Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada.
OLG conducts and manages gaming on behalf of the province of Ontario, including: lottery, casinos, electronic bingo, and its internet gaming site. Private service providers operate most of OLG casinos. OLG continues to integrate horse racing into its games, including the administration of ongoing funding.[2]
It was created in April 2000 when the Ontario Lottery Corporation (OLC) was merged with the Ontario Casino Corporation (OCC), established in 1994. Prior to 2006, the combined entity was known in short form as the OLGC (or SLJO in French). OLG employs approximately 1,400 individuals in Sault Ste. Marie and the GTA offices.[3] There are approximately 9,800 retailers operating more than 10,000 lottery terminals across the province.
OLG's prize centre is located in Toronto, while the corporation's primary headquarters is located in Sault Ste. Marie. Whereas OLG is responsible for and operates a variety of gaming services, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) regulates casino gaming. OLG reports through its board of directors to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.[4]
OLG operates a self-exclusion program for people with gambling addictions,[5] although the efficacy of the program has attracted criticism.
History
The Ontario Lottery Corporation was created in February 1975 under the Ontario Lottery Corporation Act, 1975 (repealed in 1999 and replaced with the current Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Act).[6] Wintario was the first lottery game offered by the fledgling OLC on April 3, 1975, and the first drawing took place on May 15, 1975. The product was discontinued in late 1996 after awarding over CA$1.1 billion in winnings.[7]
Divisions
OLG has five business divisions:[8]
Lottery products
OLG operates nine draw-style lottery games through retailers across the province.
Jackpot draws
- Daily Grand (national)
- Lotto 6/49 (national)
- Lotto Max (national)
- Ontario 49
- Lottario
Daily draws
Collections
Prizes under $999.90 can be collected directly from a retailer that has a lottery terminal in store.[14] This is subject to cash availability. People can collect bigger prizes by visiting an OLG Casino or Slot facility. This can be done by mailing the ticket to the OLG Prize Centre or by visiting the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. When claiming the prize at the OLG Prize Centre, the prizewinner must have valid government identification as well as providing a signature. The ticket will be double-checked in case of fraud.
If the prize money is $5000 or more the terminal will freeze and OLG will be contacted. OLG will inform the winner directly of how to claim their prize.
If the prize money is $10,000 or more, the process of claiming your prize will involve an interview and an investigator validating the authority of the ticket. Once approved, there will be a picture taken of you with your cheque.
OLG publicizes all winners of $1,000 or more on their website.
There is a time period of exactly one year from the draw date to claim Ontario lottery games.
Controversies
Retailer fraud
On October 25, 2006, the CBC program The Fifth Estate aired an investigative report on lottery retailers winning major prizes, focusing on the ordeal of 82-year-old Bob Edmonds. His $250,000 winning Encore ticket was stolen by a convenience store clerk when he went to have his ticket checked in 2001. For the next four years, OLG ignored Edmonds' inquiries after the clerk and her husband were falsely named the rightful winners. Later, when the couple was arrested for fraud, OLG refused to return his winnings, maintaining that it wasn't their responsibility that they had been tricked; in 2004, a judge disagreed and forced OLG to give Edmonds his money. They did so, on the condition that Edmonds sign a confidentiality agreement, so that he would never tell the press about certain details of the ordeal. Also, The Fifth Estate uncovered internal OLG memos where several employees admitted they believed Edmonds' story. Immediately following the broadcast, Edmonds received a call from OLG's president, Duncan Brown, who apologized and claimed he was ashamed about how his staff treated Edmonds. OLG later released Edmonds from the confidentiality agreement.[15]
In another case, Toronto variety store owner Hafiz Malik had defrauded four school board employees out of their $5.7 million prize. He was arrested after the original ticket owners filed a complaint with the police. The OPP seized or froze over $5-million of Malik's assets, including bank accounts, three cars, and a home in Mississauga. OLG has since awarded the rightful winners the prize plus interest.
Chair of the Board of Directors of the OLGC
President and CEO of the OLGC
- Duncan Hannay 2020–present
- Stephen Rigby 2015–2020[31]
- Rod Phillips 2011–2014
- Tom Marinelli 2010–2011 (interim)
- Kelly McDougald 2007–2009
- Duncan Brown 2004–2007
- Brian Wood 2003–2004 (interim)
Chair and CEO of the OLC
- Ron Barbaro 1998–2000
- Garth Manness 1995–1998
- Ian Nielsen-Jones 1988–1995
- D Norman Morris 1980–1988
- Harvey McCullough, QC, 1975–1977 – as chairman
- E. Marshall Pollock, QC, 1975–1980 – as founding Managing Director & CEO of OLC
External links
References
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20231025012840/https://about.olg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/OLG-Annual-Report-2022-2023.pdf OLG Annual Report]}}^
- Public Accounts of Ontario - Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements Government of Ontario, 2023-11-01, retrieved 2024-10-31^
- Value-for-Money Audit: Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation: Casinos, Lotteries and Internet Gaming Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, 2022-11-01, retrieved 2024-10-31^