Monday 26 March 2007

Lotto replay 2

We forgot to mention a comment made by an OLC rep in 1988 when the Toronto Sun obtained proof that industrial x-ray equipment could be used to detect winning instant win tickets.

The OLC rep said it was industrial equipment and not something that was readily available for use by the majority of people intent on cheating the system.

Well, one person capable of beating the system is one too many.

Today's Ontario Ombudsman report should clear the OLG of people who are not consumer friendly and help restore the confidence of ticket buyers.

While the media spotlight is on the OLG, the Toronto Sun and other media should raise the issue of unclaimed lottery prize money.

Millions of dollars in prizes go unclaimed each year for various reasons and the OLG does little to advertise those winning numbers and where the tickets were sold before the tickets expire. Yes, they have a web site listing winning numbers, but not every ticket buyer has a computer.

The numbers should be advertised in the print and broadcast media at least a month before the tickets expire. Every effort should be made to find winners, rather than waiting for tickets to expire so new multi-million jackpots can be offered using the unclaimed prize money.

That is something the OLG could do to put the emphasis on customer service. Finding just one last-minute winner would score big points with consumers.

No comments:

Post a Comment