3-Nov-09. Disputed $17M lotto prize released. Calgary Herald, B1.

A judge has ordered that lottery prize of $17-million be turned over to a  Calgary man after a challenger dropped his claim for a portion of the prize. Seguro Ndabene says he’s bitter lottery officials made him wait for eight months despite what he insists was a frivolous claim. He plans to sue the lottery corporation for interest on the money.

28-Oct-09. $17M lottery dispute goes to court. Calgary Herald, A1.

A $17-million lottery prize is now in the hands of the Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary as it tries to sort out the righful winner of the money. The ticket is held by a man who has previously collected four major lottery prizes, including a $1-million win last year. The man was part of a group-buying agreement arranged out of the same kiost where the winning ticket was bought and it is possible that others may stake a claim to a share of the prize.

15-Sep-09. Lottery ticket sellers face partial ban. Globe and Mail, A14.

Ontario Ombudsman André Marin says Ontario’s lottery security system will be the most rigorous in Canada once retailers are banned from buying lottery tickets at their own stores. Beginning in November, retailers will have to observe the limited ban, which follows an audit of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Association in February of 2008 that exposed $198-million in insider wins since 1996.

23-Jul-09. Lottery winners aren’t always ready for microscope. Lethbridge Herald, B2.

Barry Shell, of Brampton, Ont., had a cheque for $4.4-million in hand and was being photographed Monday before being recognized and taken to jail on outstanding criminal charges. All Ontario lottery winners of prizes $1,000 or more are subject to certain checks, and scrutiny has increased in recent years since lottery officials aim to mend broken public trust following a protracted scandal involving lottery insiders, including retailers and their families, cashing tickets not their own.

22-Apr-09. Ontario lottery recalls 92 tickets. Globe and Mail, A12.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. is replacing or refunding lottery tickets that were purchased  during a three-hour period Monday because of a computer glitch. The wrong draw date was printed on 92 out of more than 560,000 tickets sold between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. which makes them null and void.

28-Mar-09. Gambling is a sure thing: we lose. Red Deer Advocate, C4.

In this opinion-style article by Bob Ripley, Senior Minister at Metropolitan United Church in London, Ontario, it is argued that lotteries are essentially a tax that governments levy on the poor. These products are sold with the false hope of winning and position themselves as supporting programs often designed to help those most susceptible to gambling in the first place. Ripley also notes that there have been numerous cases of fraud in provincial lotteries over the past few years and that lotteries are uncharitable.

24-Mar-09. Gambling must be fair. Red Deer Advocate, A4.

In this editorial, editor Greg Neiman reports on the recent case of Ontario senior Paul Kusznirewicz who seemingly won $42.9-million on a two-cent slot machine he was playing at the government-run Georgian Downs casino.  Staff at first congratulated Kusznirewicz but later informed him there was a malfunction in the machine and no prize would be awarded. Kusznirewicz is now suing for the full prize plus $3-million. The editorialist equates this incident with the policy of the Western Canada Lottery to keep on selling instant scratch lottery tickets even after the major prize has been won and there is zero change of winning it for all subsequent tickets.  If there is no chance of winning the major prize – even a mathematical one – it is essentially a scam.

24-Mar-09. Hooked for life. Globe and Mail, R1.

Canadian actor John Dunsworth estimates he’s lost between $50,000 and $100,000 on playing video lottery terminals (VLTs) in his home province of Nova Scotia. Dunsworth is part of a new documentary, Playing the Machines, that is airing tonight on CBC Newsworld. Newfoundland-based director Barbara Doran’s documentary tells the story of three people: Dunsworth; Susan Piercey (a 31-year old woman who ended up committing suicide), and Garnet Rhyno (who lost up to $300,000, remortgaged his family’s home several times, and finally took his life). Several years ago, Dunsworth formed a group, Game Over VLTs, that has been trying to draw attention to the machines.

9-Mar-09. Poor, unemployed chase lottery dream. Calgary Herald, A3.

With employment figures in decline, experts say lotteries, sweepstakes and other games of chance will cross the threshold from casual entertainment to last resort as more  Canadians seek economic salvation. David Just, an associate professor of economics at Cornell University, found a strong positive correlation between ticket sales and poverty rates in a study of lottery sales in 39 states over 10 years. A Carnegie Mellon University study published last year likewise found people who feel economically needy will spend more money on a gamble to become rich, buying nearly twice as many lottery tickets as those who feel more affluent.

4-Mar-09. Lotto Super 7 to be retired in September. Red Deer Advocate, D7.

Canada’s Lotto Super 7 lottery will make way in September for a new national lottery game. Since the Super 7 was launched in June 1994, it has generated sales of $11.4-billion and players have won $6.73-billion, according to Ontario Lottery Corporation spokesperson Rui Brum.