Lottery apologizes after prize rip-off is exposed

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on October 25 that Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation retailers have claimed large prizes around 200 times in the past seven years, raising suspicions of fraud. The network is investigating the case of an 81-year-old who says the store that sold him his ticket tried to cheat him out of his prize. The store later settled out of court without admitting any wrongdoing. The chance of retailers winning 200 times in seven years is about one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, statisticians say. Much more likely is that retailers are on the take. The customer can't see the POS display when the retailer scans the ticket - which sounds like a hole in the security chain and an avoidable risk to the lottery's good name.

On November 9, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation apologized, vowed to do better and introduced a seven-point trust and security action plan in a bid to claw back its credibility.