Thursday, November 30, 2006

A national gambling watchdog group has raised new concerns about lottery
scratch cards sold in Ontario, charging that current practices are unfair
and misleading to the consumer. The Gambling Watch Network filed a letter
with Ontario's ombudsman complaining that scratch tickets are sold even
after the top prizes have been won. Brian Yealland, the group's spokesman,
said retailers should stop selling tickets if the buyer has no chance of
winning the jackpot. (CBC) "People go on purchasing those tickets although
they have no chance of winning, and it seems to us that this is a breach of
the understanding one has in buying a ticket," Yealland said. This practice
has been the subject of scrutiny and lawsuits in the United States, causing
some state lotteries to include disclaimers on the tickets explaining that
some prizes may already be won. In Iowa, instant win tickets are pulled from
stores once the grand prizes have been claimed, said Tina Potthoff, a
spokeswoman for the Iowa State Lottery. "We want to make sure our players
have a chance to win the top prize every time they purchase a ticket,"
Potthoff said. "If by chance a top prize is missing and they only have a
second- or third-tier prize, we feel that's false advertising." A spokesman
for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation said players can call a
toll-free number printed on the back of each scratch and win ticket to find
out which prizes are still available to be won.