn't cash it because it was worth too much, we both laughed. He had a puzzled look on his face. I'll never forget what happed next. He ask her how much she thought it was worth. Then gave her $2. while laughing said "Just joking! Haha! Got you!" We lefted puzzled & thougt he was some kind of sick practical joker.

After talking about it we called the Loto to find out why there was music. Well the operator said "That it happens only if your a big winner! In the thousands!"

We confronted the owner of the store but we were kicked out. We called the police & the loto, but were given the run around. It seems that no one wanted to investigate cause it would be too hard to prove.

Soon after that, the store was renivated then sold. Makes you wonder why? This kind of theft dose happen & it happens all the time! It's one of the oldest cons, next to pick pocketing.

I have one solution. Don't give the clerks the power to scan the tickets. With todays technology & privacy issues, can't the loto make a machine that only ticket holders use. Like an small ATM that spits out a coupon reads "Your a winner! Your prize is $000.00."

These clerks will lie, cheat & steal winning tickets from loto customers & keep doing it unless things change.
Keep up the good work on exposing the problem.
CZR.

I am flabbergasted that after all this nobody has been sacked at the Lottery Corporation.Much more energy goes into hiding matters than ensuring that public trust is not jeopardised.Before your story I wonder how many people (possibly including me) were swindled out of their winnings and who remains unaware of what hit them.It is time much more information about winners was given out in such a manner that the winners cannot be reached unscrupulous people but also the public is kept better informed.

This retailer scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. The entire corporation is corrupt. The fifth estate should investigate all the goings on at the OLG. Since our own politicians are too busy on the 4 month holiday, spending their 30% raise. At the very least the auditor general should be looking into the books of the OLG, like he did with hydro. Duncan Brown might make Tom Parkinson look like a choirboy.

These events at OLG should be changed considerably,ie,Mr Brown & all senior staff should be replaced.

I wrote a letter to OLG with no reply.For games such as 649,super seven,there is a simple solution.I am retired but have visited 126 countries during my career,the last 10 years in Australia.Europian countries and australia have you fill out info,Name,address,phone number and for $2.00 you receive a visa like card,which you use every time you purchase a ticket,which in turn is registered with respective state or country Lottery.

Even if you lose your lottery ticket,they send you a check for nominal amounts.I know I received two checks for $20.00 & $30.00,as I was away on business.I have never seen anything as blatantly crooked as the OLG,except maybe Hydro One recently and we the customer must pay for their errors.

Thank You,
Norm Spraggs

I am shocked at the arrogance of the OLG. Who the hell do they think they are? They admitted to wrongdoing perviously in the Bob Edmonds case. Now they treat the CBC news crew like criminals and escourt them away, then the chief realizes his fault and grants the interview.

I would say the public should vote with their feet and boycot the OLG. Don't buy any Lotto tickets. They are responsible to the public or whatever Government department that goeverns the gambling industry. They should be taught this.

This morning I watched the 3 a.m. reprise of the follow up Fifth Estate program to the initial November broadcast that brought to light apparent and seemingly widespread fraud perpetrated by certain thieving lottery retailers and/or their employees in Ontario.
I, too, believe I was scammed out of a big win on a winning Encore number by an unscrupulous lotto retailer in Thornhill; alas, it was years ago, and I have nothing to substantiate my claim, but the memory of it still stings after all this time.
It occurs to me that this problem could fairly easily be verified and assessed by a simple undercover/sting-type operation whereby an independent policing agency could have bogus or counterfeit "winning number" tickets provided them for a targetted lottery game and date with a large prize pool, eg, the Super 7. Agents would report to, say, 100 random (or suspect) lottery retail establishments across Ontario, on a designated date or time (say, noon) and try to verify or cash in the "ostensible", secretly marked or flagged winning ticket. If the lotto retailer declares the agent's ticket as a winner, then he/she is conducting him/herself in an honest manner. Otherwise, the clerk should be arrested on the spot, or later arrested for trying to cash in the "baited" ticket. This kind of operation could be conducted on a regular, but unannounced basis, to keep lotto retailers on their toes. This is no different, really, from 'secret shoppers' reporting on CSRs. It would be the lottery arena equivalent of the sportsworld's random urine-test.
I also strongly believe that guilty lottery retailers/retail outlets should be publicly identified or published, or that a website be set up, much like this comments page, where disgruntled lottery ticket purchasers can air their grievances and give fair-warning to others about unscrupulous retailers. Honest retailers, naturally, should have no objection to this kind of spot-checking.
And while I'm ranting, let me also say that I have refused to purchase Lotto 6/49 tickets since the institution of the new price and bonus number draw feature. I did play for a year, and noticed that I won less frequently than in years previous (playing always the same numbers), despite the claims that there would be more winners with the 2-numbers-plus-bonus-$5-win component. I don't have the intelligence to work out the probability of winning with the new format versus the old, but I WILL bet that, for your $2 ticket, your chances are much, much slimmer. Anyone want to confute that?
Thanks to the Fifth Estate for bringing this issue to the public forum, and please keep us updated with future follow ups.

After watching your report, about some retailers scamming lotto tickets I now take precautions. I now sign the back of all my tickets and foto copy the tickets so that I have proof, as well for scrach and win tickets. Now it may seem like a lot of work but I think its worth it. Thank you for your report.

No matter what security measures OLG and BCLC put in place, a clerk intent on stealing your ticket will find a way. It is impossible to supervise them all at all times. You can protect yourself by first of all signing the back of your ticket. Then check it yourself via the newspapers or the lottery website. That way you will know what to expect before handing it over.

It suprises me that people will hand over unsigned and unchecked tickets when so much is at stake. As buyers we have a duty to protect ourselves. The OLG can and should have done more, but can't do it all.

Thank you for your informative report on Lottery scandals . . . I sure wish I had seen this piece back in 1998 because I too lost my winnings to a clerk. I'm not sure of my winnings but it definitely was more than a ticket which the clerk said I won but changed the winnings after I questioned him on it . . . he said, oh right, you won $10 too. Pretty low prize for having all but one number correct!!

I was also very disgusted with Duncan Brown's attitude for a man serving a public company . . . time for a review!!

I'd really like to know what the rest of Canada's provinces are like. Would be another great follow up story.

Hi.
Gillian Findlay
I am very upset that when you went see the CEO Duncan Brown , his subordinate toss you out of the building with the help of their security claiming that building is a private property.
Is that building is private property?
Who pays the rent?
How much is the rent?
Are they private people or they hold public office?
Who pays their salaries?
Since when Mr. Brown is the CEO?
How come he has'nt read those documents?
Did he really goes to his office or most of the time vacation with pay?

Why you did not bring these topic to Mr Duncan Brown when you meet him?
They did this to you, imagine us, if any general public ask them any question they will call the RCMP and with their position and connection they will put that person behind the BAR.

I have question of my own:
Why the Lotteries(649, Supper 7) draws are not direct Tele-cast on TV. They show us the recorded version and at the end they said the results are "UNOFFICIAL"

I totally agree with everything Sarah has to say! I worked as a lotto retailer for about 5 years in total and I can say with 100% honesty that in that time, not even a THOUGHT of stealing someone's winning ever once crossed my mind. The same way I didn't/would never take money from a till - it isn't mine.

I think that as Sarah pointed out, there will always be dishonest lotto retailers, as there are in every other occupation. However, I think that maybe people are getting a bit paranoid and perhaps accusing innocent people of cheating them. This happened to me several times in my years working with lotto.

One incident stands out in my mind. I checked this woman's 649 ticket and it was NOT a winner. I laid the ticket on the counter along with the validation slip on the counter so she could take it. She told me to throw it away so I ripped in and tossed it. She went around the corner (this happened in a mall) and as she did I picked up a piece of paper (my schedule for my upcoming university courses) I was looking over BEFORE she came, folded it up and walked to the closet and put the schedule in my purse. 5 second later the woman was back in the store telling me she SAW me put her lottery ticket in her purse and demanded it back. I showed her it wasn't in my purse and tried to find it in the garbage (which is FULL of ripped tickets) but couldn't since she DIDN'T WRITE HER NAME ON IT. She probably thinks to this day that I cheated her, but I honest to god DID NOT nor did I/would I EVER.

In addition, there was always someone saying some snide little remark about that I was cheating them and if they won a million I'd just say they won nothing. To which I'd always reply "Do you think I could stand here with a straight face after I saw a validation slip for a million dollars?"

My advice to people who play the lottery:

*WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE BACK OF EVERY TICKET YOU BUY -- No one can claim a ticket that has your name, address, phone number etc on the back. Its the easiest was to avoid any problems with your ticket.

*CHECK YOUR OWN TICKETS -- Either check your numbers manually (as with 649) or use the ticket checker. Ticket checkers are just as accurate as the lotto terminal that prints your tickets. Remember, clerks are human too and can make honest mistakes while checking tickets, particularly if you have a large number to check at once, like 10+. So for everyone's sake, check your own dang tickets and just use the retailer to CONFIRM if you require it.

Just to show that sometimes the clerk is right and the customer is mistaken!

I just finished watching the program about the lottery problems in Ontario. The comissioner needs to get a big fat FRAUD pie in the face. Anyone with half a brain can see that. I feel so bad for the man that had the ticket stolen. If the retailer was truely the owner of the winning ticket why was she so willing to surrender $150,000 of it? I don't mean to sound greedy but if I was the rightful owner of a large lottery ticket and a total stranger claimed it was theres, I would not part with a single red cent to their claim. That has be the most blatant admission of guilt I have ever heard I almost gagged on the words that came out of her mouth. As far as the commissioner, I am going to choose to hold my tongue. Kudos however to the Fifth Estate for such excellent journalism. i have been watch it since it's very first showing.
Jacob Larsen

Can one of the people who have claimed to be retailers post the letters that make up the winning codes for the Ontario Instant win Tickets?

I have noticed that all retailers in my area require a signature when validating tickets. They also show all slips and tickets after verification. People need to look at the screens where it tells you what you've won, and speak up when they believe something is wrong. Do not let it go, ask for a manager or threaten with police if nothing is done. These people need to be stopped when these things happen not weeks or months later.

I think that OLG CEO Duncan Brown and OLG spoke person should do the honorable thing and resign their positions. What OLG has done with Mr. Edmonds is beyond comprehension: They forced an old and sick gentleman to come to Toronto several times to attend court, they put him under extreme stress and they showed no compassion at all. I don’t think the apology offered by OLG to Mr. Edmonds is enough. OLG should pay Mr. Edmonds double the amount of his winning just for his troubles and heartless treatment at the hand of the OLG.

Oh, lets not forget that OLG wasted $500.000,00 to fight a $250,000.00 lottery win in court, which by right – and they knew it since the beginning – belonged to Mr. Edmonds. Also lets not forget that the person who stole the winning ticket is free and still kept part of the winnings she has stolen. What the heck is going on here??? Is there a new Law in Ontario that says if you return some of the money you have stolen you can keep the rest and we’ll let you go???

OLG is a government corporation and I hope Premier Dalton McGuinty will act when the Ontario Ombudsman completes its investigation.. I’m a Liberal supporter but I won’t have any problem voting for the NDP if nothing is done to address the OLG fiasco.

Thank you!

After hearing about this story from customers so much i decided to find out what its all about. i am a lottery retailer and i have been for the past two years. After listening to all of this i have to say it is both of their fault that there was a fraudulant claim. OLG representatives should have known something when you can't answer a simple question like "where did you buy the ticket?" and it is the responsibility of any player to CHECK AND SIGN YOUR TICKET. the ticket is supposed to be signed when you buy it!! it isn't a new rule! to hear people complain that they have to do something as simple as writing their OWN NAME on a piece of paper is unbelieveable yet they will argue after the ticket has been validated and the validation slip is telling them what they have won they still choose to argue. and unfortunatley there are bad people in this world who steal.otherwise we wouldn't need law enforcement. and to say if there is one bad retailer it doesn't mean they are all bad. if you play and don't feel comfortable giving your ticket to someone to check it on a machine that CANNOT be wrong, SIGN YOUR TICKET AND CHECK THE NUMBERS FIRST. As for scratch tickets never follow the letters or the upside down triangles because as a retailer i don't even use those to tell if i've won. PLAY YOUR TICKET THOROUGHLY,AND FIND OUT IF YOU'VE WON FOR YOURSELF. THOSE LITTLE TRIANGLES ALSO APPEAR ON ANY TICKET WITH A PRIZE OVER $200. SO instead of arguing with someone who is only trying to do as they've been trained, SIGN THEM WHEN YOU BUY THEM (IF YOUR NAME IS ON THE TICKET IT IS YOURS AND ONLY YOURS) PLAY THE TICKET THROUGH (SCRATCH IT COMPLETELY OR CHECK YOUR NUMBERS) AND IF YOU THINK YOU'VE WON TAKE IT TO A RETAILER AND HAVE THEM CHECK IT. ASK ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU NEED TO AND ASK IT TO BE EXPLAINED TO YOU BEFORE YOU LEAVE, IF YOU STILL DON'T BELIEVE GET YOUR TICKET BACK AND PHONE THE NUMBER THAT IS PRINTED ON EVERY TICKET.

I was appalled of how OLC treats their customers. They are there to help the Canadian who support the OLC and
organizations with lottery ticket sales. Everyone who plays always wishes they can win the big one. The lottery commissions through out Canada should setup ticket check areas for all type of ticket holders and not relay on clerks.
I did have an incident where I personelly check a Super 7 ticket in which I won a small amount of money, but when given it to the clerk, the clerk did not read the winning ticket print out properly and did not mention my winnings. I had to instruct the clerk that I did win an amount.
I have noticed that some of the clerks who work the lottery machines do not seem to care. There should be very strick rules and training for these clerks from the Lottery Corporations.
One of my biggest issues is the amount of winners from the east, Ontarion and Quebec, on 649 and Super 7. The Lottery Corporation states that the numbers are random and the major sales of tickets are in the east, but looking at the winning lottery information from the MSN website, over the last 3 months, all of the winners have been either in Quebec or Ontario. Unless Ontario and Quebec buys 80-90% of the tickets, ramdon numbers drawn should be everywhere in Canada.
I hope that CBC Fifth Estate will still review this story on a continuous basis as shown by the OLC representatives, as it seems that the OLC does not to be bothered with these issues.

Hi, this has been going on for years! I can't prove it but I am quite sure I was ripped off by a clerk in a small strip mall on the corner of Gorge and Tillicum Rd. in Victoria in 1998. I also do not know how many times! I heard from someone in about 1999 that the man and his wife that had been running the shop had been caught doing this to someone that knew their ticket was a winner. I was winning quite a bit on KENO at the time, $400, $1500, $5000, and so on but never when I checked a ticket at this shop, which I though was odd because I was very consistant. What they were doing was well thought out. They had the lotto machine under the counter where it could not be seen by a customer and they had a pile of losing verification slips beside the machine so when they checked your ticket they would substitute a loser verification for the winning one and hand you that one instead! They would then cash the winner themselves! It was a husband and wife team covering both shifts and nobody knows how much they stole from customers or for how long but I'm pretty sure they got me for between $1500 and $5000 at least. I remember a startled look in his eyes one day when he checked one of my tickets and a bit of nervousness when I complained that it was not a winner, I'll never forget it. A look like that says to me it was likely $5000 - $20,000 and he ripped me off just like that because it never even occured to me that someone would do that sort of thing! I really hope the both of them ROT IN HELL but you know people like that don't have a conscience anyway. I am only one of hundreds or thousands! I never check a ticket anymore in any shop that does not have the machine and display in my full view as it's being verified! They are supposed to play a tune now if the ticket is a winner but I have noticed in some places that the volume is not audible. There's not a damn thing I can do about this but it really ticks me off just to think about it and I do not trust any lotto retailer at all anymore.

You have not even brought up the posibility of the OLC stealing or scaming. They seemed very closed door for a public company. I will never buy a lottery ticket again until I am satisfied of no dishonest doings at the top level execs. at the OLC!!!!
Mark,
Toronto

I hope that the 5th Estate will follow-up on several unanswered questions in the Bob Edmonds vs. OLGC scandal and about the OLGc in general.

1. Who at the OPP or who was prosecutor who decided to stay the charges against Phyllis LaPlante (& Scott LaPlante) and why? How is society served by this?

2. If I understand correctly Phyllis LaPlante returned $150,000 of the $250,000 she stoled. One does not have to pay taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency on lottery winnings, but the $100,000 Phyllis LaPlante did not return is not lottery winnings and therefore taxable.

Has Canada Revenue Agency been informed of Phyllis LaPlante? If yes, will the Canada Revenue Agency require Phyllis LaPlante pay taxes on the $100,000?

3. Who authorized spending $426,900 in legal fees to fight Bob Edmonds's case?

4. Who is the minister responsible for the OLGC? Why did the minister allow: A. the Edmonds settlement B. Phyllis LaPlante (& Scott LaPlante) to avoid prosecution?

An interview with this minister would interesting. Perhaps the minister could explain the
OLGC's deplorable conduct regarding Bob Edmonds and wasting $426,900. Given the OLGC's recent history, does the minister consider OLGC management competent?

6. Regarding Mr. Duncan Brown, what is his background/ qualifications for being the CEO of OLGC or is his job another patronage appointment gone wrong? (What a spineless individual.)

To the 5th Estate, I wish you all continued success. (Good hunting...)

Sincerely,
J. Sigurdson

I AM HAPPY MR. EDMOND RECEIVED WHAT WAS HIS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN HE WASN'T GIVEN HIS WINNINGS THAT HE DID NOT CALL POLICE IMMEDIATELY. SEEMS TO ME IF HE HAD THE TICKET WOULD HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO HIM AND ALL WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE.

YOUR COMMENTS RE RETAILERS WINNING IS AT FIRST STUNNING BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT RETAILERS MUST BUY MORE SCRATCH TICKETS THAN ANYONE ELSE.

I FEEL THE OLG HAS INTREGITY AND HAS TRIED IMPLEMENTING THE UTMOST SECURITY. THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF TIME ON THEIR HANDS AND ALL THEY DO IS TRY TO FINDS WAYS TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK. I AM CONFIDENT THAT OLG IS ON TOP OF THINGS AND WORKING TO SOLVE ANY FLAWS.

REMEMBER WE DONT LIVE IN PERFECT WORLD. I THINK IT IS A VERY SAD DAY WHEN THE FIFTH ESTATE FIND THESE PROBLEMS AND THEN BLAMES OLG NOT THE CROOKS. YOU SHOULD BE DOING ALL IN YOUR POWER TO PUT PEOPLE LIKE THE LADY WHO STOLE BOB'S TICKET IN JAIL.

It would be very interesting to see what the statistics would be for immediate family members of retailers claiming prizes. Could not imagine how it could be checked. Do not see how not letting retailers buy tickets could solve the problem - anyone who would cheat an elderly man out of his winnings would certainly get a family member to claim winnings......

I am presently a Saskatchewan resident,formerly of Ontario. In August, of 2004 and while visiting my children, in Toronto, I purchased a 649 lottory ticket for August 7, 2004 draw. On my way to the airport, on August 8, 2004, I passed by a gas station to check all my Ontario Lottory tickets, before going back, as I will not be able to have them checked in Saskatchewan.
The Lotto 649 August 7, 2004 draw ticket happened to be a winning one and the retailer told me that I had won $10.00 and paid me accordingly. When I came home, I realized that the retailer did not give me the validation slip of the winning ticket, but only gave me the ones for the tickets which did not win. I then, became very suspicious, simply because the machine played a LOUD WINNING TUNE, which I never heard, whenever I had a winning ticket scanned, in Saskatchewan .and thought that maybe Ontario have a different system. I complained to the OLGC,but did not try to help me.
Did my ticket win more than $10.00 dollars? Will I be able to find out without having the ticket?
For your knowledge, I have documented all the information pertaining to the ticket as to where, when and what time the ticket was purchased and the place it was validated at.
OLGC must have some kind of a questionere(when, where and how) addressed to all those claiming their winnings before they pay them.
I would appreciate if you will be able to help me put my mind, at ease.
Thank you,
Norma

I was please with CBC fith Estate to take on such a story. It is about time OLG is held accountable for public money. What the OLG did not consider was it is the public that supports the lottery with out the public there would not be a OLG. My question is why was phyllis (does not deserve capitals)not charged to with grand theft over 5000.00 she stoled from me the public I paid into the lottery in 2001 and she walked away with my money. If it was a drug dealer or a bank robber would he not get time served? I feel ontario let the public down by letting a lottery rapist get a way with rape then blamed the victim. SHAME SHAME on the OLG I now think twice about the lottery since the start of this story. I haven't purchased a ticket in months seeing that they are not going to pay the right full owners. OLG should not allow retailers to play just like in casino's the floor attands can not play what is the differance?

I do commend you for your report on the OLGC. As a retailer, I have always believed that customers should sign the back of their tickets to ensure that they claim all of thier winnings. Unfortunately, not all retailers (just like human beings in general) are honest. Your report has forced the OLGC to review its security procedures and enforce new measures that protect both the customer and the retailer.
However, I do have a few issues with your reports. First, not all retailers are dishonest. Exactly what is the percentage of retailers who have stolen winnings from their customers? Is it the 10% of winners (who were retailers)? I do not believe that it is not fair to group all retailers with the bad apples. As a result of your report, I have customers who now second guess my honesty. . . even with the new measures in place. Your reports did not make any distinction between retailers and it did not acknowledge that not all retailers scam their customers.
The second issue that I would like to address is something that may be upsetting to some of your viewers. NOT all customers are correct about their claims! In one instance, I had a customer who was adament that he won $1000 on the ENCORE. His numbers were right but he did not pay the extra doller to play the encore. He was an older gentleman who did not speak very good English which made it difficult to explain to him that he did not play Encore. He still insists that he won and that I had stolen the money from him. He did file a formal complaint with the OLGC. Nothing came from it because he did not win!! Some of these complaints that your report mentioned could be of the same nature of this inaccurate claim.
What really inspired this comment was an irate customer that I served just today. She is an older lady who seemed to be really confused about her tickets and unfortunately may not have the greatest memory. She accused a fellow employee of scamming her. She said that she came to the store yesterday to claim her winnings but was not paid. However, my co-employee has not seen her in a month! She said the amount that should have been paid to her equalled the amount that she paid for the tickets. Her tickets were dated for draws over a month ago. I told her to sign her tickets and I would validate them to show her whether she won or not. All four tickets proved to be "not found in winner's file." I handed the receipts and tickets back to her but she insisted that she won! She did have a winning instant ticket for $3 but I refused to cash it in with the fear that she would later say that I stole that! I handed all of the tickets back to her and proceeded to call the OLGC with the customer's concern. She refused to stay and talk to an OLGC representative on the telephone. She insisted that she would bring her daughter in to straighten out the situation. I did proceed to tell the OLGC representative about the complaint. I do view her complaint as a direct result of your failure to differentiate dishonest retailers from honest ones. Although there are many positive results from your series, there have also been many negative ones.

Fifth Estate: Good job. There is a lingering question - in the case of Bob Edmonds, why was the clerk allowed to keep a significatn portion of a 'winning ticket' - if in fact it was agreed that it was in fact Bob's ticket?

And a solution: Have a double sided screen - one visible to the clerk and one which faces the customer, who can see the same screen.

THERE IS ANOTHER SCAM THAT GOES ON WITH THE "PULL OPEN" DOLLAR TICKETS. I KNOW SOMEONE WHO USED TO BE A CASHIER AT A LOTTERY TERMINAL AND SHE SAID THAT SEEING THAT THE TICKETS HAVE TO BE CASHED IMMEDIATELY AND THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE MAJOR WINNER ($100) PER PACKAGE OF TICKETS. SHE KNEW WHAT CONTAINERS HAD WINNERS ALREADY IN THEM AND WHAT ONES DID NOT! SO WHEN CUSTOMERS CAME IN TO BUY THE TICKETS, IF SHE KNEW THEM AND/OR IF THEY WOULD TIP HER, SHE WOULD GET THEM TO PICK OUT OF THE CONTAINER WITH WINNERS IN IT. IF SHE DID NOT KNOW THEM, SHE WOULD LET THEM PICK OUT OF THE CONTAINER WITH ALL THE WINNERS GONE. SHE SAID IT WAS PROFITABLE FOR HER AND HER FRIENDS AND "REGULAR PEOPLE" WOULD LIKELY NOT GET THE MAJOR PRIZE.

I am from England and our Lottery has been running now for around 8 or 9 years. Whilst not flawless it is a hell of a lot more open and accessible to public scruitany than this OLG fiasco has proven to be. I find this whole issue bewildering from a number of points. Firstly and probably more importantly is the attitude of the OLG corporation itself. As a publicly funded and publicly scrutinised organisation its management have and continue to commit Fraud against the people of Ontario. This is not a politician making rash promises but a Public company cooking the books and fudging the truth to protect what is essentially a shambolic system. Does ENRON, WORLDCOM not ring any bells with the people of Canada.
Secondly, the Management has admitted privately that it has problems with its security thast admission has now become public. Yet not one member of this organisation is without a job as a result. Why is that. To lie is one thing to be found out is inexcusable, and an instant dismissal of the CEO and head of Security is the least that should be demanded by the Premier of the province. Its his head otherwise come election time. Clean house and then restore the credibility of the system.
Thirdly prevent any person liable for ticket sales or promotions associated with the lottery from playing. That instantly removes the source of the problem. Read any small print from any company driven competition anywhere and that is almost universally the first item on the conditions of entry.
So wake up people of Ontario and beyond. Make noise and make these organisations that act in the good name of your province act with integrity or fire their lying hides back to the stone age which is where they belong.

Great series. Nice to see the CBC tackle an issue that resonates with the average person. Ideas for another investigation? How about the Financial Services Industry and government complicity in scams like the Labour Sponsored Mutual Fund etc.

Okay then, I won $80. at Oakridge once on a 6/49; and got the cash with NO RECEIPT. They stated there's no receipt issued with a dollar amount on it. I complained bitterly to the BCLC and was told that, "there are no receipts issued with a dollar amount on it; only NOT A WINNER receipts are issued"..

So obviously the Clerks are acting on behalf of the BCLC. I'VE BEEN RIPPED OFF.

*Maybe add this to clarify to my previous note.

Please someone from The Fifth Estate look at the winners page for SportsAction from BCLC...it seems some people are much luckier than others!! But to win over $60 000, over two days, on 8 separate winning tickets?!?! It is curious to say the least!

Mail sent to BCLC on May 11th, 2006.

Tuesday May 9th at approximately 1pm I went to cash in winning tickets at the Landsdowne mall in Richmond, BC.

Unscrupulous mall clerk at a small cigarette (mostly) store at Lansdowne tried to
swindle me out of some of my lotto winnings when I brought those ticket in to cash out.
I had 8 tickets which had some free wins and $40.00 cash spread out through the tickets.

Prior to going to this outlet to cash in the winners I had scanned the winners/losers out and then hand checked those that were scanned as winners. This way I knew exactly how much I had won on each ticket. The numbers that matched the drawn numbers were circled in blue ink on each ticket and beside each line that won I wrote the winning amount beside it. Also, prior to the draws I had scanned the tickets into a jpeg image and dispersed copies to the group pool I organize at my workplace. I tried to meter the handing over of the tickets to her so that I could mark on the won freebies and tickets bought with the cash won but she insisted that I hand the whole works for some reason. I agreed to because I decided I could sort out the winnings from my scanned jpeg copies.

I gave the works to her and she scanned them. As she scanned the first few tickets one won $10 as I watched the LCD and I asked her give me a quick pick worth $10 on 6/49 for that win which she did. She scanned out the rest and then handed me $10.00 cash along with the freebies won. She said I was done and that I had won $20.00 cash plus free plays. I said “no you’ve made a mistake, you owe me $40.00 cash not $20” and I turned to look at the LCD which had the listing of the tickets scanned but she had already cleared the screen. I asked "why did you clear that screen?". She pursed her lips closed and just stared at me and said "what do you want? You won $20 and some free tickets, I’m very busy".

I laughed because I thought she was joking and told her that she’s made a mistake because I know exactly how much my tickets had won and it was not $20 cash only and 4 free plays, it was $40 and 4 free plays. She once again said “No, you are wrong, you only won $20 and I have already paid you.

I asked her for all the tickets plus the validation printouts to match them up plus place the paid out amounts with the associated ticket/validations. She reluctantly gave me the tickets, and as I sorted them on the counter she saw I was almost to the point where I had the evidence she said "please take this outside, I have other customers" to which I replied "I'm a customer also, have just as much right to be here and you haven't finished
with me, I'm not moving till I’m done with this". It was around this time that other customers began trickling in, buying pop, papers etc.

Once I got them all sorted out I pointed out that she had paid out for all but two tickets which showed right on the tickets numbers circled and the amount won beside them. She said "those aren't your tickets". I said "I have photocopies and so do 30 other people in my pool, they are my tickets!".

She then said "I already paid you for them". I said my hands have not left the top of this counter and neither has any of the tickets and cash won, you have not paid me the full amount owing to me from those cash winning tickets. She was trying every excuse, rebuttal in the book to get me to give up but I stuck to it because she was blatantly trying to rob me of the cash winnings I had coming..

Eventually she the took the tickets and rescanned them but they said "already validated". She said “that’s strange, they’ve already been validated”. I said “duhhhh, YOU scanned them a few minutes ago, its no wonder”. She then reluctantly paid me the $20.00 and as she handed the remaining cash owed to me she said feebly “I’m sorry, it was so very busy, I got distracted”. I said “I was the only person in here right up to the point where you finally gave me back my tickets in order to organize them so that I could prove my point”.

Although I still had to buy carryover tickets with the winning cash, I gathered up my tickets, cash and walked as I no longer trusted this person behind the counter.

The remaining portion of this is what was added when I sent a letter to complain to the BCLC about this.

I hope someone can do an integrity check of this person working behind this counter because she is not the type of person I would ever want to deal with when it comes to getting lotto tickets checked and properly paid out.

What happens when someone less organized comes in and hands over a wad of tickets and leaving the amount paid out to her discretion? Or, some elderly person comes in and, once again is unaware of how much they may be in line to win with their tickets only to be either told it did not win or, not paid their full amount due? From her feeble attempts at rebuffing me in my attempts to argue the point, she is practiced at her trade. She must be stopped.

Please respond on how this is handled because I need to know if there is a system in place to catch these unscrupulous lotto checkers and to weed them out.

On May 25th, BCLC responded with this Email

Hello Patrick,

British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has received your email regarding your experience at a lottery retailer. We thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.

As an agent of the Crown, reporting to B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, we can assure you that the integrity of all BCLC lottery games and our retailers is paramount.

BCLC regional and territory managers visit our retail locations on a regular basis to review customer service with owners and clerks. Your concerns have been forwarded to the territory manager, who will go over the policy and procedures. An investigation with our security department was also completed.

We hope you will notice an improvement in the level of service when you visit these retailers in the future.

Thank you again for bringing your concerns to our attention. This is one of the ways we can improve upon retailer customer service.

Consumer Services

Approximately 4 years ago, my father purchased 2 lottery tickets during a 3 week stay in hospital. After having checked BOTH tickets against the numbers listed for that weeks draw from the television AS WELL AS from the newspaper, he was convinced that the first ticket was a $10 winner and the second a $40 winner! That same week my mother purchased a ticket for the same lottery and upon checking using the SAME numbers from the television and newspaper, believed to have a $10 winner as well. Just before leaving the hospital that night, my mother and I stopped at the HOSPITAL drug store to cash in what we believed to be winning tickets only to be told by the cashier that they in fact were NOT winners! After arriving home we called my father at the hospital to inform him what happened and he was irate! He suggested that we hold on to the tickets and have them checked at our local drug store the next day which we did, using the OFFICIAL OLGC winning numbers book and again the numbers did NOT match. We left but my mother had a feeling that something was NOT right since, even though the weekly numbers from the newspaper AND the television state "unofficial numbers" they are nearly always the CORRECT numbers!
Slightly more than 6 MONTHS LATER my father asked my mother if she happened to still have those tickets and since she did, he thought he would get them checked AGAIN to see what would happen. He took them to our local drug store and was amazed to find that those EXACT SAME TICKETS from 6 months prior which registered as NON WINNERS at that time, were now coming up as OFFICIAL WINNERS-ALL 3 OF THEM-the 2 $10 winners AND the $40 dollar winner!!! I shudder to think how many have been swindled in the same manner!

ON JULY 29TH 2006 I HAD A 6/49 LOTTO TICKET WITH THE NUMBERS 15,17,27,28,40,42,AND 15,17,27,28,40,45 WITH ENCORE WHICH IS GENERATED ELECTRONICALLY. I TOOK THIS TICKET TO STORE WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT AND THE BELLS WENT OFF,BUT THE MALE OWNER SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AND WENT ON WITH NEXT CUSTOMER, LEAVING ME DUMBFOUNDED. IN THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER I HAD FOUND OUT THAT THE STORE OWENERS WON A MILION DOLLARS ON THIS DATE AND THAT REASON FOR DELAY OF ANNOUNCING THIS WAS DUE TO THE INVESTAGATION BY THE OLGC.

ON NOVEMBER 2, 2006 I SENT A LETTER TO THE OLGC REQUESTING THEY SEND ME A COPY OF THE NUMBERS THAT WERE ON THE WINNING ENCORE TICKET. AS OF TODAY, NOVEMBER 26, I HAVE HAD NO RESPONSE. TO TO

Wow, I get the feeling the store clerk above must have ripped someone off and now feels the guilt!

After seeing the documentary I had a flash back to a few years ago when I went to check a lotto ticket and the machine went off and rung a few times (I had won something). Being new to the whole game, I didn't know what that meant.....The clerk told me I won a new ticket and that was it but wouldn't show me the screen! After I left I never felt 100% about how it all went down. She very well could have been honest, but I definitely wasn't reassured and will in the future OVER compensate and sign all my tickets, get them checked 1 by 1, and ask to see the screen!
Either that, or go back to my old ways of not even bothering with any of this!

After watching this evening's Fifth Estate, I am extremely appalled at the attitude of the OLG, in particular the CEO (don't recall his name). Instead of admitting to a problem and trying to resolve it, the OLG is trying to cover it up. Makes you wonder how far up the scamming goes.

Why is it that the Ontario Government hasn't yet seen fit to get rid of the current board and replace them with a clean-up crew, that would put in place measures to ensure that the public cannot be so easily ripped off by an organization where trust is paramount.

I for one will not buy another lottery ticket until some visible action is taken and their is more transparency in this publicly funded lottery corporation.

Thanks Fifth Estate for bringing this to light.

I find it ironic listening to the woman who supposedly stole from a gentleman whose ticket she cashed. I volunteer at a federal prison. I see women on the inside who have committed fraud for far lesser amounts than she supposedly stole. This woman should be prosecuted and serving time, on the inside of a federal prison, that means more than two years. Justice needs to be served here. Where are the police in this matter.

The response of the OLG to these allegations was a disgrace. I have run public companies, government agencies and quasi-government agencies. I have never encountered such an inept performance of open accountability and corporate governence than that displayed by the CEO and his senior staff in the face of these, very significant, concerns.
What is the Board of the OLG about? Each one of them has a responsibility, and personal accountability, for openess, corporate accountability and ethical open corporate governance. Somebody on the Board is asleep at the switch. The corporate culture of OLG clearly needs a major change, I would suggest.

Thank you everyone for validating my grandmothers horrifying experience. These stories are unbelievable and shocking, yet ring true.

Over 10 years ago, my Grandmother and Grandfather had a BC49 ticket which they both checked and double checked when they saw that they had 5 correct numbers AND the bonus number. Now, with BC49 that is worth $50,000. They bought only BC49 at the same Safeway retailer on Broadway Street in Vancouver. My Gran was very excited and went to the retailer to claim her prize and when she showed the woman who ran the booth, the woman told her to wait a minute. She ran to the back of the Safeway and returned about 15 minutes later. She told my Grandmother that she was mistaken, that she only had 4 correct numbers and payed her approximately 80 or 90 dollars. Well, that is not a prize that is given with BC49 but 649. My Grandmother was shocked but didn't know what to say and second guessed herself. When she told my what had happened, I was outraged. I called the BC Lottery Corp and asked them to investigate whether or not that particular outlet had sold a winner during that time period. The investigator was very evasive and never really followed up to my satisfaction, so there wasn't much I could do. But I've never forgotten....

The woman from the store, who stole my Grandma's ticket, had suddenly left for vacation a couple of weeks after the incident and was coming to work in a wonderful new wardrobe and suntan. My Gran was mortified and quite upset. She has since passed away and her winnings would have done alot for her and her husband. I am going to try to find my notes from that time period and have this re-opened. I am so glad that this has come to light because this type of crime is obsene. Stealing from innocent, everyday people and something has to be done to stop it!

The APPEARANCE of trust?

Listen carefully to what the the lotto corp said about being trusted.. What they are committed to is being SEEN to be trustable... Nowhere in their statement (at least, not in the part that you published) did they say that they had a committment to ACTUAL security, fairness and trustability.

I am so absolutely happy that you have brought this awful situation to the eyes and ears of the WHOLE COUNTRY! How can such a thing happen? What kind of people run the OLG??? Sound like heartless people if you ask me! Thank goodness we have FIFTH ESTATE!!!
Keep up the excellent investigative reporting that you do so well.

As a retailer, I have questionned on many occasions why any of us retailers are allowed to play the lottery. Of course it would cut out a lot of peopel from playing, but if you ever enter a contest at any organisation it is clearly marked in the rules and regulations that any person affiliated with that company is prohibited to play or win. This should apply to retailers. The OLG does this already with their slots at racetracks and charity casinos. The employees are not allowed to play at any other site in Ontario that is run by the OLG.

The reason behind that...suspiscious customers seeing employees win, I would feel the same way.

The OLG is not to blame in this case its the retailers not following the regulations.
They are suposed to scan your ticket before ever giving you a prize amount.
THis has been a habit of many clerks because people come in with stacks of tickets and they just want to get them out fast. However this is not protocol.
if you always sign your ticket you would never have to question if the ticket the lottery clerk cashed in was yours

a great show -- very helpful to the millions of us who play the lotto

thanks

About 8 years ago I had won a 4 out of 6 nos. plus bonus on the 649 in Calgary. With this pre-knowledge I went into the Sunridge Mall to collect at the main lottery kiosk in the mall. The young lady (in her late 20's) told me that I had won $ 38.00, and ventured to pay me. I insisted on seeing the pay-out stub. She gave it to me and the winning amount was $ 78.00 !
I reported the matter to the WCLC on their toll free #. "Oh yeah, we will look into this" was the response. Needless to say that employee was still working at the same site quite a while after this incident.
It is my belief that WCLC is complicit (by their negligence) in perpetuating this type of fraud over the public.

I am Bob Edmonds' lawyer.

Most people don't reallize that the OLGC has a long set of rules that apply to each lottery game. Retailers are supposed to have a copy of the rules for each game available should a consumer request them, but consumers never do because they don't know about them.

I don't know if this is still true, but as of when Bob's trial took place the rules provided that the only "official" way for a consumer to check their ticket was to either check it through a retailer (by handing over the ticket) or by taking it to the OLGC's prize office in Toronto to have it checked there. Checking over the internet or through the newspaper or via T.V. reports didn't count as far as the OLGC was concerned.

There won't be self check terminals or any other of the innovations suggested here until the OLGC changes the rules of each game to allow them......

Thank you for doing the piece on the OLGC. I truly believe these situations are continuing, but due to your program, perhaps we can minimize this and possibly put it to a stop. Personally, a similar situation happened to my uncle in Ontario, once he realized what happened he challenged it and brought it to court where he won. It disturbs me that people take advantage of others, especially the elderly and I was VERY proud of this man to have taken the steps he did.

It was also a good reminder to all of us playing to be more prudent on how we handle our tickets. Sign, sign, sign.

I have always checked my own tickets for years,
But in 1998, in hamilton i was going home from work and decided to stop in a store on parkdale avenue and get a coffee, right beside the store from tim hortons.at the same time i could check tickets i had for 649 that i had not checked myself.
I heard the machine bells ring..and the chinese clerk ,
was taking a little too long to check my tickets.. and she came to the desk with a non winner slip ..
i have all my tickets dating back to 1991...i eventually throw them out.
when i asked the clerk for my tickets back..
she shrugged and told me they were in the wastepaper basket.
i asked for them back again .
she spoke in chinese and shrugged her shoulders again .
I was very angry because i was sure i heard the machine go off.
I ended up leaving the store without my tickets ..because i knew they were not in the wastepaper basket.
I always wanted to call the lottery corperation and check if any clerk had won a prize from that store.
After watching the lottery story on the news...i was certain ...that the store retailer or a relative ... did collect a big prize from that store.
And it was my ticket.
Me and my family could have used that money to pay off some of our debt,buy a house
Somehow i have always had a gut feeling that i was robbed in hamilton .

Over the many years that I purchased lottery tickets only one merchant tried to cheat me out of $ 10.00. In that particular incident I gave the opportunity to the merchant by commenting that I suspected none had any winnings on it and that I couldn't read the validations without my reading glasses. I took all tickets and validations with me after the merchant tried to retrieve them from the counter. Indeed one was a winner. The worse was that the next day I presented my winning ticket and the validation to a clerk of that same kiosk. Both were signed and I had my passport with me for identification.

Payment was refused because "they had no proof it was I who had presented that ticket the day earlier". This all happened in November of this year after this can of worms was opened in the media. I am still waiting for my $ 10.00 from the lottery commission in Winnipeg.

Shado S from Toronto hits it right on the spot.
Seniors, the disabled, watch out!!

Most people are more than honnest, lets keep that in mind. I do however have a few questions about the advantage of signing tickets. What is stopping a merchant from taking a signed ticket and tell the winner it is a blanc draw and cash it in anyway? Should we as "winners" not sign both the ticket and the validation?

Having said this I also would like to draw attention to conducting initial validations via the internet. Every single anti-virus software I used placed the lottery sites and alert, if not banning access. "Are you sure you want to grant permission" is common.

Perhaps the lottery sites should be made void of add, spy pop-up and whatever invasive ware they have so we as consumers can conduct an initial verification before going to the store. I must add however that there was a time I did "give permission" and many times concluded, initially, I had won nothing. Often this was not the case.

I most certainly prefer not presenting myself at a merchant with a large winning ticket. It has to be mailed anyway before pay-out and I would like to reach my home before the entire neigbourhood finds out that "Paul won big". Back to the newspapers I guess.

Any suggestions?

As far as the Fifth Estate goes, the programme was excellent in every aspect. "Congrets".

Paul
Edmonton

This exposure of lottery corruption was the Fifth Estate and CBC at it's best. The arrogance of OLG staff and the CEO shows how power goes to the heads of small people. The OLG can be assured that when I am travelling through Ontario I will not be purchasing any lottery tickets.

In 1997, I purchased a 6/49 ticket at a local store at a major Ontario grocery chain. At that time the machines were the old blue models without a screen to verify the results. The machine beeped once when I asked the woamn to check the ticket. After that, she became excited and quickly turned to me exclaiming, "No, this is about something else." However, she did not return the ticket, as I requested. About two weeks later I learned that clerk had quit her job and bought a house. I phoned Ontario Lottery and Gaming but they excoriated me for my temerity to bother them and directed me to that particular company's head office in Toronto (who re-directed me to contact OLG). But, I guess if I did not write my name and address on the back of my ticket that I asked for trouble.

Watched The Fifth Estate Nov 24th 2006 and was shocked!
The Lottery Public Relations person probably undid any respect or trust present. He was aggressive, rude and later proven to have lied about CEO Mr.Brown's availability.
My impression from media information and noting local 'big'wins by ticket sellers over the years, is that Ontario Lottery Corporation needs a complete personnel fumigation.
Is one able to obtain a name and location of all past
over $250,000 winners?
We now photocopy, sign, keep validation slips of tickets.
Thank you Mr. Edmonds and Fifth Estate
Margo

You know, if you're spending on 6/49 or the Super7; you need to "know what you're really paying for?!"

With the Stoopid7 &/or 6/49 the PROBLEM is that they "refuse to actually issue a RECEIPT when giving you your winnings; you have noo idea or recourse what the actual winning amount really IS or should've been." They will only give you NOT A WINNER receipt. I've been in big email fights about it with the Lotto Corp. in the past; that I wanted a receipt that stated my winning amount. But they say, "oh, that's FINE. Period. WTF?! I think that they're clawing it back; why accuse the clerks for a system like that?! OMG..

These RICH corps think that they can just RIP OFF THE PUBLIC & completely disregard them.. I've definitely spent a few thousand in my lifetime; and have probably won a total of less than $100.. WHO CARES?! Especially when they can give out "free tickets with no Extra" .. TBD.. ~:)

Don't forget that there's "no acountability" on where that money goes either.. At least with Dream Home tickets you know that they're actually going to a charity afterwards too. BUYER BEWARE ~ BEWARE OF WHO YOU'RE PAYING, SUPPORTING, AND GIVING AWAY THE POWER TOO.

About 5 years ago, I lived in oakville,(Bronte)went to my regular corner store to have my 6-49 tickets checked, I had 3 of them, and during the process, I heard the bell ring, and as the clerk had finished checking my tickets, she told me that there were no winners, I then questioned her regarding the sound, indicating a winner, she became irate, and started to argue with me. I requested to view the receicts she had received from the terminal, and it showed I had won $ 20.00,which I demanded to be payed.Honestly I was stunned by here attitude towards me.
The following day I did contact OLC regarding this, and a gentleman assured me that it would be looked into, but never heard anything again from them. My reason for calling to report this was the simple fact to stop the clerk from ripping people off

WOW, JUST HOW STUPID DOES the previous poster think WE are? This anonymous "Statistican"(sic) who by day disguises him/herself as a "store clerk" tells us he/her can prove 1 = 2! He/her doesn't mention that to do so, he/her needs to provide a flawed proof. Well, enough about him/her.

It is very sad that we must rely upon CBC investigative reporters to find the rampant corruption in the lottery system. Although it isn't surprising a service that used to be illegal and run by underworld crime syndicates is still full of crooks and liars, it does make one realize how easy it is to be cheated by government run services. You'd think with the level of salaries the upper ranks in these crown corporations receive, that they could at least do their jobs and protect the public from petty thieves, but I suspect they themselves have something bigger to hide.

And, if we think the rest of government, which has a less distinct paper trail and less regulation isn't robbing us blind, then we ARE fools.

Thank you, CBC, for trying to keep our politicians clean. Its a pretty thankless job that probably puts your very funding in jeopardy, but this type of reporting will never be covered by private media, so I can only hope you are able to continue your efforts. I'm sure we are all better for your being there.

Thanks for opening our eyes to the Lottery scandals.
It would seem that the head of OLGC has not got a clue what is going on right under his nose.
It will be interesting to know what he says if he gets back to you.

Congratulations to the Fifth estate. You have just validated what I thought happened to me
Some time agao at a gas station north of Nanaimo, I gave a ticket to a clerk to validate it. The counter was high, but I saw the clerk give a look of happy surprise when she put the ticket in, then quickly cover it up and give me a "not a winner" ticket... from where I stood I could not see what happened, only the expression on her face, and I felt sure I had been scammed.... but then you feel a little silly or paranoid and try to forget it or think "no she wouln't do that". I am shocked that this has happened so many times to others, and even though I have no way of proving it, even before your expose, I have not been back to that garage. Keep up the good work!

Well done Fifth Estate / CBC,congratulations for a neat story. A psychological hypothesis based on the story would be like this.
Mr.Brown must have similar personality traits as the ex ENRON ceo. He is fully aware of all these criminal atrocities at the OLG. This must be an organised game/crime carefully orchestrated and covering all potential 'leaks'. Mr.Brown was seen uneasy, blushing and tremulous at the interview; clearly trying to cover up his 'internal shake'. Polygraphy test would have shown a clean positive.
I can't believe this could happen in a country widely considered as one of the most trusted nations on this globe ! All Canadians must be disgusted by the cheap mafia-style approach of the OLG towards the CBC crew. Solution ?
Freeze the accounts and assets of all the managers including the CEO and investigate both through OPP and a competent private investigator. Publicly disclose all the assets of these 'government servants' through Fifth Estate itself if possible. Also the qualifications and experiences of each of these high income pocketers. Punish the criminals appropriately without bail.
We need more of Bobs to pursue this case to its closure.
The idea of granting immunity to anyone who would disclose the criminal cover up is attractive. However the long standing nature of this money-minting game would have already enticed each one of them into this criminal game. If any honest one were to be present,he/she must have resigned or already fired !
Sounds like Canada is a third world country patronising the wicked and terrorising hooligans comparable to the most corrupt nations ! Shame on the criminal jusice system. Mr.Harper should feel ashamed of this being left uninvestigated.
Please follow through this .

How much the lottery corporation pay to retailers?...Nothing!!!!
How big is the Lottery Corporation emploees paycheck?Ridiculous big...scandalous....anfair!!!
Since the relation Lottery Corporation-Small working class owned retail industry was unfair and mafia-like conditions,I'm no surprised some go twisted on their desperate need to cover the expenses involved like telephone line,investment,insurance,counter space and free labour, loking after the worst chip no profitable customers as is the lottery tiket buyer.
I say free labor because we put hours of work,pay for tikets with our own or borrowed money,deal with expensive insurance and power bills for a paltry 2%"comission"as long the winning don't excede 1000 dollars and is paid with our own cash .
Why you don't report the other side of the story and quit portraing us,small independent retailers,as thieves and delincuents when our job actually is tax collectors for free.
Why I don't give you my name?Because I know waht I'm talking about and unleast you guarante me to be treated fairly I prefer that way.
I'm ready to go public if needed,but by now I hope you listen to the litle guy too.

My partner and I operate a lottery kiosk.We enjoy the interaction with customers daily and operate our kiosk in a friendly,open and honest manner. I feel it is wrong to paint all retailers/clerks with the same brush. There are dishonest people in EVERY walk of life including govt,plumbers,doctors,taxi drivers - you name it - just about everywhere. Unfortunately we just need to weed out the "bad apples"
Here we have electronic ticket checkers and put out the winning numbers for all to see. The local paper is wrong about 3 times a month with numbers, so don't blame the retailer for that. Use these methods for self-checking before you have your ticket validated, and always sign your ticket.
When someone presents a ticket to us that they THINK is a winning number, but it turns out it is not, we always check and explain WHY it is not a winner. (For instance, the Extra may not be ENTERED, or they may have checked using the wrong set of numbers, or wrong date.We have always made a practice of giving the validation slip to the customer immediately so they could see what we see coming from the terminal.
Not letting retailers or clerks buy lottery tickets wouldn't solve a thing. It might be different if they had some control over the numbers that are drawn - but they don't. The same with scratch tickets - we cannot tell a winner unless it is scratched because there are 4 numbers under the latex that need to be entered BESIDES the barcode. We also should have the same right as anyone else to buy into the "Lotto dream".
The customer needs to take some resposibility in this as well - would you hand over your wallet to a grocery clerk or gas station attendant and ask them to take out the right amount of money? Of course not!
I agree the crooked clerks/retailers need to be weeded out. And fast!
Lotteries give a lot of money to good causes in this province and I would hate to see these needy groups losing out.
I'm sorry this was so long, but I felt the need to stand up for the many, many hardworking, honest retailers and clerks.

I saw your story tonight and have another question, why isn't the OLG doing anyting to enforce people under the age of 18 not to sell lottery tickets. It is illegal in Ontario for anyone under the age of 18 to buy a ticket, however I've been to many stores where the sales clerk is under the age of 18 selling lotto tickets to the general public, what kind of legitimacy is that !!!!

This is the letter I sent to the western Canada Lottery Commission. To dat I have received no sign of action from the organization. How many small winnings did I get "jipped" for? I'll never know. From now on I'll take my tickets and validations home.

Paul Doff

Edmonton AB

Edmonton, 14th November 2006.

Western Canada Lottery Corporation.
10th Floor, 125 Garry Street.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 4J1

Re: Validated Lotto 6/49 ticket 41-8924-1540748-544-00
Incident report.
Distributor: Sheffield Express; Londonderry Mall Edmonton, AB.

Dear Sir or Madam,

The enclosed ticket was presented to said merchant on Fri. 10Nov06 together with a Western Lotto 6/49. The merchant took advantage of my statement that I couldn’t read the ticket validations without my reading glasses. She tried to take both back and never gave an indication that this particular ticket held a $ 10.00 value.

The next day, Sat. 11Nov06 I returned to the same distributor presenting both tickets and was refused payment by an employee under the instructions of the same woman via telephone. The woman identified herself over the phone as “Donna” but refused to disclose her full name. She maintained she had no “recollection” of me and that she was not willing to pay this ticket out. I never reached the point of presenting my passport as identification to the employee.

This person was given the opportunity to grab the $ 10.00 for herself as she did try to take both validations back. I t is my suggestion you observe this merchant carefully.

Yours truly,

Paul Doff

Hi,

Everyone has been blaming retailers for doing frauds. The reality is that the people who are really making money is OLG itself who is giving only a small payout compared to the amount they are collecting from people. Secondly, when people dont win and they are not lucky enough to win, they need to blame it on someone and they have no one to blame other then Retailers.

Sam

I too was given a free ticket twice when I knew I was entitled to $10.00 each time. Rather than raise a fuss I called the shopkeeper aside, told him twice was not a coincidence and it was taken care of by him. I havn't seen the clerk there since.

In the meantime I e-mailed ALC sometime last year and asked them why tickets couldn't be checked online i.e., by entering the ticket number on my computer. Basically the same as the vendors do on their machines. Their response was it couldn't be done. I still think it can.

Wow its about time the OLG OR OLGC OR OLC OR whatever they call themselves gets what they deserve.This is the GREEDIEST corporation I have ever seen.I have only played the sports lottery products that they offer and let me tell you that they are disrespecting so many Ontarians by only offerring 3-6 team parlays on the games they offer.Everyine knows that parlay bets are the biggest suckers bet out there.Not only do they force you to pick 3-6 games but even if you manage to get lucky enough to win you do not get the true value of your ticket as all their products do not pay high enough odds.They are so cheap that if they don,t like an offer they make afer the fact they will pull the game from the betting board.I can,t begin to tell you how many people i know that have lost so much money playing their sports lotteries,as a result so many of them have opened up accounts with online companies that give the customer amazing respect and offer LAS VEGAS style odds.Maybe the OLG should take a trip down to VEGAS so they could learn how to treat people properly.I can,t believe they say they pay around 60% of sales back to winners,thats the funniest thing i have ever heard.This corporation has always had a bad smell to it and i bet you there is so much corruption in it its not funny.Who knows where all our money really goes.I think you should look at how many lottery terminals there are in toronto compared to how many there are in the rest of ontario and then see how many people have won a lottery in toronto compared to outside toronto and i bet your statistician will tell you the numbers don,t make sense.This corporation also offers Sports betting in casino niagara but at the casino they give you better odds and some games you don,t have to pick 3 games you can pick 2.Why is this,is it to please the AMERICANS that come across the boarder or is it to try to get more ontarians into their casino figuring they will lose money elsewhere in the casino.Think about how pathetic the customer service is, the same company that has been offering sports betting for years gives better treatment to people who live in niaga falls and the U.S.This corporation is just pathetic and i hoe they continue to look like the crooks that they are.

The answer is easy.

Remove the lottery machine from behind the counter and scan your own tickets. THIS WAY YOU ELIMINATE THE CROOK!

Make the lottery screen easy to read - as in get rid of all the cr@p advertisement OLG puts on the screen.

Make the information on the screen valuable to the customer, as in: YOU HAVE WON!-DOLLARAMOUNT- in big letters.

and the arrogant CEO of OLG? - Somewhere there's a village missing an idiot.

several yrs ago noted woman who owns a variety store in Ajax Ont cashing in numerous 649 small wins at another store...one after another after another...hundreds of winners....never a dud.....I was told by another party that the woman got the winners when she palmed the customer ticket and ran a dud through bar code reader to indicate a non winner....the cashier would ask do you want ticket back and if "yes" gave back ticket but if "no" then pretended to discard but checked later after the customer left....saw her many times at Grocery stores, cigar store and gas stations redeeming tickets...doing the evil...I never took my tickets to her store again.

was also told that many store owners run tickets off before draw time incase late customers...if not sold the owner/staff keep for self...remember that the ticket cost is deductible for tax purposes as an expense so store owner never gets caught for income source nor cost of ticket....no taxation on free ticket.

THE NEW BAR CODE reader just out by OLG....don't trust them to read codes....I have had two winning tickets that had no music but were good..good thing I already checked them on the OLG internet.....sent them to Sault Ste Marie for the $10 prizes....cost me .51 cent stamp each time....that works out to $9.49 net prize.

Watching elderly at cash registers having clerke check tickets in bar code reader always prompts me to Caution them about two things...do not trust inputting tickets in the bar code reader.....ever wonder why OLG has so many unclaimed prizes.. and don't confuse Ontario 49 with 649...all customers should check valid lottery numbers and by the way make sure you get the correct draw date (old ticket results often left at display area) and the correct draws...

Good luck to those still playing...remember to watch the slight of hand...the seller knows the system better than you. Cavet empertor

I think it is about time that certain people at the OLG should lose their jobs........, starting at the top.
Their attitude and arrogance in dealing with the known problems has undermined the public's trust in the fairness of the lotteries and draws they manage.
Dan Hickey.

Perhaps it could be arranged for Bob Edmonds to conduct a seminar on ethics and honesty for senior executives of the Canadian lottery industry. He apparently knows more about the subject than most.

An executive housecleaning is necessary if independent investigators demonstrate that fraud has been routinely concealed over many years. We should also realize that the problem may not be confined to Ontario.

Conspiracy charges should be considered against those who consciously abrogated fiduciary responsibilities through cover-up. They are active participants in crime.

WOW...JUST HOW STUPID ARE WE???
I just read every preceding post. Almost all are a typical Knee-Jerk reaction given very questionable Investigative Reporting by the FIFTH ESTATE, citing only partial statistics, without any details.
As a university mathematician I can prove anything I want with statistics...sound familiar??? Especially, if I only quote numbers to support what I am trying to prove. (e.g. it is possible to also prove 1 = 2!)

Believe me...at best, the FIFTH ESTATE created awareness of how to protect yourself when gambling your hard-earned money...at worst they chose to go ahead with this unsubtantiated statistical "angle" to boost their meagre ratings and hope to survive another day.
FIFTH ESTATE ...clean-up your act, produce ALL the statistics. I'm flabergasted the statistican they used, allowed them to present so few details, bringing into question his own scruples. As any statistian worth his weight, would not be permitted to write only a portion of his findings and none of the parameters, used therein.
LOTTERY SELLERS...If your crooked...change jobs, (become a lawyer, insurance agent, politician or CBC reporter) and thanks to the rest of you for being an OLG agent so Canadians, can dream of winning a million!
LOTTERY PLAYERS...you're gambling! Be responsible...SIGN and CHECK your own tickets!

The Fifth Estate team should be congratulated for its ongoing efforts in uncovering and reporting these local issues!

I find it very sad that an organization that is deeply rooted with charities and foundations comes into the line of fire. I love this country but, I have come to hate the corruption that blackmarks this great nation.

My experience unfolded in August after my mother's birthday. There were the usual gifts including a gift card, flowers and a birthday card. My kids selected about $30.00 worth of her favorite scratch cards. That evening she uncovered a few winning tickets. She was happy to note that one of the cards awarded a $50.00 prize! She went to collect her winnings the following week while out shopping. When she gave the tickets to the agent she was 'verbally' told that she had won a few prizes. The agent then paid her out $13.00 and two free tickets. My mother quickly asked "where is the $50.00 ticket?". The agent told her it was only worth a free ticket. My mother then argued that she wanted that ticket back! The agent then quickly offered the $50.00 pay out.

I have since told my mother to sign the back of any ticket and check for the winning symbols. Quite frankly, this was no accident or mistake. The agent did not scan the ticket and verbally assessed the winnings. Being a senior, I am sure that she was thought of as "easy pickings".

I feel that it is more work to formally report these dishonest agents. Then again, it is theft. I have seen the efforts involved in acquiring a lottery terminal licence. So maybe, they should suspend the use to the guilty kiosks and shopkeepers. Then again, that would take from the government's pockets! I am disgusted at them and will never fully trust these vendors.

Thank you for all your hard work. Continued success!

Shado.

Have been following the lotto fiasco since the first airing and wondering how many times I've lost potential winnings to an unscrupulous store employee. After watching this week's program on the scratch and win tickets I checked out two Cash for Life tickets I had just purchased as gifts. Both have a small mark (pin prick??) in exactly the same spot. It was difficult to see but with a magnifying glass there is no doubt. How can I find out where someone would have to "pin prick" on a Scratch and Win to see if the ticket was a winner.

Love the show; keep up the excellent reporting.

Lottery players are taking a big chance with their tickets and winnings by handing it in to the terminal clerk at a store. A safe way to check a ticket is to confirm the numbers on the winning list. Having said that, at this point, the OLGC's image and management's credibility is badly tarnished and no amount of positive focus group surveys will restore the public's confidence. Duncan Brown should step down, together with the other top management. If they don't voluntarily leave, Queen's Park should reshuffle and reorganize the agency. Duncan Brown allowed this to happen and festered for so long, denied the existence of the problems and then tried to cover up the dirt
with denials. These people have no shame. I saw the CBC broadcast where security was called and the reporters were threatened to be charged with trespassing - that area was a government/public office. They feel they are not accountable to us the taxpayers. Because it is a golden goose, Queen's Park is hesitant to step in. It is time to change OLGC's lottery management.

I went into a convenience store with about 6 lottery tickets 649/Super7. While checking my tickets another customer came in and started purchasing cigarettes. While this happened, the clerk stopped scanning my tickets, and then when the cigarette person left promptly threw all my tickets into a paper box on the floor full of other "checked" lottery tickets. I looked at him and said - you didn't check all my tickets and I want them back! He looked at me said he threw them away and when I insisted I wanted them back, that they were not checked, he gave me the box and asked me if I could identify them...

I was so furious. I didn't know at the time that if a ticket was checked there was a dark line running down the edge of the ticket... and as I did not write my name on my tickets I just glared at him, repeated that the tickets hadn't been checked and that I wanted my tickets back.

I ended up leaving without my tickets - but I'm sure he was able to find them and check them.

Now - no matter how busy a store is I hand my tickets over one at a time, refuse to let him serve others while serving me, watch the clerk and ALWAYS SIGN MY TICKETS.

My brother won a small amount in Hudson, Quebec - approximately $1,400 dollars. When he provided the ticket to claim his prize the clerk told him that there was a Quebec tax on the winnings and he had to pay $250. So the clerk gave him his winnings minus $250.

My brother told me the story about 3 years after the event and I asked him if he ever went back or reported the incident. He told me "it's too late now, forget it. The guys probably not there any more."

That was about 5 years ago now and to this day, that story makes me feel ill.

Banning clerks from playing lotteries won't change anything, they'd only give the ticket to a family member or friend to claim. If anything it would be a false sense of security. Kudos to the Fifth Estate for exposing the OLG's dirty little secret. OLG deserves all this bad press because they chose to try to sweep this problem under the rug and protect themselves instead of facing it head-on and protecting lottery players. What they did to Mr. Edmonds was disgraceful. This story is a prime example of how the media stands up for people and gets results when governments and their agencies don't. Thanks!

Two incidents stand out more so with me than many of the others:

One clerk had engaged me in conversation while scanning my tickets hoping that I would be so engrossed in the chat that I wasn't watching what she was doing ... but I did watch. I had almost a dozen winning tickets to be scanned and she, very slyly, put a couple of the large ones aside, gave me my winnings on the other tickets and bid me adieu. I asked for my tickets back. She argued that it wasn't necessary but I insisted. After a couple of exchanges she realized I wasn't going to give up and gave them all back, all but the two she set aside. I merely stared at her with my hand open. Once those were given back to me I went straight to the manager. She was escorted out that afternoon.

The other was at my place of work where there is a lotto centre. I know I had won 3 free plays but the clerk kept busy taking other customers and tossing papers on the counter. By the time I got back to my office I saw that I only received 2 free plays. I went back but was made to feel as though I was ripping her off. The manager, her husband, came by and refused to even listen to me.

Regarding Nevad Tickets, it is against the law for a clerk to tell you whether or not there are winning tickets left in a Nevada ticket box, so don't ask, we can't tell you.
Nikki

obviously.... the OLG has something to hide....
clearly there is substantial corruption to the highest level on the inside.... and for sure (not on every occasion) at the dealer level as well.
The inside employees of the OLG must sign some sort of "Confidentiality" clause that risks them of losing their job or even jailtime if they reveal the truth, its how they protect their inside secrets. This protects the scammers on the inside which is why they feel pretty smug about it while collecting their 100K + a year paycheques
I encourage any of the other concerned citizens who have taken the time to respond to this and dont like what they see to contact their MPP as I will and ask for the following IMMEDIATELY -
That an immunity be granted to ANY OLG employee who has been sworn to confidentiality and comes out with the truth - about what really goes on.
They will be protected from prison time or other recourse once all the truth is out -- and it will come out. If this happens, watch them all squeal like newborn piglets. Right now they fear consequences as they have sworn as such, give them a chance to escape future problems when it all comes out and just get out of the way when it does.
Good on the cbc and First Estate to initiate this. This is as you have been told just the "Tip of the Iceberg"
Don't let it rest at just this.
Thank-you

I am ashamed of CBC's attack tactics and American style tabloid journalism. This story did warrant coverage but I don't feel you gave OLG equal time to explain things. Everyone thinks they should win the lottery. But I bet Bob and the other elderly gentleman will be the first to lose when lottery profits can no longer fund the Trillium Foundation that does so much good in our province. Every large corporation has its share of challenges and problems and the good people at OLG are trying their best to deal with what comes at them. A lot of people talk about tax payers money. The lottery is totally funded by lottery profits and these profits go back to the people of Ontario in many, many ways. I will keep buying lottery tickets to support this great causes, if I win it's a bonus. If I don't I get some entertainment for my dollar. I'm still debating whether I will still watch Fifth Estate.

I also commend the efforts of Fifth Estate. What about other venues, i.e. BINGO. This is also the OLGC. There is a program called Big Link which runs across Ontario. Last week I purchased two 3 strip programs. Two out of the three were exactly the same serial numbers. The woman behind me said that had happened to her the previous week. They did not stop the game when I brought it to the staff's attention but reimbursed me the $3.00 for the cost of the tickets. It is really easy to just reimburse someone, but how about looking into the matter. I was told they would be calling Head Office! Has this happened to others and is anything being done about it.

Lottery Corp. should provide a self scanning device which would allow people to check their own tickets. This would be inexpensive if evry terminal had one. It could be paperless unless your a winner. Keep it out of the hands of the terminal operators. Terminal operators should not be allowed to play. This would remove the temptation?

Interesting Story. It reminded me of when I was a lottery retailer from 1984-1989 in B.C. (sold over $3 million a year in tickets) I would have customers say come in and buy 5 scratch tickets in a row and win nothing. Then I might sell another 1 or 2 in sequence without a winner. I could then be assured that the next 1 or 2 in sequence would have a winner. I never was a lottery ticket buyer (tax on savants) but when this would present itself (seldom, but often enough to remember) I would use the odds that were before me to my advantage. This is probably why the innordinate advantage sellers seem to have over buyers exists. I would not purposefully perpetuate this back then (most customers took them home to scratch anyway) but when it was put before me...well the odds were too good! I don't remember ever winning more than $50. but I definately won more than I spent in those 5 years. Have never bought a ticket since...not a game for champions. Great passtime for the intellectually challenged.

If lottery vendors were prohibited from purchasing tickets at their place of employment and ALL lottery sales included a requirement to sign the ticket in front of the vendor as a condition at the time of purchase it would go a long way to reduce the incidence of fraud.

The spokesperson for the OLG put on a pathetic performance. How could she sit there and basically lie to us.
The biggest rests with the retailers. They are the real villains in this. It also boggles my mind that players will hand over their tickets unsigned (!). Sign your tickets and check them yourself before you hand them over.
Thank you for doing the show. What you uncovered is almost unbelieveable. It needed to be done. And a big thanks to old Bob for not giving up.

I have only watched the first portion of this report but I am absolutely astounded at the disrespect that the Lottery Corporation has for its customers. I look forward to watching Nov. 24th's episode of the conclusion. I was very moved by Bob Edmonds' story and have so much respect for that gentleman for sticking with his pursuit. It is people like Bob Edmonds that make this world a better place. I feel very honoured to have been able to tune in to this presentation. I would like to pass on to him that I hold him in the highest esteem for having the courage and conviction to stick with his claim. It is so wrong for a large corporation to take advantage of an older citizen the way they did with him. Thank you for presenting this story on your show.

Maybe they need to put the (C) back in OLG.
The arrogance of the OLG(C) brass and what's with the
"this is private property" nonsense...in their little ivory towers they think they are untouchable...they are accountable to all Ontario taxpayers...They all have to go...anyone who didn't respond or act on questions put forward by the public for like the past 12 years or so...and absolutely no retailers get to play...and get their relatives and friends checked regularly before they pick up the cheques....otherwise most of us will be done with this particular pastime...
Queen's park needs to do some investigating, heads need to roll...and apologies and remuneration should start like yesterday....start with the outrageous legal bill to fight a senior citizen who was so brave in the face of such tyranny......
Give that poor gentleman "all" of his winnings with interest and compensate him and his family for robbing him of joy at the twilight of his life....
I started to wonder about scratch tickets in the last 3 months...I would usually win on every second bingo ticket, but I have a stack right now, and all had won nothing. The foil packs for all scratch tickets is a particularly good idea..

Thanks Fifth Estate...

When my grandfather came home stating that his lottery vender had cheated him, I thought he was nuts. He said he had a winning ticket, and had checked the numbers himself, and that the vendor it was not a winner, but when as asked, the vendor refused to give his ticket back. He was rarely wrong. I called the BC Lottery Corporation on his behalf, and they went to investigate it with an, "Oh ya, we get calls from seniors all the time saying that they've been ripped off..." Then, it got blown off. Yesterday, I stopped by that outlet, and asked about the owners, "Oh, they've retired.." it worked out to be a year after grandpa's winning ticket. Since I filed a complaint, I am now going to pursue this, to see if the two coincide and to see if a winning ticket was purchased on that date, from that location, and who cashed it. Why are these clerks/owners allowed to play? Isn't this a conflict of interest and are there no laws to protect the consumer from this?

Great Work Fifth Estate ! It really ticks me off to see people who are paid by the Taxpayers, try to flex muscle with the meadia and the public. Duncan Brown, you are not...NOT above anyone not to answer questions, do you hear me! You have to know your JOB is a privelge and anyone else who works for the OLG and any Government position, inlcuding the Prime Minister..Your tact is discusting,your PR person needs to clean his act and you are an idiot. You can't trust every retailer...just admit it. All your security means nothing if there is no trust and honesty, that's the publics real protection ! (Imagine how this makes people feel about you and the Corp.) I'd like to see further into investing the OLG ...never mind just the retailers...I don't know why the actual draws are not televised..no one is interested in watching you say...I find that hard to believe, look at the response you have now! Can't be the cost, since every 1/2 hour you have a commercial on t.v to advertise some game or other. What about the fact that Super 7 and 6/49 are accross canada but they are all different! How can the same lottery have different ways to win in one country? I never see or hear about winners from out east or west, it's just mentioned that the ticket was won in...Quebec, put those winners on you web site too. Makes me wonder 6-49 and Super 7 are Canada wide, then better put that on the web.

If group play gives you a better odds of winning as you state on the web site, you'd figure the most populated places have a better odd of winning too...no? Should the stats reflect places like Toronto winning the most pots?
Imagine....the Freedom..! Right !

All those commenters above who say they'll never buy a lottery ticket again dont fool me. The first time a draw is over $25 million, they'll be first in line. Greed speaks louder than words!

A very revealing show for all of us ordinary Canadians. Where once upon a time, Government (read "the people") banned lotteries, look at where we are at today with them. We pay a voluntary tax of one dollar only to see about fifty per cent of that dollar supposedly returned to us. That is bad enough, but it turns out that this is not even the case.

Lotteries were "legalized" because of the criminal involvement in games of chance (as one reason often sited for government now running games of chance). Well... given the implicit responsibility that comes with it to provide "due care" when managing the process - when that is proven to not be the case, there is only one recourse.

The Ontario Government is obliged to step in immediately and stop all games of chance being run by the OLG. An investigation must be undertaken to determine who is involved in this fraudulent activity and the due process of justice must be undertaken. The current staff of OLG and all associated with this organization must be fired.

The people of Ontario should be asked in a referendum whether or not game of chance (and the voluntary tax payments associated with them that the government enjoys) should be allowed. IF the people say yes, then a new organization should be created with stiffer controls and monitoring.

But... It is too painfully obvious that Dalton and his ilk are willing to enjoy the easy money that lotteries bring them. It is a sad comment that today lottery income enjoys a line item on provincial budgets. But with the power to tax comes the responsibility to ensure honesty and an above-board game of chance is provided to you and I.

The political appointees who enjoy the very large salaries and percs of management (e.g. cars and travel expense budgets) need to be replaced by a management cadre who understand the concept of "due care". It is always sad and frustrating to see individuals who are in positions of authority hide behind the lawyers. It is sad that society does not have "men" who can stand up themselves and whose word is good.

Until this mess is cleaned up, I and every Canadian should simply stop buying lottery tickets !!

Steve Renolds
One Canadian who wins by not buying lottery tickets !!

P.S. as a follow-up to all this, the Fifth Estate might like to try to find out just how many organized crime types use lottery tickets to provide "clean money" (i.e. using a lottery ticket that a person can cash as a winner instead of a mitt-full of cash is something that goes on but is not spoken about by such organizations as the OLG). Just one more cover-up that ordinary folks aren't told about !!

Why is the CEO still in his position? The climate and culture of the organization was clear when they asked you to leave and said you were trespasing and to never come back into the building. This is the problem with these entities, they take a on a life of their own and are accountable to no one.

Great story.

Well now that everyone is bashing the lottery and the retailers. I think it's time to look at the ones that are good and honest people. They get up and work every single day to provide a service for us. They are not all crooks and it seems like this is out of control. Everyone and their brother have been scammed( Yeah right) Why because of one story are we beating on retailers. You know I have friends that own stores and it's getting so bad that people don't even come in the store to buy anything they just come in and swear and call them every name in the book. These people are human and have feeling. It's not right to see your friends hurt and crying or in tears. It's just not acceptable. This lady that did the show just pushed and pushed. She has no idea what devil she has unleached. I do feel genuinely compasionate for the elder man.
I think that there are alot more companies and people that scam us and we certainly don't hear about them right????? I'm sure if you won the lottery you would just be in awe!!!And have all the big plans with the wins...
To finish, thanks to all who understand where I am comming from and if you know a retailer out there,make them feel good! Thank them for the good work they do. Be responsible of your tickets. Check them and sign them.. Alot less headaches.

Here's one every Quick Pick buyer should be aware of!!!

On my lunch hour I asked for a quick pick at a small convience store in Edmonton and failed to look at the ticket until I got home (I know better now!). At home I discovered that the clerk gave me a quick pick ticket for the previous week instead of the upcoming week. No doubt this is another reason why the retailers don't want to give you back your ticket after they scan it. Once they have a non-winning quick pick they can print out a quick pick for the next customer, switch it with the non winner, hand you the non-winner, & keep your new ticket for themself. I'm certain that if I had I caught it in the store, the clerk would have just said "Oops, I mixed them up, here's YOUR ticket". In the end, I ended up buying a potential winner for the retailer.

Other than this one incident, I have never had a problem redeeming tickets here in Alberta.

I am writing, of course, in defense of at least myself, and those I work with who sell lottery tickets. I have read a great many of the comments sent in by viewers, and am still shaking my head. Firstly, I will agree that the manner in which "Bob" was dealt with by the OLG is just wrong, wrong wrong.
To the public; if you are purchasing anything in the country, you are considered a consumer (consumer beware). I also noticed that most of you lottery tickets buyers seem to be psychic, all of a sudden. You don't even check you tickets, just hand them over the the clerks, and are now certain you have been scammed?? What? While I understand there are cheaters in any business, retail, etc., don't dub us as the only ones, nor that each of us are stealers. As for the comments about the scratch tickets, I would invite all of you who have the problems with checking, or knowing if you have won, due to the symbols, to have the OLG clean it up, make it clearer for all. I buy lottery tickets, especially scratch, because I love playing them. Of course because of my job I know most of the symbols, not all, and I will run them through the machine to verify, for others as well as myself. Now as for the comments I saw mentioning we are validating several scratch tickets (at a time) on our machines, and as one idiot put it the bell kept ringing so look at all the money we were getting, that we ripped off of you. Come on now people. As you well may know, especially when the jackpots are high, we have very long lines of people buying tickets. Now most of you are pretty patient, but I will tell you that if I were to individually punch in each scratch ticket, when I can receive up to 15 in 5 minutes, you would be pissed off, and you know it.
As far as not allowing us to play, why not? I buy my tickets from other retailers, never from where I work. That's always been a "smart" move on my part. I also write down on the back of my tickets, the location at which they were purchased, in case, but probably never, I win substantially. I am now in a situation where I will not validate anyone's tickets, unless they (1), check them themselves on the ticket checkers at our booth, and (2) sign the back. We have to protect ourselves now from being called theives and cheaters. This disgusts me, that we are all being put in one giant heap. I too dream of winning the lottery, and have a lot of fun discussing this with my valued customers, their dreams, my dreams, etc. We are human beings too, but let the machines do the work they were designed to do, and for God's sakes people, check you own tickets, both manually & by the machines and if there are questions you have ask to see the validation tickets, they are designed to protect you. By the way, the most I have every won on scratch was $50.00, and on 6/49 was around $400.00, but split with 3 other people. In the way some of you view this, for as long as I've been playing, I'm really getting ripped off (NOT). Playing the lottery is quite simply, a gamble.

What are the odds ???

- of the OLG just happening to release not one but THREE News Releases on "Improved Security Measures" since Oct 24 2006 (one day before your initial story was aired) when they have never previously issued an News Release on this subject before.

- of anyone representing the OLG in either broadcast actually keeping their jobs

Oh....about the same odds the public has of actually winning a major prize.

I have just spent more than an hour reading everyone's comments and for the most part I am in agreement with the majority of views that something needs to be done.

My suggestion would be to focus on the clerks, who when acting in a corrupt fashion, are the sole cause of this problem.

I would approach the situation in a similar way to how "Johns" are caught using under cover police officers posing as prostitutes.

In this case the "Johns" would be lottery retailers who are handed a winning ticket, but either do not disclose it as a winner, or offer a different winning value than the true value. (Each transaction would be recorded on a hidden camera for evidence.)

For this initiative to proceed, we would need support from the OLG in order to provide tickets that when scanned would appear to be legitimate winning tickets (of at least a moderate monetary size). Of course this ticket would have no actual redemption value.

Alternatively, we could purchase a sum of tickets large enough to ensure a few winners, and use these. (Although this would be potentially less effective as the chances are that we would be using as bait a smaller winning.)

With the evidence we would collect, and with support from law enforcement, we could bring individuals to justice and set examples of them in order to discourage other ticket handlers from further corruption.

I would whole-heartedly volunteer my time and effort to being an undercover patron, in order to catch corrupt ticket handlers red handed.

Let's incorporate this into your next story Fifth Estate.

The person who posted a win of $2 or $4 from a $5 ticket got ripped off by the person who cashed the ticket, you can't win less than you paid for the ticket.

Was the code FF? that'd be 2....UU...that'd be 4....GG? 5....doubling prizes lets see that'd be JJ for $10, not sure what all the prize amounts that show up on that particular ticket are but you can't win less than you paid!

Being working last evening I missed the program, would love to see it and the first one.

Reading through the comments I had some responses and updates:

The code for a big prize is supposed to be identical to a non-winning code the double triangle. Peterborough Zellers has a photocopy of a $50,000 winner and it does have the double triangle.

Break open tickets are sold on a box by box basis and must be claimed at the place of purchase as expecting one store to pay out 3 $300 winners while another would pay nothign wipes out their incentive to have the tickets in the first place.

Signing your ticket does nothing for a $50 winner that they tell you is a $3 or $12 winner because it is not returned to OLG to verify it's paid, the ticket is destroyed on site after validation and discarded. Signing only ensures that if you win a jackpot that they won't be able to claim it on your behalf, but does nothing for the smaller prize amounts.

All tickets should have a validation slip that SHOWS the ticket number so you can be sure that the slip you've been handed saying non winner is for the ticket that you submitted. This validation slip should be returne to the customer with their ticket whether its a winner or not.

Those OLG screens at the stores that (ALL stores? that have 6/49 and Super 7 are supposed to be customer viewable, but the prize amount won showing up in tiny type and FT for free ticket doesn't do much for our seniors. There should be a switch with the machine, prize amount showing where they currently show the advertisement, in LARGE letters, and the ads if they need them, running constantly in the bottom as a banner.

Victors point 1) the code that's covered until you scratch it, there is a sequence number for each packet of tickets, the OLG knows what store was shipped what batch of tickets and when it was activated, the code must show, and that (having not seen the program) is most likely the code that the statistician was using, not the one that's covered by the scratch off material.

Now from memory, codes for OLG games, which I would like used on tickets...not necessarily same code as they are different companies but you should be able to tell from the code that you've got a winner, and the jackpot winner should NOT be the same code as a losing ticket, that's just shady for those that don't actually play the ticket but want their shot at a dream, if they buy it and discard it the corporation doesn't have to pay it out.
TT $1
FF $2
AA $3
UU $4
GG $5
those are the ones I've seen regularly, there are more....ZZ $25 but we as consumers should be aware of what the codes are so we know when the clerk is being honest with our winnings.

YOU as the customer are the most important thing for any sales clerk when you are the one being served. They should not take your tickets and turn away from you where they can swap your winner for one they know to either not be a winner or a winner of a smaller amount. Don't give them your tickets if they are on the phone, YOU are the reason for their job, without customers the clerk wouldn't have a need to be there. Keep your tickets in sight, and learn the codes, sign all your tickets, sure, it'll protect you IF you win a big jackpot but you still need to be aware about the smaller prize amounts.

I work at convenience store, and after hearing about the story aired last night, I am upset. What makes me more upset is the fact that 2 customers came into the store today and said "I saw the report on you guys last night"....I have never been so appauled. We are a reputable establishment that has been open for almost 70 years. My bosses, co-workers and myself take the upmost care to make sure that our screen is facing the right way, we leave plenty of copies of the winning numbers at our lotto centre, and ALWAYS make sure that the validation slips are given to the customer along with the winning/non-winning tickets checked.
I myself am not a "player of the lotto" either scratch or online, because I feel that I donate enough of my money to the government. I know that there are some retailers out there that are dirty and would do anything to make a buck, but that should not count for the other 90% of us who are honest people. For example. A month after I started my job, a customer came into the store with a winning scratch ticket. It was a few minutes before closing and he was in a rush. He told me that he won $3, cashed the ticket in and left before I finished validating it. As it turns out, he won $9....I took the $6 and put it in one of our drawers, and left it there for 2 months...that is how long it was before he came back, but I made sure that he got his money...no matter how little it was.
I think that this whole "problem" with lottery has gone too far....many things that are being done now to "prevent" lottery fraud, could have been done a long time ago....it's just the OLG's way of covering up for their own wrong doing....remember a few months ago....an employee of the OLG itself won a 649 jackpot, and nobody questioned that...they also spent some $6 million changing their name from OLG to OLGC and then back to OLG again.
Think about that and then decide who's in the wrong.

Hello
I also had some concerns about the Cancer and Heart lotteries. The odds are 1 in 7 or better. The only thing that concerns me is that many times in the newspaper winnings I notice that the some people will win three times. For example, with tickets 1001- 1002 -1003, how can the same person win all three tickets with numbers one after another for one draw? More than one person in the Newspaper will win like this and have all three consecutive tickets win. It happens in those big lotteries. I did complain to one of the lotteries about this unusal happening but they said of course that all is done fairly. I have stopped buying the tickets because there is not way one person with three consecutive tickets can win all three in one draw let alone several people.
P.N.

I can't believe that the Fifth Estate nor OLC have figured out why 1 in 10 winning scratch tickets are being cashed by retailers. The scratch and win tickets come with a bar code that the retailers scan in the machine.The bar code is NOT under the gray scratch area but right out front. I know this is how they are scanning the tickets and pulling the winning tickets without even scratching because my husband walked in to our nieghborhood store and caught the owner scanning the tickets. The owner responded by giving my husband a winning ticket of $1,000 as a pay off. The owner of the store drives a Lexus, his niece a BMW, and she attends a very expensive university without loans!! All this on a salary of a convience store owner!!! Anyone I know stopped buying the scratches because of this, so should everyone!!! That will teach the Lottery Corp. not to hand out licenses to just anyone who has the money.

I, too, have experienced fraud when bringing my lottery ticket in. Two
years ago I brought my ticket into the Burk's Falls variety store and heard
the jingle when my ticket was processed, but the clerk, a young woman, told
me I hadn't won anything. I attempted to get my ticket back, but was
refused. The Lottery terminal was obscured by a magazine rack. I have no
idea what the ticket numbers were, they were a quick pick, and cannot even
remember the exact date. So, I hope it wasn't for much. After that I vowed
to check the ticket before presenting it, which I now do on the internet.
So, a year ago I was at the Chinese mall at Hwy #7 and Woodbine and had a
winning ticket worth $85. When I redeemed it, the clerk offered me $5. But
when I began to protest, he immediately paid out the amount due, knowing
full well that he had tried to dupe me. He didn't even wait to hear my
protest or check the ticket. Just gave me the rest of the money. So, be
careful. I try to go only to my local convenience store at Aurora variety
where they follow protocol and always give me my ticket back and the
vaidation chit. Unfortunately all I ever win is a free ticket. I don't
play the same numbers every time, I usually do the quick pick and cannot
remember the numbers. Thanks for your research and a great program.
Denise McDermid, Aurora

The most recent update of the "Luck of the Draw" series has left me quite upset. Not with the OLG, but with the CBC. By quoting random facts without context, it is easy to cause the uninformed viewer to become angry without cause.

The 10% statistic was throw around the report. But what did it truly represent? 10% of all winning tickets sold? 10% of top prizes? 10% of all prizes claimed in person at the Toronto office? This and many other "facts" were mentioned in the broadcast without context or explanation. No wonder Mr Brown couldn't answer a question about a number pulled from a random report. As CEO of a corporation, he must see hundreds of reports in a week. It appeared that the 5th Estate had some information to tell a great story, they just forgot to form a complete argument.

On an added note, the ambush style of interviewing kills the credibility of the CBC. How much information can you truly get from an interview if the person that you're interviewing doesn't have a chance to prepare?

The two segments in which you barged onto a private property to "demand" an interview made for poor television. First was the secure building that the OLG rents space from. It's private property and you expect to walk in with a rolling camera? Then you march up to the door of someone who is legally not allowed to speak to the media without her lawyer present? What did you hope to gain from these scenes?

The CBC has a tradition of quality and integrity in its journalistic practices. Both were lost in one 20 minute report. It appears that you may have stumbled on an excellent story. I can only hope that you learn to tell it properly.

Great show. Can't wait to see the statistics one year from now on how many retailers have won big prizes.
I wonder how many lottery employees have won big prizes from 649 and Super 7 contests. I can easily think of at least one way they could do it.
Makes me want to watch the CBC more often.

Pat

While I agree that some clerks will fall prey to the temptation to cheat, you cannot make the argument that all clerks are corrupt as individuals. To ban them all from playing is unfair and unwarranted. The idea proposed above for wrapping the instant win tickets in foil is a good one, and players should always sign their tickets.

As for the statistician that claims clerks win "too often" I wonder if he has considered that clerks likely play more games more often than average people. If you spend all day selling tickets you probably play every draw. As someone who does statistics for a living, I would appreciate a little more thought and a little less sensationalism from fellow professionals.

Well, I see in the news TODAY (the day AFTER your update on scams within the lottery system), that the provincial government is CONSIDERING banning lottery retailers from playing the lotteries. ISN'T THIS A SHAME....!!!!
If they go ahead with THAT idea, they should also ban their families too, since it would be too easy for the retailers to just give the winning ticket(s) to the wives, mothers or fathers, or siblings to cash in...
I just love how our government reacts AFTER THE FACT....
If it wasn't for shows such as The Fifth Estate, the scams would just go on FOREVER.........

Thank you Fifth Estate for investigating the OLG. My friend and I have had experiences with an unscrupulous lottery clerk at York University variety store in York Lanes. So from that point on we both started putting our names on ALL of our tickets.

My question :
A. Why is'nt the OLG up for racketeering charges? If this was a private firm they'd be slapped instantly.

B. Any statistics on OLG members and or family winning?
C. Whats to prevent clerks from hiring people to claim their winnings and how do we govern that?

This discussion will eventually be closed. This is indeed a very interesting topic. For anyone who would have something interesting to say, there is a now place to share your stories and experiences.

URL:
http://www.createforum.com/phpbb/index.php?mforum=OLGwatch

Saw the initial show a while back and yesterday's update. Good story but still many unanswered questions.

A simple solution for the scratch cards could be to wrap them in foil packages. No pin scratch and no figuring out the Tic Tac Toe. But then again I'm not a high priced firm that got called in after the s**t hit the fan so my opinion probably doesn't count for much.

Hats off to M. Edmonds. He has showed the nation that integrity, honesty and the drive to achieve these still exist in this country. Something that our governments and their many branches such as the OLG seem to lack.

Claude.

Great job on the story. Could you now go after all the other lottery corporations to investigate? I am sure you may find even more. Can you also now suggest what we as taxpayers can do to get justice for these government corporations? In addition, If you could announce to all people playing lotteries, how to make sure they will get their winnings, by filling out the back of the ticket before claiming?

Sometimes investigative reporters have overstepped their boundries by being intrusive but the Fifth Estate crew are definitely right on target in trying to expose the disgraceful practices that are going on at Ontario's lottery office. Having security throw out the Fifth Estate crew who are well within their legal right to access a public office and the pathetically feable answers that the head of the OLG offered during the interview with Ms Findly(sp)is a sign that the OLG has shown a complete lack of managerial leadership in confirming that a problem exists, in coming up with a permanent fix to the problem and in fairly compensating those who have been ripped off by thieves within the OLG network.I urge the Fifth Estate to continue to hound the OLG for answers, besides it's fun to watch the OLG squirm before they offer up the weakest excuses for their actions. Why instituting a policy whereas retailers cannot play is a problem is beyond all comprehension.

After watching the second of the series of the controversy about the OLG. I decided to voice my experience with a ticket purchased many years ago. Unfortunatly It was so long ago I can't remember wether it was a 6/49 or a super 7, but anyways, I took the ticket to a lottery dealer to see if it was a winner and was told I won 25 dollars which was accepted. Later thinking the sum seemed odd, went to another lottery kiosk and asked if there was such a prize as 25 dollars and being told yes, let the matter drop but surprisingly, it still bothers me to this day and have often wondered if the boy who gave me the 25 dollars became a prize winner. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest and laude the fifth estate's programs and the work they out into their research.

I was amazed at the actions from the PR. Is he unaware of what 'PR' means? Or is this the OLG's idea of good 'PR' ie: show 'em who's boss???

I was pretty disgusted by their blatant lack of empathy with the public and their autocratic behaviour...

Some house cleaning needs to be happening, starting from the top...

While on the road this morning, I bought a 'Money Multiplier' ticket for $5. On game number four, I scratched and found two wallet symbols and a star (which means that the winning prize is doubled).

Guess what my winning was? $2.00!!!!!

LOL! LOL!!!

I paid 5bucks for a ticket and won $2 or is it $4? OLG's pdf site says that the minimum available to be won on these tickets are $5. But even doubled, I can't get the bare minimum win...

How ironic that this should happen the day following the Estate's exposure...

Congrats Gillian and staff for standing up to that obnoxious 'PR' person and not being fooled by the chairman's smarmy display...

I suspect that I too was ripped off by a lottery clerk who was not terribly overburdened with scruples, though not nearly on the scale of Mr. Edmonds. I applaud Mr Edmonds for his tenacity and principles, and W-5 for blowing the cover off of what seems to have been an "open secret" within the OLGC. The fact that the OLGC tried to sweep this under the carpet until it blew up in their faces smacks of criminal incompetence. In other organizations, heads would have rolled and resignations tendered, not so the OLGC. The efforts of the OLGC to "restore 'whatever' faith may have been lost" by this scandal is like closing the barn door long after the horse departed.

The OLG must come up with more ways to resolve the issue of tickets being stolen! Two such suggestions are: 1) they should emphasize to all lottery players to SIGN their tickets before having them checked. This may not eliminate the problem but it will be more obvious if tampering has been done to remove a signature. and 2) It might be a good idea to create two parts to a ticket; a stub for example that has matching numbers to the winning ticket. Both parts would be required by the OLG to claim a prize.

The Lotto Update story (air date: Nov 22) left me with a few questions of my own:
1. The statistician claims to be able to pick out a winning Tic-Tac-Toe ticket based on the sequence of numbers listed on the side of the ticket, but what is not explained is that those numbers are covered when you buy the ticket and so also have to be scratched off, thereby eliminating any possiblity of retailers (or others) being able to "spot" winners without buying them -- So, my question is: where's the scam?

2. The pinprick test: The win codes on each scratch ticket are randomly placed, therefore a dishonest retailer looking for the code would literally have to scratch 4-5 boxes on each ticket to locate the code, leaving a series of highly-noticeable scratches on the tickets. Again, not a very effective scam.

3. Where was long-time OLG spokesperson Theresa Roncon last night? There was a new spokesperson on forcing the F.E. camera crew out the door -- was Roncon fired/demoted following the airing of the original report? If so, she was made a scapegoat, as management was clearly at fault for allowing her to go on camera and end up looking like a deer-caught-in-headlights.

Finally, thanks for locating and attempting to pindown that scumbag, Phyllis LaPlante. Another question you could ask the authorities on this is: if the criminal charges were stayed, can they not be revived? If so, she should be fully prosecuted for so blatantly stealing from Mr. Edmonds.

About 10 years ago I won $10 on a 649 ticket, I checked it several times then took it the same variety store where I purchased it here in Mount Forest. I told the clerk that I had won $10 then handed it to the clerk for reimbursement. The clerk took a long while to come back, waited on a customer who paid for gas at a different till, eventually came back and said, "What ticket, there's no ticket here" (I had neglected to sign the back).

The clerk then waved me aside to serve others waiting behind me. I was so totally blown over by the blatant dishonesty of the clerk that I left then reported it to the Lottery Corp. - they said there was nothing they could do.

Since that day I have never bought another lottery ticket and never will.

Thank you for an other eye-opening program. Thank you also for contacting the woman who kept $100 000 of Bob's winnings. He deserves the rest of his winnings! The gentleman who discovered the problem with Tic-Tac-Toe also should be renumerated in some way as he saved the OLC from more major problems. Even a public expression of appreciation would have been something. He is a genius and I thank him for his great efforts on our behalf! Keep up the good work, Fifth Estate.

I was both impressed and outraged by the Fifth Estate's two documentaries uncovering the OLGC gross incompetence, apathy and indifference to lottery ticket fraud. I was particularly offended by how the guilty parties refused to answer pertinent questions put to them by the CBC. It is both insulting to the public and unacceptable that they were booted off public property because they were asking uncomfortable questions. I think that all the top management in the OLGC should be fired from their jobs or that the whole organization should be shut down completely and replace by a new entity.

Love your country
Fear your government
and be especially weary of the OLG!

what a bunch of a$$holes!

Great "60 Minutes" moment at the office with the security folks. Wow, I hope Dalton and the gang at Queen's Park are taking notice.

Ontario residents are getting screwed over by a government agency that looks like it is covering up some very bad practices...

My sense this is just like the cable tv reverse billing...it's simple enough to digest, gets your blood boiling and strikes at the very heart of what is fair.

So, my take is that the CBC should keep hammering at this...and Dalton, if you're reading this, do what every good politician in Canada does, open up an enquiry...(of course, it would be much cheaper and more effective to fire the top brass at the OLG)

Now, go investigate the LCBO....there's more stuff in that snakepit than you could possibly imagine...

I had a situation approximately a year or so ago at a store in Sydney River concerning a 649 or super 7 ticket. I had these tickets checked at a local store in my area. When I got home I realized one of the confirmation receipts for my tickets did not match one of my tickets. When I went back to this store I was advised by the clerk she didn't have the ticket in question and had no answer what happend to my missing ticket. I called the manager and left three different voice messages on his phone to please call me. I never received a call. I truly felt I was a victim and still do especially now since I watched your article on Fifth Estate.

I believe the lottery people in Atlantic Canada should make available and provide a lottery winner fact sheet to its customers whenever required which should provide and highlight any store clerk personnel who may be a winner. This would provide us the customer with a heads up if we felt a certain store employee was not doing their job properly especially if a person had doubts concerning a certain store location. I believe the same situation applies here in Atlantic Canada as in the Ontario Lottery system and I"m sure your customers would appreciate an investigation in Atlantic Canada as well. Thanks for your time and space I appreciate it.

Francis Doyle

The lotto people sure showed their true colours.
They owned up to mistakes in the system only when pressured.It makes you wonder about should you ever buy tickets again?
thank you

It just gets more comical each time you speak to the OLG! We first listen to the pathetic spokesperson defend their actions against Bob Edmonds, by telling the people of Ontario that they were acting in our best interest when they spent $420K to go on the attack against Mr. Edmonds. It was also apparent that the OLG believes they are above the law by withholding evidence from the OPP. But now, they threaten the Fifth Estate on camera under the "trespass to property act"!!! What are they thinking....better yet, what do they think we will think...or do they really care? It is unfortunate for the Security employees who were compelled to follow the orders of over zealous and clearly scared OLGC officials while on camera - they are not to blame. It is the incompetants from the top down, who gave the orders and who need to experience what happens in the "real world" when you embarrass your employer, over and over again.

Good for you fifth estate and Gillian Findlay!!
Do you now how many seniors rely on this as their way of fulfilling a dream? My mother faithfully buys tickets twice a week in hopes of winning something.
I feel sorry but proud for Bob Edmonds for following up and believing in himself to make the OLG squirm. Shame on them!! (The OLG). How dare they try to brush off any idea of their corporation doing anything wrong. It is about time they were held accontable for their actions!!This is a public corporation, who knows what other things they have been hiding from the general public?
I found it funny that they threw you out of the private building. What if a person from the generanl public went in on your behalf would they have done the same thing?

Just last friday I was quite disturbed with a vendor in mississauga (Max store to be exact). It is a good thing that my husband had already checked his super 7 ticket, and he won $10/-. I took the ticket into Maxes and the guy is on the phone, so he takes my ticket scans it and just prints out a quick pick and asked tells me I won a free play and if I wanted encore. I tell him I won $10/ and he just says OH yeah, no apology or anything....

In light of the ongoing evasion and denial that seems endemic to the culture inside the OLG, I believe that it is high time that this public corporation is held accountable to the taxpayers and players.
I would think that a full audit would be a good place to start, followed by a complete rework of the existing vendor system.
If this profitable corporation has to run a deficit for a year or two to fix these glaring problems, I don't think anyone outside of the OLG will shed a tear. Honesty is often the most expensive option.
Kudos to the Fifth Estate for this excellent piece of investigative journalism.

As I watch the very good investigative report on the lottery problem I was left amazed that nobody thought a possible solution to this problem is to have a display in the store such that BOTH the person who BOUGHT the ticket and the person who SOLD the ticket can BOTH read if its a WINNING ticket, like those displays in many supermarkets !

A few months ago, I had purchased some super 7 numbers and always check them online. I know that if I have at least 3 numbers, I at least won a free ticket. I went to a local retailer who checked them, bells went off, and he told me,sorry, not a winner,then ripped the ticket in two. I said I have at least 3 numbers on there so its a free ticket, so he hands me back a super 7 ticket that had no winning numbers on it. I look at it puzzled, saying gee, I thought I had 3 numbers. Now after watching your program, I will always wonder exactly how much I would have won. It may have just been a free ticket, but it was my free ticket, I paid for it. Now I always make sure the screen is facing me, if its not I ask the clerk to turn it around, and I always sign my tickets. Thank you for the eye opener.

Hello.

Recently, I purchased a Super7 ticket to which the clerk had retracted because he was not sure whether he had cancelled the ticket. As it turned out, he issued me a new ticket. The strange thing about the whole incident was that I could have walked away with a cancelled ticket thinking that it was valid. The situation started me thinking. How do we know if the ticket that we purchased was a valid one? Upon voicing my concern with another Super7 retailer at a different location, he took a cancelled ticket that had the cancellation stub attached and scanned the barcode. What showed up was a "not a winner" message, eventhough the draw had not taken place!! I was shocked!! Thoughts ran through my mind of the number of times that I just handed the ticket over to the retailer to check the ticket. Because I usually check my tickets two or three weeks after the draw date, I suspected that the message, "not a winner," means that my ticket did not match the winning numbers. It had never occured to me that the ticket that I paid for could have been cancelled without my knowledge. Where did the money that I had paid the ticket for go? What would happen if the ticket was a match with the winner numbers?

Lucky-Unlucky Westcoast Gal

Hello.

Recently, I purchased a Super7 ticket to which the clerk had retracted because he was not sure whether he had cancelled the ticket. As it turned out, he issued me a new ticket. The strange thing about the whole incident was that I could have walked away with a cancelled ticket thinking that it was valid. The situation started me thinking. How do we know if the ticket that we purchased was a valid one? Upon voicing my concern with another Super7 retailer at a different location, he took a cancelled ticket that had the cancellation stub attached and scanned the barcode. What showed up was a "not a winner" message, eventhough the draw had not taken place!! I was shocked!! Thoughts ran through my mind of the number of times that I just handed the ticket over to the retailer to check the ticket. Because I usually check my tickets two or three weeks after the draw date, I suspected that the message, "not a winner," means that my ticket did not match the winning numbers. It had never occured to me that the ticket that I paid for could have been cancelled without my knowledge.

Thank you for doing this news story.

A few years ago I bought a scratch and win car and cash lottery ticket from the Macs store in downtown calgary on 17th Ave and aprox. 11th St SW. I could tell that I had won something, but the ticket was somewhat confusing to me. So I thought I would go in and claim my prize, at the very least I knew it was a matching set for a some money. When I went back to claim my prize a few mornings later I asked the gentleman behind the counter to redeem my ticket for a prize he took the ticket and said I did not win anything, I then insisted that I did win something, so he kept my ticket and called someone on his store phone and spoke with them in a foreign language, so I could not tell what was said. Then he came back and offered me a free ticket, I refused and asked for my ticket back and thats all I wanted. I then begged for my ticket back but he would not give it back, it was very tough for me because I did not quite know what I had won but I would rather have keep a losing ticket instead of wondering how badly I had been ripped off. The really sad part for me was that other people in line knew that something was wrong and no one could suggest any help and the clerk just bulled me into leaving, with out my ticket. I know there is no recourse now but maybe if you shed some light on this people are less likely to steal our hope dreams and sometimes our pride from us. Its not always about the money for me it was about working hard, and sometimes when things are tough that one ticket makes it ok to hope for something more and when that hope gets damaged you carry that with you alway.

I now work for a large Oil company, and its fair that I cant win contest prizes from my company so why should lottery resellers be able to play.

Thanks again
Paul Henry

A clerk at an eastend gas station would check my ticket, I'd hear the musical tune which indicates I won something, the clerk would then ask me how much did I win; surprised at his question, I said what does the print out read, the clerks reply was, you don't know what you won.

If you got angry, the clerk would say he was only joking.

Its very simple, all print outs of a winning or loosing ticket from the terminal should be presented to the ticket holder, the ticket holder should not have to ask to view the print out, or have it flash at them from six feet away.

Its all totally unnecessary behavior on the part of some clerks.

Thanks for letting me sound off, its about time this was matter addressed.

Thanks for attempting to shine the light on what is at best glaring mismanagement and the obvious distain and callous approach that these functionaries of these public corporations have for their clients , the end
users of their Products and Services .

This is what all taxpayers have come to expect from most Government run programs or involvement in our lives . Ironically it is these kinds of operations , agencies , or other Government departments and program delivery schemes , that we as purchasers of any lottery product are hoping to escape from , with any potential Win .

Your reporting has once again shown just how vunerable and ill informed the general public is kept . The scariest phrases in the world shoud be :

" We are with the Government , and we are doing this in the best interests of you , the taxpayer ."

In my own Province of Nova Scotia , there are some very lucky former owners of corner stores , that were former retailers of lottery products , who upon winning major lottery prizes have gone on to become the local movers and shakers , the captians of industry and local development . Makes a person wonder in light of the stories coming out if those whispers and sly winks over the years had merit afterall .

Our own Provincial Lottery Corp curently spends most of its time and mouthpeice efforts extolling the virtue of
" Responsible Gaming " and would have the general public believe that the main money maker for the Corp namely VLT Machine Operations is completely random , fairly run , properly administrated and is practiced and provided for enterainment value only . That machine play returns 95% of all monies wagered to the Players in general, over time .

This magic is preported to take place and continue even though 30% of all VLT's ( some 1000 individual machines ) that had once been place in small neighbourhood Bars within the Province have been removed from public access over the last year
and at the same time the available hours of operation of all VLTs have been cut by upward of 3 hours daily
( as high as 20 % of available play time or operation ).

Since these dramatic cuts in availability of VLTs in general and the opportunity to play , have been enacted to presumably " protect the Public from developing Problem Gambling Habits " total revenues for the Lottery Corporation have only dropped 5% below the previous year's gross revenue.

The resulting loss of VLTs in the market place should have provided greater impact in the revenue stream of the Lotery Corporation if all other factors had remained as stated , but alas what has really happened is that the " odds of winning " on any given night with any given VLT have been signifiantly reduced , without notice to would be players or others , who rely on the Corporation's dis-informstion , and more Problem Gamblers are being created as they try to get the reported , advertized and expected returns , they once enjoyed .

This is merely another example of a Government operation being run for the benefit of the employees , managers , private partners , and Government Masters at the expense of , and without reguard , for the taxpayers , the user clients , or possibly the truth .

Recent articles available on the internet that are put out on "home pages" by the various manufacturers of the VLT gaming systems and equipment that over the years have serviced the Atlantic Lottery Corp indicate , that almost 1 year ago ( co-incident with responsible Gaming Stratigy development and implemention ) corporate mergers and takeovers began .

While these manufacturers where once locally owned and managed it would seem that the Main supplier of Gaming Platforms , Speilo Corp of Moncton , N.B. was acquired by a firm in the USA which in Feb 2006 only 3 months klater was itself taken over by an international Firm from Italy which reportedly controls 40% or more of the world market with respect to all lottery products ; including casino operations ; State and online lottery production ,operation and management ; not to mention VLT machine development , servicing , and other equipment and software systems ; as well as the fiancing of all these products and services .

That in and of its self should not be a problem . However if a quick read of the new supplier's web site is correct some concern might occur.

If in the report to corporate investors portion of the web site the trend and emphisis and reliance on the part of the new supplier to become involved in a direct untendered partnering arrangement ( contract ) with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation to supply all future equipment , operating systems , and tech support in exchange for a undisclosed percentage of the gross is confirmed , then the implications for any future players , taxpayers or even Government partners has been severly impinged as to fairness control or equity .

This might be an interesting take on a developing trend in the Gaming industry where a privatly held Italian Corporation becomes the "defacto" operator of a System that was for all intents and purposes was withheld from the Private sector in years past.

I can only look foward to seeing the "real story" unfold on the Fifth Estate should the producers and reporters there , find it equally interesting, intriging or un-nerving.

Why hasn't the government stepped in and called the OPP to begin investigations into these claims and also investigate the OLG itself.
They have shown a steady pattern of denile and outright lies to cover up these CRIMINAL acts. People at the OLG should lose their jobs.
Just how much did they end up paying that poor man, on top of the almost half million in court costs.
The fact that they have now put a gag order on the woman that STOLE the winning ticket tells me they are still acting improperly and still are attempting to cover things up!
For crying out loud, they've known about these things for over 10 and perhaps 20 years!
They make me sick.

There should be rules and regulations put into place with the lottery program that does not allow clerks to purchase tickets at there own location. This would eliminate many problems in itself because every lottery retailer location has a special identification number. The retailer should not be able to claim tickets from their own location. I am disgusted with what happened to Mr. Edmonds, and I am glad that he received his prize. These Retailers are putting all retailers to shame. There are a lot of honest trustworthy people out there selling tickets, and I am one of them. One of the biggest problems I have encountered is that the scratch tickets have letters on them to identify the dollar amount owed to the claimant.The non-winning tickets have triangles on them. Most customers know the value of these letters, however they dont know that the triangles can also be any prize over $200.00 I have witnessed customers scratch off the code and throw the ticket out right away because they see those triangles. I have had numerous customers tell me that they did not know about this and that they regularly throw out tickets without ever checking the ticket out thorougly. I would recommend to customers that they go to a retailer that properly displays both the customer display screen and the clerks display screen clearly for you to see. You should be able to see all their actions, and you should give them one ticket at a time. Remember to sign the back of your ticket because even if you lose your ticket in a parking lot or mall floor, nobody will be able to claim a big win without your identification. One more thing, Never Ever have a clerk run your ticket in the machine when its the same night as the draw. If the ticket is a winner, it will not ring, it will print out a piece of paper saying that the ticket is a winner but it will have to be checked the next day. Most customers are used to hearing a ring and if they dont they just walk away. Just keep these things in mind when you vaildate a ticket.

Just a correction on my previous comments,I mentioned Shiela findley instead of Julian Findley,My apologies for getting her name wrong,again a great story!Thanks

its takes a very low and shameful person to do something like this, unfortunately our planet has an abundant amount of these people its not our right to cheat someone else's good luck and fortune and make it our own. i know of a clerk who worked at the seven eleven and stole someones lotto ticket worth $500000,00 dollars in southern California back in 1989, it doesn't mater to him he doesn't care. him being caught for what he did is like me winning the lottery!anyways my job might be grease and oily but i sleep very good at night and i don't think the clerk sleeps very good at night anymore he always looked worried the next day, sad.

After all this, there are 2 conclusions to be made:
1. OLG are a bunch of cheating crooks, who have no sense of integrity and their duty to the public.
2. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY MORE OF YOUR MONEY.
And 1 questions to be asked:
1. Will the Government of Canada do the right thing and get rid of these crooks?

Thank-you for your investigative work on behalf of the public. I hope the gentleman who discovered the flaw in the tic tack toe scratch tickets will receive thanks and a gift from the OLG.
I have often wondered how the unclaimed amounts from past years has been spent, and it would be great to see a yearly record of how the OLG. uses the money, and if it does go to some good and authentic charities, is there a way to look into this?
This whole business has stopped me purchasing tickets,
good luck to all honest people,buyer beware.
Cathy

I still can't understand how the LaPlante's managed to not only dodge criminal charges, but also, profit by $100,000 for their crime. I hope the residents of the area boycott Coby Variety and any other ventures owned by the LaPlante's.

Another great show Gillian (and staff). My concern is to know where is the questioning from the Provincial Authorities who oversee this "Corporation". Maybe you could come to B.C. as there are many retailers shaking by your program. Once agian Congratulations to you and off course to Mr. Edmonds.

Enjoyed very much your program on the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corp. Way to go Bob Edmonds for standing up to big business. You are a true Canadian Hero!
Now some interesting info the Five Estate may wish to build on. Michelle Samson-Doel C.A. is a director of the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corp. She also has a cottage in Coboconk, On. As a director, I wonder if she had purchase tickets from LePlante's store...better yet I hope she or her family do not play as this would certainly be a conflict. I she disgrace on the Lottery Corp & no longer play as a result.

Being born or growing up and enjoying the services of this great country is winning the lottery in and of itself. Hence, those complaining about lottery irregularites shouldn't expect a sympathetic ear from the rest of us. The fact remains, safeguards are in place to assure safety (sign the back of your ticket), the proceeds go back into the public purse to fund social programs, and nobody is being forced to spend their disposable income on lottery tickets like so many do.
It disappoints me that the 5th Estate continues to waste its resources.

What are the repurcussions for the OLG to compesate the consumer, who like myself, now feeling like an idiot still playing and spending my money on lottery tickets that the OLG can now just cover up.
Who knows now if I have ever won on a ticket, I play at least $10-$20 a week, never knowing, obviosly before this was aired if I was ever a winner
What is the Ontario Government going to about this, or is a Class Action Lawsiut in order for the OLG.

many years ago, I already know lots of lottery-operators are ripping off customers.also,I think there are lots of corruptions inside the BCLC.I also notice some BCLC workers/employees are wearing new, nice clothes,& has new cars? lots of spending money?
I notice some gas-stations & connvience stores( like Mac, 7/11), they have a computer, directly connected to the lottery machine. everytime I buy a Keno ticket,all the info(such as serial#)is copy into their computer.
it means that they can validate/cash-in my keno ticket#.
I also know about the other dirty tricks that they are doing...TTUL...

Thank you fifth estate for revealing this scam by lottery clerks but most of all for assisting Bob in getting what he deserved. What a decent person he is and OLG should be ashamed, particularly the women that sat in front of your camera like she was doing a photo shoot and had no feeling in her heart at all. Shame on her.... Many of us will now always wonder how many times we may have been duped by these clerks - the good thing is that going forward we will check our own tickets and be watching these clerks very carefully - I know I will....

Please Fifth Estate - continue with this investigation. Dig and you will find that the Ontario Lottery Corporation (all Canadian lotteries for that matter) is the epitome of corrupt government and organized crime. Get down to it and you’ll find the OLG has very little accountability for the MEGA BILLIONS it rapes from tax payers every year through casinios, racinos, video terminals, E-bingo etc. I remember years ago checking out the OLC’s Trillium Foundation to estabish where all this money was going. They once postd accounts like $1.200 for outfitting a small town baseball team, $1,500 for new furnishings in a town bingo hall...this kind of crap. Now they simply publish big numbers beside the headings social services, arts and culture, recreation and non-profit sector. Pffffffft. Show me the money!!! I want to see real accountability for these billions. There’s our surplus. $ for Health Care, $ for Education, $ for provincial maintenance... we could have a rich and healthy province, but instead our country is run by thugs who have no interest whatsoever in benefiting anyone but their own. This is a corrupt multi billion dollar industry.

Honestly, this is a perfect example of how society has gotten complacent in an age where technology rules. Before all this new technology was in place (to thwart fraud, i might add), people would have to manually check their tickets. I hope this wakes people up to realize they shouldn't trustgtechnology and to stop being lazy. How hard is it to check 6 numbers on your own?

I just wanted to say to Shiela Findley & Staff,Excellant work!I admire your determination in helping others and not being intimitated by the CEO (Who should be fired!)and his Spokes person!He's as phony as a 3 dollar bill!Keep up the tremendous work!
Randy Haynee
Kamloops,BC.

Yes I live in Courtenay BC Vancouver Island and thinking back I got a ding and was told I didnt win anything. I know the store I went to and Im going back to talk to the owners tomorrow. I bet you I got "dinged" too oh boy Id love to know what the person won. It was a young guy that I do know, maybe early twenties at the most.
I dont believe it you trust them and hope they all have the same morrals that you do but I guess not.
Thank you for bringing this up.
Cj Harper

Lottery bad jokes continued - Have you heard the one about the former lottery official for the province of NL who now oversees freedom of information process?? !! send up any red flags folks??

Lotteries all across Canada should be very deeply investigated and scrutinized. Freedom of information should be used with public tracking as to the results, so Lottery (our governement/s) officials don't get away with withholding what should be public information.

Personal and corporate arrogance run rampant throughout the lottery industry and the attitude (stemming from realities perhaps), is that "our officials" are untouchable. The arrogance, albeit disgusting, is emboldened by the vacuum of accountability.

What a great way to add to The Fifth Estate's wonderful legacy - by initiating some real accountability for Canadians through public demand for changing of laws...
for example if the courts find wrongdoing by "her majesty" 's servants, (such as Lottery officials) - why not attach or remove pension benefits for the wrong-doers??? God knows we're paying out too many pensions to undeserving bottom dwellers already, so why continue to add to it.

Also shouldn't the crown prosecute, or at least investigate, that lady/couple that stiffed the elderly gentleman, regardless of his pressing charges or not?

My grandmother had told me that she once had a 649 with 4 numbers on it, the clerk only paid her 10 dollars, she questioned her about it, and was told there were alot of winners that week.

Normally the prize is alot higher then that. I once won 100 dollars with a 4 number match.

Does anyone know if its possible to find out if the pay out for 4 numbers has ever been that low?

My grandma is a honest hardworking lady. I fear that she was also another senior that was ripped off

If anyone from the cbc or a fellow poster would know, if its possible that the pay out for four numbers can be that low please post about it.

thanks

Mike

Investigatte BC, please! I have been buying 6/49 and BC/49 tickets for years in BC. I would ask for the non-winning ticket back, but the clerk always refused to give it to me. When I started signing my name on the back, they started giving me the ticket back without prompting, every time. Coincidence? I would love to see the Fifth Estate continue this excellent story with investigations into BC Lotto Corp's statistics of winning lottery clerks. BC probably has the second highest lottery sales in Canada, after Ontario. I'm sure that the Fifth Estate/CBC has reporters out here who could get the facts.

all i want to see is the weekly super 7 and 6/49 draws on television or even the internet just to know that there are not scamming people on those lottos ,ive looked all over and all they will say is that they meet in a room and the nubers come out of that room, seems a little shady to me.

I can see how this could be just the tip of an iceberg. I am wondering if there is any investigation by the Fifth Estate on other provinces in the country. I had an odd experience with a retailer here in Coquitlam, BC and always wondered if she may have taken my winning ticket and told me it was only worth $10. I wish now I would have just signed my ticket. It should be a security requirement that retailers show the winning amount to the customer.

Wow. What a suprise this was. I worked with a woman who lived in the basement suite of a woman who'd won one million dollars one year and one hundered thousand dollars the next year. Oddly enough, or not, this woman had gotten her tickets from her husbands gas station.

This happened about 3 years ago and the East Indian woman who won had her picture in the local newspaper, the Langley Advance. She lives in a very large house by the Langley Airport and her husband's gas station is down the street.

If you ever need to do an expose on 649 or Super 7 tickets in BC and shadey retailers this may be a place to start looking.

What I find more scandalous than the disproportionate number of retailers wining lotteries is how the OLG dealt with 82 year old Bob Edmonds all the while having and denying having in their possession, sufficient evidence to suggest a crime had been committed.

How is it that the OLG’s own expert legal advisors could not figure out that a judge would not find them lacking in due care? Then they offer up Teresa Roncon as their sacrificial lamb to defend them.

The OLG is obviously so drunk in money, think they are so untouchable, that they'll spend half a million of taxpayers’ dollars beating up an 82 year old man, a survivor of cancer, the Great Depression and two world wars. All this while the Province begs the Federal Government for more money.

In spite of the director’s apology and the insulting offer of two nights at Casino Rama, nothing short of purging the OLG of its culture of arrogance will ever restore my trust in the OLG or get me to buy another ticket. Clearly the management keeps the Director in the dark or the Director has made it clear that he doesn't not want to know.

Despite hundreds if not thousands of complaints, OLG is cemented in their irrational defense. These complaints are likely just a fraction given that the public perceives the organization as cold, impenetrable, uncaring and dismissive of public complaints. The fact that they don’t even have an email address or contact names on their web site, sends a clear message about how interested they are about public concerns.

As for unscrupulous retailers, why not simply force them to buy their tickets online. Better yet, everyone should buy online and put the retailers out of business, all together.
As for me, I’ll buy my tickets from another province

Dear Fifth Estate,

Upon viewing the two broadcasts dealing with Bob Edmond's situation. I was so happy to see Bob not give up on his fight against the people who abused him directly and in hopes of claiming what was rightfully his from the beginning. As the Elder Abuse Prevention Coordinator for the EAPC here in Sault Ste. Marie this story really was an eye opener for so many seniors here on how not only one but two individuals attempted to defraud a senior and financially abuse him for so many years. It is shocking to here Mr. Edmonds story and how the OLG dug their heels in for so many years in hopes of seeing Mr. Edmonds disappear literally. In my line of work I hear many stories of the different forms of abuse seniors are faced with at the hands of loved ones and the people they are to trust daily. In closing, I commend Mr. Edmonds and the Fifth Estate in standing up and speaking out against this horrific crime!

Respectfully submitted,

Rocco Martone

This makes me disgusted. I plan to call the OLGC and give them a piece of my mind. Retailers should NOT be able to win. That would fix the situation.

The program Fifth Estate report statistics where 1 in 10 winning scrath tickets are claimed by clerk. How much would the stats change if they were checking on relatives and friends of clerks that claim winners so that they hide the suspicion of fraud? You would be amaze at the findings!!

Dear Fith state: what I am about to tell you may will trigger you either to help me get to the bottom of this fraudalent issue or to at least have the BC 49 give us a valid explanation.

On the evening of January 7, 2006, as I was chacking the winning numbers for that night, I would say to my horror, I saw that I was holding the ticket with the two million dollars in my hands.

I tried to have a good night sleep and waited patiently for the following morning to have the ticket validated.

When I went to the save on-foods store to have the ticket validated, the machine did not make any winning sound, and the teller at the store told me that the ticket was a winner of $10.00 dollars.

Puzzled by her answer, I went out and called the 1800 number for the BC lottery, and as I was reading the numbers to the woman, I could heard that she olmost shaking, and told me that the teller must had made a mistake, then to make completely sure, she asked me to read the long line of numbers, and there is when she told me that I had only won $10.00. To my surprise, no conviced about the whole thing, I went with my fiance to get a second validation, and they had hotlined the numbers. I have the ticket with me, and if you want more details, please contact me. Yours truly, Cristina

We the viewers are puzzled by the lack of action on the part of government. It is afterall a publically owned corporation. With so many reported discrepancies and such a wall of resistance to anykind of examination,
we must conclude they have a lot more to hide.
Where are the calls for a formal investigation? Where are the RCMP or OPP? Where is the Ontario Govenment? When do we see the whole of the iceburg, not just the tip?

We the viewers are puzzled by the lack of action on the part of government. It is afterall a publically owned corporation. With so many reported discrepancies and such a wall of resistance to anykind of examination,
we must conclude they have a lot more to hide.
Where are the calls for a formal investigation? Where are the RCMP or OPP? Where is the Ontario Govenment? When do we see the whole of the iceburg, not just the tip?

Addendum- the customer screen tells you exactly what you win when the ticket is checked, no matter how much or how little it is.
Any scratch tickets under 200.00 do have certain codes, for example AA is three dollars. Most experienced players know the codes, but again many still think that double upside-down triangles are loser, which is not necessarily true, as I said before, and that is why you have to play the game.
And about the expired ticket posting, I did have someone come to me who said she had bought a ticket the week before, but when I check it, it was expired, the expiry date is on the back on all the tickets now. No expiry date, means the ticket is really old and is epired.
Finally, about 'pinpricking' if the actual CODE is scartched off, then be suspicious, but if it's the play area of the ticket that has a bit of a scratch, that's just an accident, tickets get scratched by accident all the time at my booth because we dont have plastic to cover the tickets (we sell so many it would be impractical) and alomst every single customer with a pruse or a bag puts their purse or bag DIRECTLY on the tickets! So those that you see when you buy your ticket may have been caused by you when you placed your bag on top of the ticket board.
I am writing this because I have worked there for 2 years and would NEVER cheat a customer. I know what it's like to have to work hard for a living, I work 2 jobs, and I know how I would feel if someone tried to rip me off. Also it would completly go against everything I believe in. If you come to me to check a ticket and you win big, I'll be happy for you! And I think that goes for the majority of people out there, but there are a few bad apples who ruin it for the rest of us.
Sorry these were so long, but I had a lot to say, and after I read some of the postings, that made me think of even more to say!
Thanks,
Nikki
Nikki

The OLGC's biggest mistake was not coming clean about everything, and the PR rep appeared as though it was her first day on the job. If anyone should get gassed, it's her. On the other hand, it is their job to protect our money; paying out 2x250K is not doing that. Ofcourse they went to court to fight it, or they'd have hundreds of yahoos trying the same thing. (which is probably happening as we speak) The Fifth Eastate's concentration on the OLGC rather than the real criminal -- the clerk, shows that they would rather go after a bigger story i.e. big crown corporation, than the actual criminal party. Too bad.

Considering the disingenuous character of its "leader," I suppose it shouldn't surprise us that the Ontario lottery commission excuses unethical (and in some cases, illegal) behaviour. I prefer to focus on the positive, so I'll close by stating a hope that this story and others like it, result in a leadership change that demonstrates a greater commitment to personal character, ethics, and quality public relations. I sure feel sorry for Dalton's kids at school tomorrow. That wasn't a very thoughtful posotion for him to put them in.

Hi i just want to say after i had watch this program that i am absoulte disgusted over how my people in the country are meant to commit to spam/frauds which is really disgusting. im currently 14 and in high school and even i have my rates from this. The woman that had this dispicable lie over an elder is abosolutly disgusted. Wondering that in the world, haven't the OLG ever heard of the rights of 'freedom of speech' from the UN. This story is shocking and no one should lie just to confrim that that ticket is a fruad and anything that suppose to do with scamming. Protection should be increasing more to make sure that these scams wouldn't happen again; who knows that someone like is going to be the next victim.

I would like to relate my story about less than honest lottery terminal clerks.I took a bunch of tickets to a terminal to be ckecked out. The clerk informed my that there were no winners.When I returned to my vehicle I realized that I had included some tickets that were for a draw the following friday. When I returned and asked for my discarded tickets ,the clerk sheepishly took them out from under the counter. Not from the garbage can. Enough said. Al puerzer

This report should center on the stupidity of the general public rather than the OLG. Would you hand your wallet over to a stranger asking them how much you have in there? No? Well, don't hand over your lottery ticket either. Typical "american" mentality -- blame someone else for your own negligence. This society needs to take responsibilty for its' own actions.

Honesty is not always applauded nor do I think it will be this time.Seems to me that if you play you don't win you pay.The price that people like Bob Edmonds has paid
as an honest Canadian is shameful.How that bitch could cheat an old man is absolutely disspicable.All Canadians from Newfoundland to B.C. should bycott the Ontario Gaming
Co.operation for a couple months to give them a taste of their own medicine.There's a thought!

Honesty is not always applauded nor do I think it will be this time.Seems to me that if you play you don't win you pay.The price that people like Bob Edmonds has paid
as an honest Canadian is shameful.How that bitch could cheat an old man is absolutely disspicable.All Canadians from Newfoundland to B.C. should bycott the Ontario Gaming
Co.operation for a couple months to give them a taste of their own medicine.There's a thought!

I work at a lottery booth and I want to let everyone know 2 things.
Firstly, I buy way more scratch tickets now than I did before, and when I do get a job in my chosen proffession, I know I will buy a lot less.
Secondly, when you buy a ticket PLAY IT! so many people just scratch off the code and when they see the upside down triangles, they throw it out ANYTHING OVER $200.00 IS THE EXACT SAME SYMBOL! IT IS NOT THE TRIANGLES TURNED RIGHT SIDE UP! I used to think it was because on the info that the OLC sends us, they show that the winning tickets have to triangles the other way around, but when I won 1000.00 last year (from a tickets that I bought legally) it was the EXACT SAME SYMBOL AS THE LOSING TICKETS! I tell this to all customers who bring me a ticket that has not been fully scratched.
However, it is not our job to check all you non-wining scarthc tikets, when you buy the ticket you need to PLAY IT! It is not my job to check all your tickets that have the triangles because you are too lazy to scartch them. The point of scratch is to have fun while playing, and hopefully to win money. If I were to check all the tickets that have the traingles, I wouldn't be able to sell any tickets, I'd be too busy.
It is your responsibility to check ALL tickets you buy, before we validate them, either by scartching them and playing the game, or checking your numbers online or in the paper or from a printout at a lottery booth. You also need to sign the back of all your tickets, I would recommend doing it when you buy the tickets, so that if you lose them, or your wallet or purse gets stolen, no one can claing any big prize that you might win.
Thank you,
Nikki

Dear 5th Estate: After reviewing part two of your follow up series on Lotta Fraud I was outragged to say the least. The level of fraud at the OLG and Retail level is massive to say the least. I'm surprised some of the larger supermarket chains in Ontario have not be mentioned in your story as of yet, do they not sell lottery ticketsfor the OLG . Futhermore,I'm hoping a managerial shuffle at the OLG is in order. Congrads on such a fine story and investigative follow-up. After watching your show tonight, it occured to me as well perhaps other irregularies are happening in other Provinces with lotteries. I'm sure this story has Canadians concerned about safety when purchasing Lottery tickets through-out Canada and not just in Ontario. Has the 5th Estate had compliants from viewers in other provinces since airing this story and if so, are you going to report on other possible findings.Guys I believe the viewer has a right to know, this is too big a story to stop now.
Finally, I have promised myself never ever to purchase another Lotto ticket from the OLG, plain and simply,I have no faith in their creditablitly or the integrity of the Corporation, it looks like they have alot to hide.
Concerning Mr Edmonds, did he finally receive all of his winning or just part of it..You reported tonight that he received $150,000 from the fired store clerk, however is he still intitled to an additional $100,000 from the OLG.

Approximatly 8/12 yrs ago i was living in Scarbourough ontario at 2265 victoria pk.I was stuggling at that time and despretly seeking finacial gain hoping on the lottery. played 6/49 and super seven
yet had a liking to nevada tickets and bingo's i purchased many of them from bros convienence when joe ran the store.he was of asian decent i thought what to be a friendship between customer and store keeper was really good and trusted him. i had purchased a ticket bingo to be exact and scratched the code area first and saw the #'s and a triangle followed by a snowflake
never seeing this befor i asked him what it was he said to me that any ticket carring the triangle was a loser and he took it and through it in the garbage.
i was so used to losing that i never thought twice about it until one day i was at parkway bowl and karen held out the sheet of paper that showed all code amounts
and what there values were
i new right away that i was scammed by that store and a friend that i thought was a friend.this is about a year and a half since i saw that but it hit me like a bus
i was scammed
i returned to the store yet joe was never to be found i thought he sold it and got out and 6 months later i see another bros store in thornhill i went in with hope to see joe and tell him what i saw and how he took my ticket and threw it in the garbage and lied to me. giving up on this ticket and joe now i hear the horror stories that are upon us and our retailors. is it possible to go back in the lottery corperation and pull snowflake winners and find out if the store on victoria park and ellesmere rd (bros convienence)i called it brothers yet what bothers me the most is that i would buy ciggerettes with loose change mostly penny's at that time and nearly 3 weeks later from that moment joe bought a new caddilac white to be exact 4 door sedan
and i went in and said to him nice car and payed him with change again for ciggerettes and asked for a bingo ticket free ticket of coarse then another loser. i am glad that the fifth estate had taken action and enough was way to much of retailor's stealing from the public.in order to stop this crime a different code must be hand entered into the machines or security bar code within the play area that would destroy the ticket from selling. but i would love to know if this guy who owned the store and if he or his wife claimed a bingo ticket 8 - 10 yrs ago
all venders should be acounted for when they fraud no matter how long ago and that all should be punished
and if the gameing corperation keeps all winners with snow flakes will my fingerprints be on that ticket ty for reading and would love to hear back and what your thoughts are on what i tell you this day of november 22 2006
ps: i could have used what ever winnings i may have won at that time and i still could use the winnings i chaulk it up to lesson learned now but if you could talk with the corperation cause i am certain they would give you more information then i will ever get.
Thank-You very much
Cyril Delaney

My comment is about Bill Butler the airport securities screener. Its seems to me that there is a very serious security problem within Canadian Airports, but I don't think this was a big secret to anyone who has recently travelled in Canada or USA. Bill was taking a very dangerous step by appearing on tv and revealing the lack of security at the airport. I think CBC and the fifth estate should assist Bill in finding a new job because without him you would not have had your story. I think its safe to say that everyone who was involved with producing this story knew that he would pay dearly for your ratings. He may not have realized that his job would be lost but it was evident to me during the interview that the fifth estate was aware. I'm sure there was a way to have Bill Butler on the show telling his tale but without revealing his true identity. I believe that serious thought should be given to this suggestion. Perhaps Bill should be proactive and create a strategy to combat and prevent security breaches. I'm sure there is a security positions within the CBC organization that could be filled by Bill Butler.

Many years ago, I worked in a gas station in British Columbia that sold lottery tickets. Another employee and myself discovered a way to win on a two dollar scratch ticket called 'spin of fortune'. The tickets came in a long strip folded over into a stack - every fourth ticket was a winner. For a maximum of eight dollars we would buy one ticket at a time until we found the winner, then buy every fourth ticket in the stack. While what we did was not right, I think the Lottery Corporations should put more effort to ensure that there is no way a couple kids barely 20 can figure out how to make money while at the same time ensuring that everyone who bought a 'spin of fortune' ticket at that store did not win a thing.

Please run your program again and again until everyone has seen it. I only caught part of both programs and would be very interested in a special showing of them back to back, well publicized in the papers too so more and more will see. Maybe we should refuse to buy the tickets until a major change in made. Most Corporations who run contests do not allow employees or members of their families to win the prizes. Retailers should not be allow to even play.

Congratulations to the Fifth Estate. The perfomance of the CEO, his "PR" person, the lady who was represented as the PR person in the earlier programme and particularly the "Security Personnel" in tonight's segment was absolutely disgraceful! Don't these people realise that the they are employed by PUBLIC MONEY and that they are responsible to the public. Obviously not and so I think they all be replaced.

I understand that the lotteries are attractive but we must all understand that some people will always try and beat the system - including the operators' representatives.

LET US ALL STOP PLAYING THESE GAMES UNTIL THAT CLOWN IN THE BEST OFFICE AT QUEEN'S PARK SHOWS SOME LEADERSHIP AND SORTS OUT THE MESS AT OLG OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED TODAY! I'm not going to hold my breath - I may miss my ticket!

Three Cheers to Bob Edmonds and Fifth Estate! Hopefully these investigative research episodes will lead Ontatio Lottery and Gaming to run an open, honest and transparent operation. Interestingly, the last story of the evening was also about transparency, or lack there of. Duncan Brown, CEO, Ontario Lottery should seriously consider hiring Bill Butler, the displaced airport security officer. I believe Bill has qualities that could help OLG investigate and correct their retailer problems and ultimately regain the public's trust.

The new smaller self-check devices being installed at lottery retailers DO NOT check scratch tickets. Why is this? I think most of the fraud is with those scratch tickets because alot of people - seniors especially - don't actually play the bigger games like crosswords etc through to the end and if they see the double triangles they think they've lost but those 2 triangles also mean the top jackpot prize !!!!!!!!

Don't get me started on my why here in Ontario we have to pay $2 for 1 Super 7 ticket and 2 qp's, whereas in Quebec they pay $2 for all 3 lines they choose.

Way to go Fifth Estate. I applaud you seeking the truth for Canadians. I have long suspected the OLG was flawed on so many levels. To the gentleman in Coboconk involved in a 5 year fight with the lottery corp. You have my utmost respect, and I applaud your courage and determination. I am just sorry you got only a portion of the money and the ones who stole from you benefited. A truly unfortunate commentary on our society.As for the lottery corp, I have decided to boycott. I will play no more lotteries, not like I ever won anyway, and I can see better ways of giving to charity. I do this not because the lottery corp is flawed and not even because retailers lie and steal, I boycott because of the way this whole situation was handled. From the way they dealt with that sweet old timer in Coboconk by forcing him to take them to court when they knew he was right, but also because of there duck and run behaviour. Instead of facing the media and the public long ago and admitting freely the problem, they dodged the media and the truth. Typical of gov run ops and I am sickened by it all. Please, I implore others to publicly speak out and boycott as well. Only then will the behaviour and shadyness stop as they see the losses in revenues. Fifth estate, could you help in getting the message out to boycott the OLG?
P.S.
Thank you for not backin down Fifth Estate and CBC. You have my respect and my dedicated viewership from this moment on.
William

Thank you for continuing to pursue this disgusting matter. The arrogance of the OLG personnel you've presented is astounding. It's hard to believe that the Premier hasn't already caused some of those heads to roll---it's not yet too late Mr. McGuinty!

I'm all in favour of Andre Marin doing an investigation so that all these goings on may be revealed.

It's very unsettling that the likely thousands of honest ticket buyers who should have won from the scratch tickets haven't, and they'll never know will they?

I would like to hear from the clerk who stole Mr. Edmond's ticket. Please continue to follow this matter.

Being from a small town, many retailers don't even have the lottery machine and you recieve your winnings (off instant scratch tickets) by the clerk reading off his/her chart of your barcode letters to your corresponding prize amount.

I just also discovered that the commong "traingle triangle" symbol in the bar code refering to a losing ticket can easily mistaken for the REVERSED "triangle triangle" symbole for a +$200 ticket.

I just find it odd how the OLG has such a problem with trust from retailers, yet there own codes for losing and winning tickets can be so easily mistaken for one another, especially with large prize amounts at stores without the machines.

The focus shouldn't stop with this story. I'm having a hard time understanding why the general public hasn't been notified that all super 7, and 6/49 lotteries are not random. The lottery commision has contolled where the money goes every draw for years now. Computers can easily calculate what combinations are available. This information, coupled with the lottery holding on it's computer base ALL purchased combinations, make it easy to decide whaere they want the money to go.

Ever ask why the price went from $1 to $2 per ticket?

There were too many combinations being played resulting in less control. The $2 ticket price reduces played combinations and gives the lottery more control of what combinations will be applied to what draw.

Ever notice there are no live draws? Ever ask why?
The lottery commision has more control than people know.

Theory proven...or should I say leaked......

I wonder why bingo's have not been investigated. I have written to the Gaming Commission several times in the recent past with complaints on how often there are repeat winners each night at our local bingo hall since it was taken over by the OLG.
My complaint although answered by a letterfrom the OLG thanking me for my concerns, did not deal with the situation , just asked me to repeat again what I had already told them in my letter to them and my emails.Told me it is a game of chance but if I have concerns speak to the manager of the hall.

I only go to the bingo once a week but on each Thursday I go I can pick out at least 5 people who will be winners, and since they put in their computer "teds" there was one machine in particular paid off 7 times in one session. So much for the game of "chance". It appears to be a known situation as the "teds" in question are in great demand.
I find even at the Gananoque Casino since taken over by the OLG , the winners are few and far between. Very noticable to many patrons.
Perhaps you could review this area ?

I had been cheated with instant lottery because of my misunderstood of the game. I made picture of this kind of ticket and there is NO indication whatsoever on theses kind of ticket on how much symbol are hidden. I scratch 8 and there were 9. but there were a second game on the ticket and I won a free ticket. what tip me off is that the machine beeped twice and since I have no experience at lottery, I thought it was normal. I even joke at the clerk, saying: so when this beep like that, it mean I win a LOT? ... this at that time was supposed to be a joke because I was sure I only won a free ticket on the second game. But your Tv story made me think. Loto Quebec should be responsable on writing complete and detailed information about each game. and the worse thing, when I tried to complain about it, first there is NO PHONE NUMBER anywhere on the ticket to call them. I didn't find any either on their web site, and after I sent them email, they never even told me: 'we've receive your email'
Loto Quebec should really be forced to put more security on their lottery.

A simple way to stop this is check your own tickets your self, read the scratch off rules and prize levels.

P.S. TRUST NOBODY!

It is a sad day when a reporter following up on a significant public interest story about gaming incidents at OLG is escorted out of the corporation and threatened with arrest for trespassing if she returns. This is a government organization that should embrace transparency and clamor at the opportunity to demonstrate that to the public! One would expect this type of behavour on National television from a "fly by night" operation, not a organization accountable to the Government and ultimately the people of Ontario!! Shame on OLG.

I too was a victim of a clerk trying to steal my winnings. It was for only $ 10.00 but needless to say it's still a crime. This event happen in Winnipeg, MB around 1993. I knew I had a 649 Lotto ticket that was a winner. I checked the numbers in the newpaper prior to taking it to the store for payment. I went to the corner gas station/convience store and asked to have my ticket checked. I didn't say to the clerk that I knew it was a $ 10.00 winner. The young male clerk fed it in the lotto machine and said to me that it wasn't a winner. I was surprised and told him to try it again as I knew it was a winner. He fed the ticket into the machine and then said, yes, you have won $ 10.00. Ever since then I felt that this type of stealing by all ages was happening all across the country.

This other event happened around 1996.

I often think of the corner store clerk in Dartmouth, NS who won $ 7,000,000. The store was called Dorey's store on Prince Edward Street. I often think that this was more than coincidence.

I have been following your story on Luck of the Draw about lottery fraud. There has been so much said about
dishonest clerks and retailers that I felt we needed to
hear about the honest retailer/clerk.
I purchased 3 $1.00 bingo scratch tickets and thought that they were all losers and was going to throw them away. The retailer said he would be happy to check them for me and said you never know they may be winners. He was right and I won $50.00. These were purchased at
The Book Store in Castlegar B.C. and the Retailers name was Peter. I was very surprised and happy to find a truly honest person.

It is my understanding, from speaking with charity casino employees, that they are not allowed to place bets of any kind at any OLG casino.

First-anyone who handles OLG products or operates OLG on-line equipment be made an employee of the OLG and thereby be prevented from gambling or playing any games of chance controlled by OLG.

Any existing retailers or their employees who object let them quit! I'm sure there are others who don't gamble would gladly take those jobs!

As for myself I like to play the games of chance-if it's honest-thereby preventing me from working for OLG!

Great story abou OLG.The big corporations always try to
sweep stories like this under the rug. I also know that
the big banks will do the same thing. A friends grandfather was riped off for more than $100.000.00 and
the employee was just fired. The incedent was never investigated and everything was hushed up. After being paid back some of the money my friends mother was made to sign a document that she would not come back for more money or speak to anyone else or bring charges to the employee or the bank.

I feel it was very wrong and ignorant for a woman to take advantage of an elderly man the way she did. Not because he is an elderly man, but because no one deserves that treatment. Then to stand in front of a camera and say she didn't steal the ticket just tops the cake. If that was me, and I didn't steal the ticket, then I would be putting up a pretty big fight before handing over $150,000. As far as I am concerned, a leopard never changes their spots. Once a theif, always a theif. And I seriously hope that no one makes the mistake of getting close to or trusting that woman again.
As for Mr. Edmonds, I am glad he never gave up the fight, and was able to share his experience with us all. It was a big eye opener, and just goes to show, you are never safe when it comes to issues like this. Mr. Edmonds is a strong man and deserves a lot of recognition and apologies from OLG for the trauma he has had to experience throughout his battle. There is clearly some issues in the management of OLG and that needs to be looked into.
I sincerely hope that this never happens to anyone ever again.
Thank you Fifth Estate for assisting Mr. Edmonds and working so hard to get needed answers for everyone.

Why does it "Appear" that OLGC Scratch and Win tickets do not have nearly the amount of both small med and large winning tickets we used to see a couple years ago? Could this problem be tied to the same LOW amount of even small jackpots one might see at all of Ontario's Casino's nowadays? I think one would be kidding themselves to think that the Corruption in OLGC (Ontario's Legalized Gaming Crooks) OLG or whatever they want to call themselves goes much deeper and higher into both the company themselves and it's Provincial/Federal Government Regulators. The lowly store clerk makin a few thousand bucks is only the start, but as we seen on tv, when a corrupt bunch have something to hide, they act just as they did! Ignorant bunch of bast$#ds treating the public like that in a PUBLIC place like olgc hq, they should all be re-employed to the front lines of afghanistan, but again, we have good honourable people doing that job, these scum and corrupt bunch deserve Far from what ever they'll get. Palms Will be Greased, and Shredders are Runnin Full Tilt somewhere out in OLGC land! WAKE UP CANADA!!!

I was horrified to see your documentary , but, not surprised at how the government handles cover ups in this country. I was outraged at the way you were told to leave a property that is funded by tax payers money. That property IS NOT private, but being funded by Canadian taxpayers and that alone is reason enough to deem it PUBLIC property. All the staff's salaries, including the C.E.O.'s, comes from taxpayers money and they should be held accountable and stand to answer ANY questions the public may have.
I suggest that anytime anyone goes to check a ticket, that they insist they are given the print out from the computer and their ticket whether they hear bells or not. In this way one can a.) check their winning amount and b.) check that their actual ticket number is the same as the one on the print out.
In the past I took the vendors word that my ticket either was not a winner, or, had won the amount which the vendor verbally told me.
Although, I beleive, that now all winning tickets have to be signed, irrelevant of the amount one has won, one can still be ROBBED of the actual amount. Vendors can payout a certain amount on site, so if you have won an amount upto this limit one may be told that they only won a free ticket and still be out the differance, yet, you have signed the back of the ticket.
When checking your ticket at ANY OLG representative/agent/counter:INSIST ON GETTING THE PRINT OUT FROM THE COMPUTER AND DOUBLE CHECK THAT THE TICKET NUMBER ON THE PRINT OUT MATCHES YOUR TICKET NUMBER (ESPECIALLY IF YOUR TICKET NUMBER IS ENTERED MANUALLY INTO THE COMPUTER), and CHECK YOUR PRIZE/PAYOUT AMOUNT.
As my better half suggests a VERY GOOD IDEA would be that the OLG set up scanners at all their retail outlets so that the public my scan their own tickets or punch their own ticket numbers in. If a ticket is a winner, the person would present the print out slip to the retailer for their prize. Simple, efficient and secure.

With clerks stealing, scratch tickets found to be faulty, obvious cover up in the OLG. All this talk of cheating prompts me to comment on the "Super 7" game played across Canada. (The same game Bob played when his Encore won him $250,000.)

Did you know, the OLG run "Super 7" is not really fair as you would think? Yes, another issue added to the list. We have all used the game slip at the lottery outlet and you can select your own numbers only for the first line. 2 Quick Picks forced on us without a choice. Well, if you travel east of Ontario, you can select your own numbers for ALL 3 LINES for the SAME $2.

Since Super 7 is a national game, you would expect the same game conditions across the nation making it fair for all players. Sadly, this is not possible for us in Ontario. We are OLG disadvantaged. I don't play "Super 7" here in Ontario for this reason alone. I have friends able to get more choice in a $2 play.

I'd like to commend The Fifth Estate for another excellent and informative report!Shame, Shame !!!!on OLG
Fire them ALL!!!We are NOT buying any more Lottery from OLG.The Pathetic management is probably sharing the winings with some of the retailers?!?!
They make me sic!

This story brought back my concerns over ticket valadations. Some years ago, I cashed in a 649 lotto ticket, not knowing if it was a winner or not. The cashier took my ticket, turned her back to me, and a few seconds later, turned back to me and handed me a $10 bill and said congratulations. I remember frowning but said, hey, it's $10 bucks. After a few minutes and quite a few steps away, I wondered why I didn't get a slip with my $10 bucks. I kept on walking, must have been in a hurry. Little did I know that 10 years later, it still haunts me. How much money did I get cheated out of? I 100% feel it was a whole lot more. I have been telling this story ever since whenever the topic comes up. Now I make sure I check my ticket on-line first, and if it is a scrach & win, make sure I put my name on the back before I take it in to be checked and I get my slip whether it is a winner or not. They should have on-line checking for scrach & win tickets too.

I have played super 7 lottery since it first came out and never thought there to be a problem with my wins or losses.It has been the only lottery tickets I have played. A few months back. I had went into our local Mac's Milk store, and asked them to check my ticket because I knew I had won .Myself and my husband had both watched the draw the night before and also knew we had 6 numbers on the ticket which we took in.We took in 7 tickets total that day, with small wins even on the encores. The same clerk who always faithfully sold, checked and paid out winnings to me was not working.The clerk which was there, stated I had no wins at all on the tickets which I had taken in.I was shocked because we knew we had winning numbers. The clerk did not appear to have ran this particular ticket through to validate, to which I requested my tickets all back. He appeared to be ripping them up at the far side of the lottery machine and stated he didn't have to return them to me because they were now garbage.I was qite upset when I got home and told my husband about this. Now after a few months gone by and might I add , new management now also, I question how much money that clerk actually got from cashing in my winnings that day.
Too say the least, my biggest mistake was not going on my first instinct of thinking something was strange that day I walked into that store and my regular clerk was no where to be found,and the clerk who was there was giving me a weird feeling. My main mistake was not signing the back of my tickets when I took them in that day.
A word of warning. To all: Sign ALL your tickets, big or small. Make photocopies of all tickets before taking them anywhere. For your own protection. Do not take anyone for granted. If they can scam you they will.

I am outraged at the lotto ont. execs & partic. its ceo as shown on yr 22nov. 5th estate program. Their behavior is the worst kind of blatant,arrogant,protect-your-butt bureaucratic cowardice ( incl. the gag orders they are throwing around) and refusal to do the right things. That ceo needs to be called on the carpet by his superiors, dressed down ("What were you thinking???!!!) and replaced. (Where are the Ont. Govt officials in all this? The premier sounds like george bush re. the hurricane katrina fiasco & the head of FEMA - "You're doing a great job Brownie.") It's embarrassing.) The lotto corp. behavior towards the cbc journalists whom they turfed off their property and threatened was outrageous. They should be ashamed of themselves. ( partic. the so-called p.r. rep. who instigated this.) IT'S OUTRAGEOUS!!!
DOUG SCOTT
tORONTO

Lottery Fraud

I did not see your first broadcast but watched the November 22,2006 episode. I was in tears listening to the gentleman named Bob who finally got his winnings from the OLG. This is an absolute travesty especially for the OLG to deny any wrongdoing for over 5 years, be it Bob or any other decent citizen.

We, the public, by purchasing tickets/scratch games from the OLG, sometimes with our last loonie or twoonie now have to say to oursleves 'there was this time(s) when the clerk never showed me my ticket, winner or not', and now can I trust these retail outlet clerks.

When the C.E.O. refuses to discuss any allegations with such an astute institute as the Fifth Estate, says a whole lot. Please keep us updated with your investigation because at least we can trust the CBC Fifth Estate to be forthcoming.

I will think twice now before I buy a ticket or scratch game from the OLG. Maybe we should all think twice.

Thank you,

Patti Chevers

A few years ago I was in the habit of purchasing a scratch and win ticket weekly in a Scarborough mall newsagent. I noted that the helpful storeowner, who always reviewed my numbers, sometimes would put the "worthless" ticket neatly in a drawer containing some others. To save messing up the garbage can, one could only assume. One day, I reviewed this with my co-workers, who assured me that I had had sufficient numbers for a small win that day. I returned to the store - where I was paid my $10.00, after I identified the drawer, and asked to review its contents!

I had been convinced previously that two or three small wins were worthless - and those tickets had been placed into that drawer also. By each week's end, this must have added up to reasonable pocket-money!

I have known for many years that I was scammed. I used to ask my friends "what's worse than losing your ticket ?" The answer" going to check your ticket after one beer too many" In a nutshell, I really did hear bells going off. About a month later, New owners, no doubt waiting their turn

Iam intrigued by your story about OLG, but also have been a victim of retailer scam. Big deal it might of been $10 or $5 on a 649 or super 7 or even free play tickets but the probblum does exist and i'll bet i'ts province wide. My solution to OLG'S problem is this. Q? Do they not run the casinos in this province? Well lets see in this casino here in windsor they have a mini kiosk called EZ PAY why can they not work that into the retail market ???? They already have ATM,s everywere so why don't they split the revenue that the atm's are all ready paying to the retalers and inslall EZ Pay machines with a self sccan ticket machine or (price check scanner like the retailers)
At least customers will be able to self check out
Thanks John Ouellette Windsor N8T-3L4

'

I have concerns with the information that is being reported about "the store clerks". its been made to sound like every person working behind a counter is out to rip people off. This is not the case and something should be said for the good, honest, hard working people there are out there. I manage 4 local multi-stores in my city wich all sell lotto tickets. My staff are trained on the rules of the olg, we have terminals with screens that face the customers to show them what the have won. A lotto rep. comes and checks the machine regularly and i am sure that they would notice if the machine had been tampered with.
I am very sory for what some "bad apples" have done to their customers but not all store clerks are criminals out to rip you off. Please do not treat them like they are!!!!!!

I just finished watching your show on Lottery scams. This just happened to me on Monday night Nov 20, 2006. I drive taxi in Whitby and I stopped to check my 649 tickets at a store and after it was checked the person said it was not a winner and I did not here the machine go off. I play the same numbers every week but at this time I asked for my tickets back but decided to wait till Tuesday night or Wenesday to replay them. On Tuesday night I stopped at a different store to get my tickets for Wenesday nights draw. I handed my ticket over to the clerk and asked to replay my ticket for me and asked to have it checked. I know I already had it checked the night before but something told me to have it checked again so I did. You will not beleive it but the machine sung away and I had won $20.00. I wonder now why the other place said I did not win. I beleive alot of places the lottery machine is in a spot where you can not always see what they are doing. They could have a ticket sitting beside the machine that they know is not a winner and put it through hopping the customer won't asked for it back and they can check it later when their is nobody else around.

I find all of this laughable at best. If anyone is to blame its the dummy that doesnt sign their own ticket!
I mean how stupid does someone have to be?

I have never won any amount of money on a lottery ticket, but I am writing to say I worked for a mom and daughter lottery booth where I believe there was some dishonesty in regard to customer tickets, and I got to know each and everyone of our customers on a first name basis, I felt terrible that these older people were being ripped off...When I confronted my boss, I was set up and fired for fraud and theft under 5000. They got rid of me in the blink of an eye, and they still operate the same ticket stand in a mall, whether they still do this I'm not sure, they never really ripped off large amounts so they were never caught. I would only tell my story if my identity and voice would be conceiled because I have been in two years of hell because of the fabricated charges. I have lost 2 years of my life......the Retailer has won this round....

I just wanted to share my experience with a suspicious retailer selling lottery tickets in Montreal. Much like the case in the initial Fifth Estate report the store employees seemed very friendly. One day I was going to bring in a few lottery tickets (lotto 694’s) to check them at the store, but I figured I would check them online first. I found that one was a winner for a small amount, something like 10$, but when I brought the tickets in the clerk swiped them and said they were both losers. I should have asked for the original tickets back, but at the time it didn’t cross my mind.

There are two things that make me very frustrated about this. First there is no way to check your own ticket at this outlet, or any other that I know of in Montreal. The clerk and the machine is not fully visible behind his counter, thus making it quite easy for him to substitute my ticket for a losing one. Second, I recently found out that this retailer was caught by the police for stealing consumer debit card information and charging them.

I'm not sure what the process is for checking to ensure retailers are credible, but wouldn’t it make sense to suspend the right to sell lottery tickets if an issue was raised regarding a retailer’s credibility such as in the case of the debit card charges.

ABOUT A YEAR AGO I HAD A WINNING TEN DOLLAR SUPPER 7 TICKET I HAD CHECKED MY #S AT HOME. THE CLERK CHECKED IT AND SAID NOT A WINNER I ASKED FOR IT BACK WENT ACROSS THE STREET AND WON TEN BUCKS I CALLED THE OLGC AND TOLD THEM. NEVER TO HEAR FROM OLGC AGAIN. WEEKS LATER I TOLD THE OWNER OF THIS STORE. THE YOUNG MAN DOES NOT WORK THEIR ANYMORE. NEW SCAM PRETO-CAN POINTS. ONE DAY I DID NOT HAVE MY CARD SO I PAID WITH CASH AS I WAS WAITING IN THE STORE THE CLERK SCANNED A PETRO CAN CARD THEN RANG UP MY SALE SHE HAD JUST TAKEN MY POINTS AND PUT IT ON HER CARD AS IF SHE BOUGHT THE GAS THE CARD IS HIDDEN IN A PACK OF GUM AT THE TILL I CALLED PETRO-CAN. THEY GAVE ME THE POINTS FROM THE CASH SALE VERY EASLY IT MUST HAPPEN ALOT

Dear Fifth Estate,

Let me first send my warmest Regards to the man who had the power to stand all this pressure, regardless of his age, and bring out a tone of warms. Second I want to gongratulate you for following this case so well! The OLG had no right to ask you to step out of a building which is supported with millions of public funds. But;
... to end my story allow me to tell you that I was victimized as well by a Somalian gas station employee at a Shell Gas Station across from Toronto Pearson Int. Airport where I work. I lost something that I don't have ... that's how I see it. It happened in a away that I had no proof to return. 5 numbers in 6/49 and 4 numbers in super 7 and all I received=== $23.00 Many times prior to that I had winner tickets but I was told sorry this is not a winner ticket. I think this Organization should change the interpretation of OLG in what really fits their style ...
Anonymous

Dear Fifth Estate,

Iwatched your program Wed. Nov/22/06. It would appear that I may have something worth investigating furthur.
It involves the now discontinued Provincial Lottery.
I purchased many of these tickets back when they were very popular. Like the gentleman featured on tonights
program in regards the Tic Tac Toe tickets I encountered something very curious about these tickets(Provincial) that relates to all the major prize winning numbers.You will find this very interesting if it is still possible to get this information. Pls. contact me if interested in pursueing furthur. Harry.G.

What I would like to know is what law firm was in charge of the Edmons file--they must have realized right from day one that they couldn't win in court
Why is it then that they dragged it out for so many years and then settle out of court and have the nerve to charge $420,000.00 for the work that they say they did in their investigation--the goverment should make sure that OLG never uses that firm again and attempt to get some of that 420 thousand dollars back

I am a Manager of a retail store and I am getting sick of hearing these reports of retail clerks frauding their customers. I have heard all the stories now and we are all being made out as thiefs and this is not true. We are not a whole. My company has strict rules about the staff (including me the manager) playing any lottery or pull tab games while we are working. If we deviate from this it could mean automatic dismissal. I have had customers in the past leave their tickets with me to check and come back and get them. Most of us have received a repore with our customers and these reports are making all of us look guilty. Does anyone remember someone in the summer from the OLG win a huge amount of money. Maybe the clerks win more is because its infront of them. I play myself both scratch and online tickets and guess what I am still working for minimum wage. Give us a break please..

It was great to see the head of the OLG squirm to the questions put to him by the interviewer. The sheer arrogance of the staff to throw your rep out of it's headquarters proves that nothing has changed! What I don't understand is why he still has his job. If I was to severely screw up in my job I would be fired on the spot. What I find far worse than the scamming by these dishonest clerks, is the fact that these morons who are supposed to be working for the people of Ontario are trying to cover it up! Everyone who has a position of management in that organization should be disciplined or fired! Thank you Fifth Estate for doing this article and thank you bob Edmunds.

One effective method to eliminate winning tickets being fraudulently “taken” from clients would be to either have a self-serving lottery verification machine available to all clients. If judged acceptable, this machine could offer a claims receipt (with a security code) once the ticket was confirmed a winner which could then be presented (along with the winning ticket) anywhere lottery tickets are sold to claim the prize. This machine would also add valuable time to store clerks in order for them to make more sales than to verify (especially) non-winning tickets.

If the above is too costly, another less-costly method would be to have a two-way screen added to all verification machines which would permit clients to visually see the same results the clerk is observing on his side of the counter as he/she is checking the validity of the lottery ticket.

In Quebec, the only preventive action I know of is a specific tune which is heard once a ticket is confirmed a winner. However, I was told by different clerks that the identical sound is heard for all prizes (thus the same if the prize is a 2.00$ or 1,000,000.00$!).

OLG is not a private business. It is a compnay run by the tax payers money. Should the taxpayers not get full disclosure (all the answers)?
Why was the woman who stole the money from the poor fellow in Coboconk not forced to pay it ALL back to him. Why did she get to keep $100,000. Why is she not in jail? Why were they both under "gag" orders.?
Shame on her and shame on the OLG.
I will no longer be buying lottery tickets

Hi there last month I bought 14 Scratch Tickets betwwen Bingo Crossword and Cash for Life and out of
14 tichets I won only 2 out of the 14 Scratch Tickets that was just Brutal so I was upset so I called up the OLGC and told them that I just bought 14 tickets and only won 2 out of 14 and all the girl told me was that happens that I just bought a batch of bad tickets and also some stores i go and buy Tickets the owner of the store will pick out the tickets for me and that really bothers me

I am a Manager of a retail store and I am getting sick of hearing these reports of retail clerks frauding their customers. I have heard all the stories now and we are all being made out as thiefs and this is not true. We are not a whole. My company has strict rules about the staff (including me the manager) playing any lottery or pull tab games while we are working. If we deviate from this it could mean automatic dismissal. I have had customers in the past leave their tickets with me to check and come back and get them. Most of us have received a repore with our customers and these reports are making all of us look busy. Does anyone remember someone in the summer from the OLG win a huge amount of money. Maybe the clerks win more is because its infront of them. I play myself both scratch and online tickets and guess what I am still working for minimum wage. Give us a break please..

I work in a convenience store, and, the day after the first broadcast about the lottery scams, I had *at least* four people flat-out refuse to let me check their lottery tickets because they told me they didn't trust me.

The idea of cheating someone out of their winnings was and IS completely Greek to me - I never would have thought of doing something like that in a million years, nor did I think that others would do anything like that. Being lumped in with these dishonest people is rather disheartening, to say the least.

My point is this: I am tired of being accused, or otherwise suspected of stealing or cheating someone out of their lottery winnings - It's one thing to not be trusted, but when you're being accused of theft? Myself, and the owners of the store I work in, do not appreciate this in the least. For what it's worth - This problem did not exist until your broadcast aired.

Educating the public on something like this is a great thing, but making them automatically distrust us because of a few dishonest people isn't.

As for the 1 in 10 number referring to how many jackpots are won by retailers - How many hours a day does the retailer spend in their establishment? How many minutes a day are the lottery-playing customers there? I'm not saying that there are NO dishonest retailers out there, but look at it from our side.

I am disappointed and sadden by the way Bob was treated. I am also disgusted with the treatment of the Fifth Estate when wishing to speak with the CEO.
Private property. How guilty, and rude they are. I got a news flash for them. That is our money, our building and our gaming money paying their salary.
No happy dance here.
The Lottery Corp should be ASHAMED of the treatment of the Fifth Estate and us the public.
Bob, thanks for bringing the conspiracy to life. Your honesty goes along way. YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE, and I want to say thank you!

Nice work Fifth Estate! you've touched on a dirty little secret of the OLGC.Well I would like for Fifth Estate to have a look at BearingPoint,an accounting firm for most cancer lotteries out there today.If this seems interesting get a list of winners over the past 10 years that I have supported the hospitals and cross check top prize winning names for double and sometimes three time winners.Tell me what are the odds of this happening?Especially this year I found to be the worst.If you find anything let me know.It seems that they are making it more difficult to verify winning names online.Last I checked the still haven't posted winning name search for Aug 24 06 .
Thanks

I watched the segments on the Fifth Estate and am appalled with the responses of the OLG Management, especially the treatment received by the CBC.
For me, it is high time that this organization should be investigated. Lets get on with it and for me I will be hanging onto my money until this Organization has been flushed out and confidence restored.Time to clean house and with the ticket vendors also.

I have myself been scammed, or should I say a clerk tried, but didnt succeed. When this happened I wrote to the ALC and advised them that it should be mandatory that the ticket placed for checking should be given back to the customer, whether its a winner or not, along with the comfirmation slip. I never did hear from ALC regarding this.

I have been playing the lottery since 1984 and I sometimes question the way that the numbers are drawn. I also wonder why the televised lottery drawing was discontined. Would it not be in their best interest that the drawing be seen rather than a bunch of numbers given which they say were drawn? I personally think that we the players, are due a change.

Now, as for the lottery, why dont we just take control of it. You see, I havent been playing since 1984 and not learned a thing or two about it. OLG or any other lottery should understand that a lottery is the peoples lottery. Without us people, the lottery corporation is nothing. Now, you may be wondering how we can in effect control the lottery. This is indeed simple. We buy tickets when we want to, not when the lottery corporation wants us to. For instance, when the lottery 649 prize is low, why dont we ALL not buy any tickets until it gets up to say 25 million. I know the ALC when they raised the ticket price to $2.00 said that we the players wanted this so that the prizes would be bigger. Well, lets give them their wish. Dont buy any tickets until the 4th draw.

You may say that not everyone will agree with this. Well, this is how we can show those people that this game is ours and we the players are not to be scammed, cheated or otherwise not appreciated for our efforts.

Maybe there should be other changes to this 649 lottery. I know it would be nice to win $25 million. But if the prize was broken down into 25 $1 million dollar prizes, we sure would have a lot of winners, as well as a better chance of winning. I myself, would settle for $1 million, as I know the difficulty in winning such a large pot, one chance in 15 million.

One last point. As i viewied the Fifth Estate televised program tonight, I thought to to myself: how can those operators be so smug, uncaring, etc. about the various issues at hand. Dont they know that this can have a negative effect on sales, or do they think that we are so desperate, that we will buy and buy regardless of how we are beign treated.

I had a problem with the OLG charity race track. The slot machines would short change you tokens and when you went to cash them in we were accused of losing them on the way, we had left them in the tray and demanded we pay the missing .5 or 15. It got to a point where I refused to go plus an employee confronted me and what he did and said to me in front of all the other people had me leaving in tears. I could not go back for months and even now I will go but I get very anxious knowing that employee will be there. I don't trust buying tickets any more since the Fifth Estate brought all these facts out in the public. What how can a person win if they never play?

Hey.
Just think of the Nevada ticket scams out there! If you know the clerk, he or she will tell you if there is still something worth winning in the box. Then you can spend a little money, buy the remaining tickets and cash the winner in.

Just my two cents worth.

One of our local small town retailers won a huge lottery prize a little while ago, along with another clerk from the same store! Surprisingly, this store continues its practice of just announcing what you won and paying the cash without scanning the tickets (which I'm sure they do later). Does it make me suspicious of their earlier big win? You bet it does and it makes me very angry at OLGC and very unlikely to buy tickets from this retailer. Secondly, how do we get the list of winning codes (AA, LL, etc.)? I believe the double triangles indicates a losing ticket, but how would you recognize a big win from the codes?

Ten years ago I complained about vendor fraud to the OLGC. Those of us who reside in small towns are able to observe that vendors are always winning, while regular players rarely win. I asked the OLGC how they monitored vendor winning and they told me the vendor had to report winnings. Then I asked how they tracked winnings by close relatives of clerks and vendors, and they said that would be impossible. I suggest that 10% wins by clerks and vendors are signficantly higher because wins by family members are not tracked.

This can't be just an Ontario problem. This must be going on from St. John's to Vancouver. Given these Lottery Corporations are run by the Government on tax payer dollars I wonder if the auditor general(s) for the provinces should get involved in this. They're stealing tax payer money and those in charge of the corporations are covering up to save their own necks.

This lottery thing is disscusting. Mr brown is disscusting. Thats all I have to say. The lottery corp should have self-serv lottery ticket checking terminals. That would stop sleazy clerks from scamming hard working Candians.

All this talk about fraud and scams had me wondering about my Lotto Advance subscription that I've been playing for at least 13 yrs now. All these years, I had put my faith in the OLG staff and have been waiting for the phone call informing me of my "BIG WIN". Today, I am happy to report that after checking the history of my favorite numbers, they have never come up as big winners. I will however be checking my numbers myself just to be safe. Buyer Beware!

With all the problems with the clerks verifing tickets,why not have a terminal where the customer could run their own tickets through,then take them to the clerk at the counter to verify your signed ticket.

A few months back I played a "Poker" Scratch ticket. I thought I had a winner and took it to the Country Mart where I purchased it to ask the new owner if it was a winner or not. He took the ticket and said no, you did not win - When I asked for my ticket back he refused saying something about 'already entering it in the systems' he couldn't give it back to me.
Regrettably, I left the store feeling that I had been wronged but didn't know enough about the system to argue with the clerk. Although I am sure I was scammed out of $1,000.00, I learned from your program what to do (and what not to!)

Watching Duncan Brown and hearing his non-commital comments, it was clear that he took no pleasure in being compelled to meet with your interviewer. If he thought that his appearance would be re-assuring to the public and contribute to the re-establishment of public trust he was sadly mistaken. What is most disappointing is that it is clear that the culture of acceptance and indifference to the dishonesty and fraud inside the system of the lottery corporation has been going on for years and no-one in management or government did anything about it until it became public. Shame on them all.

A few years ago , I had won $2000 on a keno ticket . The next morning , I went into a Becker's store in Windsor to have it validated . The clerk wanted to keep the winning ticket AND the validation slip . I assured him that he'd be handing both over before I left .

I'm glad old Bob had the stamina to bring this issue to the fore front. It also shows how some publicly funded corporations operate under the radar.No accountability to the taxpayer or the public who support them.Sad very very sad

Only a total ban of retailers from playing any of the games, would entice me back to the table.

Good luck to Bob Edmonds, I hope he gets the remaining $100,000 plus all appropriate interest due.

It's the double letter wammy that retailers have been making mint on scratch and win tickets for years.
We the customer don't know the letters like the retailers do.
Most customers know the double AA as $3.00 the money back on $3.00 tickets but most don't and this is what is happening on retailers making mint off of us.

Enough with the witch hunt against the OLG! Retailers are the people committing the crimes, not the corporation. Why are you not pursuing retailers? The OLG immediately put policies in place to control the level of fraud. They should be complimented on their rapid response to the consumers concerns.
As for the statistics, that 1 in 10 instant ticket winner is a retailer. Could you also provide the statistics of how many retailers are playing instant ticket games? Would those numbers affect your statistics? I do not play any lottery games but I am sure if I worked in a location that sold the product I would be inclined to play.

Such a travesty that OUR money is being robbed by retailers with no consequence!

There have been many times that I've walked into a store only to find the owner cashing in scratch ticket after scratch ticket...funny thing is, they all sounded the bells!

It is NOT okay for someone to steal a $100,000 dollars from a senior with no penalty.

I'm sure LaPlant is living a nice mortgage free life on the back of another...

SHAME SHAME OLGC!!!

Now...how tightly are your casinos being run?

I have trouble with the credability of the CBC. They have still refused to release the data from the initial segment. I guess it is ok for them to claim something and sell advertising without ever having to prove what they say is true

We are writing in to share our story of fraud as well.

These two incidents happened in Winnipeg, Manitoba. One happened in 1990 at a small grocery store on Ellice Avenue, the other in 1994 at a smoke shop at the Portage Place Mall.

At both incidents the retailer told us to leave the store when we asked for the tickets back. We are both First Nation and we thought "who is going to believe us?", so we never reported these incidents to no one, till now.

But, we decided to go through a reputable news organization such as cbc to let the world know what we, too are going through. We are honest, hardworking individuals who have been burnt and we would like some sort of acknowledgement of why this happened to us.

Western Lotteries told my husband that their records don't go back that far. Why?

Please help us, we need answers.

Still waiting.

The fifth should get on to the Government to change those Slick willies at the Lottery board ASAP

The Fifth Estate has done a great job showing what happens at OLC but it also happens in Atlantic Canada. Watching the program brought back memories for me, actually the memory never did go away. I have a terrible time remembering dates, it is an on going joke with me but I do think this happened around 10 yrs ago give or take a couple of years. I went to the Atlantic Lotto booth at MicMac Mall in Dartmouth which is where I bought the 6/49 ticket. There was a fairly long lineup at the cash so I was checking my ticket against a printout of the winning ticket for that date and I thought my heavens I have 6 numbers right so I looked around for a pen to sign my ticket but there was none to be found. When I got to the cash there was a new girl behind the counter selling tickets. The regular ticket seller was also there doing something else. I said to the girl how much do I win with 6 numbers. She turned and passed the ticket to the other woman and she looked at it and said $2000, come to end of the counter and I will look after you. I did and as she was counting the money out, I said I will sign the ticket and she said NO, it is not necessary. I took the money to the CIBC which is in the same Mall to deposit it to my account. The clerk said, that's a lot of $20's. I said yes, I just won it on the 6/49 and was paid at the lotto booth. She said they are not allowed to pay you that much in cash. I knew at that point that there was something wrong but I thought, what can I do about it, she has my ticket and there is no way I can prove which ticket was mine. So except for my wife and a few friends, I have kept quiet about this until now. I actually felt ashamed that I let someone steal money from me so easily.
I did call Atlantic Lotto in Moncton NB on the 15th Nov 2006 at approximately 1:30 pm and told my story to a lady with the name of Lynda and she said she would pass it on to Security and they would get back to me, although she was sure there was nothing they could do about it.
Thanks for listening.

I think this entire story while disappointing to here is very unfair to the honest clerks and retailers.

Personally I work for a company that handles large amounts of transactions involving lottery daily and we always ask if the customer wishes to have the ticket back. That way they can match up the number the machines produces matches with the ticket number.

There are simple steps to avoid being scammed and its easy. Check your own tickets, sign the ticket and always ask for the ticket back from the retailer.

Some of the things I see people do just amazes me. Its almost as if these people are asking me to scam them. So think about that next time you hand the retailer a stack of 6 or 7 tickets but don't know if any of them have winning numbers.

If your proactive you won't be scammed and I don't think its fair to label all retailers as dishonest because the majority are honest. If customers and retailers work together to stop this problem then we will get results. But to act like the consumer is completely innocent is not fair because a little bit of personal responsibility will go a long way.

I am completely disgusted with the OLG. All management should be fired. Unfortunately, with all the recent publicity, the government is still not doing anything constructive to fix these problems.

I suggest that people take a stand and stop buying the tickets until major action has been done within the OLG i.e. take responsibility and without question, fire all management especially the CEO. (This does not mean, transfer them to another high paying job within another ministry just to appease the people.) If this means closing down the OLG and starting up a new lottery corporation, then so be it. Start a new corp., hire new management, develop new strategies to fix the problems, have management that will follow-up on all complaints, not try to cover them up, and be truly accountable to the public.

Only after this has been done, should people start to buy the tickets again. This will hurt the OLG as money and greed is the name of their game and without it they are lost.

As it stands now, innocent people are just wasting their hard earned money buying these lottery tickets.

Congradulations to the whole team from the fifth estate for the very thorough and indepth investigation into the rip off thats being perpetrated on us poor folks who buy lotto tickets. I think this should be loked at by the justice departments of all provinces and a full investigation done. After all it is frauda and punishable under the criminal code of canada. Its a known fact that here in newfoundland that store owners keep track of what prizes are won in the break open tickets and when there are big prizes left they discard the remaining tickets open the winners collect and spruce up their profits. They refuse to let persons take the tickets out of the store to open them because if we did they wouldnt know what was left in the box . Ifg we went to another store to cash it in or to a lotto dealer or lotto ofice. Its time to refuse store owners and their unscruplous employees the right to buy tickets. I suppose then they will just pass it on to some friend or relative.So why not have voice on the machine tell u loud and cler what u won when its checked. the machine will tell you. EG.CONGRADULATIONS U WON ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, ow whatever your prize was. again good job . keep it up. the stufffed shirts at the top that u tried time and time again to interview should be sent to the same place we put out nonwinning tickets...to the junk pile. they should definately be fired for their lack of professionalism and incompetence. they sit in their iviry towers and say no one can touch me. You guys in the administration of the lotto system should be ashamed of yourselves at the very least.

This, of course, is the organization that recently spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars to drop the "C" from OLGC - even though they're still referred to as Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. Maybe they should consider dropping some of their brighter lights as well.

I think all scratch tickets, whatever the value, should be sold in foil packages, like you see with more specialized ticket packs i.e Holiday Gift Pack.
Three weeks ago a clerk at a store near my place of employment won $75, 0000 on a scratch ticket. I was very happy when I heard the news, now I'm suspicious?

The PR head of the OLG must have been away from PR school the day they covered what to do when Fith Estate or 60 Minutes show up unanounced for a interview. I don't think have the crew escorted off the property by security would be in the top ten answers.

You missed an obvious part of the story. Employees of the Lottery commission must be stealing money too. If a person could figure out how to identify a winning scratch ticket simply by looking at it, you have to wonder why and who inside the lottery commission came up with that idea. I bet he she or they cashed in a lot of winning tickets too.

Here in Peterborough, I've worked in convenience stores for 5 years, I see people buying the scratch and win tickets regularly (OLG). The winning codes the two letter prize amount shouldn't be kept from the customers, ok it may decrease fraud but I've been to other stores where when you hand them your tickets the clerk turns to the machine and picks up a stack of tickets, if you don't know just how much you're supposed to be getting they can easily be cheating you of prize amounts. I've had them try to before I was at a store with a family member, who was cashing in their $50 winner, the clerk said oh congratulations, you won $12...he hadn't rung it through the machine and had the code which was double L (LL) not been known to me we may not have realized the attempted ripoff of prize amounts.

That being said OLG is making something of a change, I won't go into it until they actually release the change... but that won't stop the clerks who take your tickets and pick up a stack of winning but unverified tickets so they can easily validate a $3 winnner in place of your $5..or $10...or $50 and rip you off for the balance.

Changes are needed.

There was a time when I could buy a strip of five scratch and win tickets and often there would be a winner of a small sum, usually the cost of the ticket. Now the tickets are singles and seldom do I ever a see a winner of any kind. Where did all the winning tickets go? I don't think this is just an Ontario concern.. there is a lot of life, both east and west of Ontario.

I cried foul to BCLC when a ticket I bought appeared to be tampered. BCLC dismissed me. I have no doubt fraud was at work. I refuse to buy scratch and win tickets anymore. I can't believe Provincial Lottery Corporations are covering it up. Pathetic.

After hearing the disturbing statistic that ten percent of winning scratch tickets are claimed by clerks I wondered why this fact was so easily uncovered by reporters while the OLC remained happily ignorant until the recent public embarassment. Also, I remember my brother's idiot store clerk friends micro-scratching tickets to reveal winners twenty years ago. How long was the OLC aware of these problems and did they do anything substatial to address them before being outed by the press? People were paid to address these risks. There's no shock when a portion of minimum wage clerks are found supplementing their crappy pay. To me the scandalous part is the OLC's position that finally acting only after public embarassment is somehow sufficient or even praiseworthy.

A few weeks ago I bought a scratch ticket and won a dollar. I turned in my big winnings at another store and was advised it had no cash value because it was expired. Curious to see if they were still selling expired tickets I bought the same ticket (Happy Holidays) last night at the Shell station in Vegreville. It too expired on Sept. 30, 2006.
I phoned the Lottery and was advised to send the ticket in or that I could return it to the seller and get my dollar back. THe money of course was not the issue. I was concerned that expired tickets were being sold. Now what if I won the $10,000. because the ticket is expired would I get the dollar back and lose the winnings?

Another frequent "tactic" by lottery retailers is to not scan winning Scratch tickets in front of the customer - and just pay them the minimum winning amount. Later, they will scan the ticket themselves to see if the prize is actually higher than the amount they paid out, and claim it for themselves.

I anxiously await the Fifth Estate follow-up to the OLG scandal. I am disgusted by the OLG and their PR puppet Theresa Roncon. Her attitude toward the accusations were disgusting. It was obvious she appeared on The Fifth Estate to argue, not to make amends and assure the public that things are running smoothly. We were left with more concerns and suspicions each time she opened her mouth. What kind of PR is that? She did way more harm than good and she should be fired.

Please investigate this. The once called OLGC used to publish a glossy quarterly called WIN magazine. Inside it listed names, cities and towns of all past winners. It is now online with only large winnings published. Please note most of the large prize winners for the scratch and win tickets were mostly from small town Ontario and very few the GTA. Perhaps the now called OLG knows at the point of dispatch, exactly what and where the winning tickets go, based on the bar code numbers printed on the ticket. I ask the question - is this fair to the scratch players in the GTA?

A year or two ago, I went into the Macs Milk on Lyndoch Street Corunna Ontario to get my lottery tickets validated. I hand the tickets to the male clerk and he put checked them. One ticket gave the little jingle of a winner. The clerk turned and gave me this look as if he was waiting for me to tell him I knew how much the ticket was worth. I didn't and I knew instantly I had made a huge mistake. I did not know the numbers and knew I could not prove what ticket was mine. He gave me a free ticket and I walked out the door never to return to have my tickets validated there again. I do not know if anyone at that store did cash in a large winning ticket.

I'd like to commend The Fifth Estate for another excellent and informative report! The retailers who fraudulently scam the public should be given lengthy jail sentences. I had NO IDEA of the scope of this problem, but I have learned now to ALWAYS sign the back of my tickets, and to check them MYSELF first.
The OLGC should be ashamed of themselves the way in which they tried to deny any wrong-doing on their part. They obviously wanted all the problems to just go away. Why else would they hold out the way they did, and actually pay MORE in legal costs fighting Bob Edmund's, rather than admitting the problem? I hope the OLGC is held accountable for this act.

With this latest fiasco at OLG, isn't it about time the management at OLG be fired? Why have there been no repurcussions at OLG following the Bob Edmonds story? Clearly, management within OLG knew what was going on, someone obviously withheld documents, incompetance like that justifies dismissal. OLG spends $420K to defend itself only to settle out of court, with no public scrutiny, and no one is fired at OLG! With so many managers making well over $100K/year, and a CEO making $300K+, one has to wonder what these people actually do for their salaries? I phoned the OLG to ask some questions and was promptly told they I'd have to e-mail questions in. When I e-mailed in 13 questions, I received a reply stating that OLG doesn't respond to e-mails due to the high volume of received e-mails! There are more than 113 employees making over $100K/year at OLG. Someone should investigate this and justify these ridiculous salaries. Must be nice, where can I apply for such a cushy job?

I found the Representitive from the Lottery Corporation to be very much on the defensive and I found her to be very offensive. The lottery corporation is entrusted with the publics money and as such should be careful to the extreme when handing out the winnings. I find it hard to comprehend that the Corporation would not have known long before this story aired that an unbelievable amount of clerks selling lottery tickets were also winning. The public should have been made wise to this. It's ok by me if you admit to something as soon as you know it so that I can be on the watch for it myself, if you as a Corporation are unable to manage the situation completely yourself. This amounts to a criminal act in itself if you knew about this situation and did not inform the very people who are trusting you with there money!

It is very unfortunate that these circumstances have taken place, but I know not to trust someone with my Lottery ticket that I don't know.
The best way to prevent someone else stealing your winnings is to check your ticket yourself before handing it over to the untrusting clerk.
You don't know who these people are, or what kind of financial trouble they are in.
If the tickets are non winning , then you are intitled to get your tickets back, and winning or not you also get a copy of the validation slip that comes out of the terminal when they scan your ticket.