Atlantic Canada to investigate lotto winnings

May 9, 2007

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation says it will team up with all four Atlantic Canada provinces for an investigation into Atlantic Canada's lottery system. The corporation will pay a total of $300,000 for the investigation.

Nova Scotia is the first Atlantic province to fully investigate lottery sales. After several concerns, New Brunswick ombudsman, Bernard Richard, monitored their lottery for some time but no investigation was carried.

"People have to have confidence that our systems are fair, secure," said Marie Mullally, president of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation in Nova Scotia. "It references a number of aspects of ALC business, it talks about all aspects of our operations, and to date, most of our focus has been on issues arising from retailer wins."

The investigation is expected to be started late June.

Recently, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation was under investigation under allegations that lottery retailers stole prizes from consumers.

A customer could go into a variety store and ask the retailer to check their tickets for them. If a retailer saw a winning ticket they could tell the customer they didn't win and keep the prize to themselves. It was proven after Ontario man Robert 'Bob' Edmonds sued the corporation in 2001 for refusing to return his winnings, after a store woman clerk claimed that he did not win. Days after, the clerk and her husband claimed Edmonds' jackpot of $250,000.