Tuesday 8 September 2009

Need for greed

The need for greed . . .

Introducing Lotto Max, a $5-a-ticket 7/49 national numbers game, with $10 million minimum jackpots and $50 million maximum jackpots. Tickets go on sale Sept. 19, first draw, Sept. 25.

The odds of winning one of the Big Ones - 28.6 million to one.

Lotto Max is replacing Lotto Super 7, a dependable 15-year-old game launched in 1994.

In the 10 days remaining before Canadians are introduced to the new government run national lottery, it would be interesting to know why this need for greed?

Why are the interprovincial lottery corporations, including the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., jacking up ticket prices for the numbers games every few years?

Lotto 6/49, from $1 to $2 a few years ago; Super 7 from $2 to the new 7/49 game at $5.

And what's with $50 million jackpots? Ontario surveys in the 1980s and 1990s indicated players favoured more $1 million prizes, not megabucks jackpots.

"The game that Canadian lottery players have been asking for is on its way!" says the OLG promo.

Where are the surveys that show Canadians want to spend $5 on a game that is almost identical to Super 7 - three lines per ticket, $1 for encore, seven numbers out of 49 and the same astronomical 28.6 million-to-one odds of winning the jackpot?

And where is the trust that government lotteries are acting in the best interests of the players?

Especially in Ontario, which has been plagued by lotto scandals, from insiders claiming millions, to faulty instant win tickets, to executives squandering taxpayers' money, leading to the recent ousting of the entire OLG board of directors.

How much corruption do lottery players need before drawing the line and who knew government could screw up the biggest cash cow in town?

Give us the simplicity and relative honesty of illegal bookies.

We'll put our $5 into Timmy's sub combos, not Lotto Max.

So we won't win $50 million. Who needs it? As the late, great Ed Monteith used to say about wealth, "You can only wear one shirt at a time."

The lotteries preach "play within your means" but what they really mean is keep digging deeper into your pockets and purses, folks.

You want to do that happy dance, don'tcha?

Or will you decide to sit this one out?

As for instant win ticket prices, that is another story.

2 comments:

  1. Has anyone seen a sign on a school, hospital or seniors home for example that proclaimed that the new addition is partially funded by OLG? I have yet to see one.

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  2. Lotto Max, does that mean MAXimum profits for the government? Has anyone seen the payout for Lotto max, Sept 25 draw? They paid out around 750,000 and took in almost 19 million, thats 18 million profit, and around a 4 % payout? Good odds if you can get it. And next week they will be graciously adding another 5 million, lol, so there profits next week should be in the 30+ millions. Im finished paying the STUPID tax..Gl everyone. roflmao.

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