The lawyers for the plaintiffs in the class-action suit against OLG are proposing a 'free' lottery with a jackpot worth up to $1 billion, to make up for the corruption that's been alleged.
There's a lot wrong with the OLG, beyond even the current scandal. Things like spending millions of dollars to drop the 'C' from their logo and advertising --- millions of dollars -- all those light up store signs -- everything had to be changed in order to remove that word from the name. Who got the advertising contracts? the contracts to make the new signs etc.? With that kind of stupidity going on at the top, is it any wonder that there was also nonsense all the way down the ranks.
This class action suit might seem like a great idea, but in the end, all of us will pay -- even those of us who never play. How fair is that when there can be no actual evidence that anyone who joins the suit is actually a victim of OLG fraud.
There are things that could be done to prevent this sort of corruption. Maybe a law that would disallow vendors and their families from participating in the lottery, just like when the SUN or the Toronto Star hold a contest, employees and family members and people associated with the sponsors of the contest are not allowed to play.
Using tax dollars (a billion of them) to compensate people who might not even have been affected, or to encourage people to buy more lottery tickets in order to receive these 'free' ones, is not a solution.
Much as I sympathize with those who feel they were cheated out of winnings, there has always been a way to ensure you'd be the guy to receive the money if your ticket won -- you write your name on the back.
canadianna
5 comments:
You can't really prevent vendors from playing. How can you keep track of each individual worker in each convenience store? Do you have to make winners sign an afadavit (sp) stating they've never sold lottery tickets at any time in their lives in order to collect their winnings?
It's up to the OLG to think of reasonable limitations, but it is up to them to prevent their vendors from cheating customers.
Some questions:
Don't people who buy tickets check them against published numbers & THEN have them checked at an OLG outlet?
Don't they ask for the non-winning tickets back, to put them in the recycling bin? I always do, & I tear them up before recycling them.
If the ticket is a winner, doesn't the machine ring & show the amount won, as the machines here in QC do?
Finally, what is happening to this country? Where have all the honest people gone?
Maybe the OLG authorities do have some responsibility, but ultimately, it is INDIVIDUAL vendors who have been dishonest. I agree a class action suit would not be fair & would solve nothing. It might even encourage some people, as you said, to lie in order to get something for nothing. How can one verify losses incurred?
gabby -- a lot of people go into the store to have their tickets checked by the machine. I've noticed lately that some of the clerks refuse to check a ticket where the name is not on the back.
A lot of people figure the newspapers can get it wrong or it's just easier to do it in-store.
Getting a losing ticket back is a good idea, but I suppose up until now, most people have assumed they could trust their local outlet.
The reason it's ultimately the responsibility of the OLG is twofold -- first, they are the ones who license the vendors. Not everyone is allowed to sell lottery tickets and it can mean the difference between a store that gets a lot of business, and one that doesn't. Secondly, allegations of wrong-doing have been going on for years without action. Complaints weren't investigated in a timely manner etc. which meant it was less likely things would be sorted out.
You're right though -- the individuals who are really responsible will likely never have to pay.
gabby,
as one who used to work for a convenience store in ontario...
(a) NOBODY ever checks their tickets ahead of time. I can not begin to tell you the number of people who come in to the store with a small mountain of tickets, some of which date back six months or more. I never understood this behaviour. If there's a chance I am a millionaire, I want to know about it. Like right now.
(b) I'm not sure if the machines show the customer what s/he won now (I don't play; I pay more than enough in taxes, thank you)...but they never used to. The machine would launch into a little jingle--the same no matter how much was won--and a slip would spit out on the retailer's side of the counter showing the amount to be paid out (or not--retailers are only required to cash winners of $200 or less). That little slip of paper is the crux of the problem. Some retail chains--7-Eleven among them--insist that slip be given to the customer immediately. Others I have worked for require that slip be kept in the till to balance at the end of the shift. You can see the fraud possibilities, can't you?
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