Atlantic Lottery retailers win 10 times more often than customers

Mar 15, 2007, 8:56 am (4 comments)

Atlantic Lottery Corporation

Canadian store owners are collecting major lottery wins ten times as often as they should, according to the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.

Information sent out to media Wednesday showed retailers in the Atlantic Provinces had collected 37 wins worth $25,000 or more in the period from Jan. 1, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2006. Analysis from Universite de Moncton statistician Jacques Allard said the 2688 retail owners, who do play lottery at 1.76 times the rate of the average person, should have been expected to land just 3.5 wins of such magnitude. Allard's firm, Maritime Statistical Analysis, was contracted by the lottery company.

In all the owners pocketed $7.5 million in wins over five years, around 0.5 per cent of the toal prizes awarded in the region
Mike Randall, the ALC's vice president of social responsibility and communications, said the analysis shows a troubling pattern but there has been no evidence that would lead to a suggestion of wrongdoing by a particular individual.

"If we uncovered something pointing to an act by a particular person we'd turn the information over to police," he said.

"We didn't find a pattern that pointed to a particular game or to a pattern of wins around one location."

Randall said the retailers with large wins were evenly spread around the ALC service area. One Island operator gathered a win, while there were five in New Brunswick, 16 in Nova Scotia and 15 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Islanders spent $33 million on lottery tickets in 2006, collecting just under $19 million in prizes from ticket.

The statistical analysis came after investigations in Ontario last fall found signs retailers there were winning more than their share. In one case, an Ontario senior with a winning ticket was given a payout far below the ticket value.

Guardian

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dvdiva's avatardvdiva

It boils down to people not checking their tickets themselves. You should already know or at least have an idea of what a ticket is worth when you hand it to the cashier.

rdc137

In Delaware the self-scanners tell you exactly how much you've won, so there should be no confusion when cashing one, at least here anyway.

Maryland has self checkers but they do not tell you how much you won, however, the machines will tell you how much credit you have so before giving the tickets over you should make sure you can see the monitor.

New Jersey does not have self-checkers.

New York has a similar device to Maryland.

Pennsylvania's self-service machines that sell online tickets will check tickets and issue a voucher for the winning amounts, or you can use that amount towards other tickets. I would discourage using these machines as I personally have had multiple problems with them, including eating my winning ticket and making me come back the next day to get it back.

Washington DC has self check machines but I don't know if they tell you the amount of the winning.

I do not remember if Virginia has them or not.

LuckyLilly's avatarLuckyLilly

We don't have self-check machines here yet, but hope it happens soon.  I know there are dishonest clerks out there.

Several years ago my state had a promo where if you bought $5 on lotto you could instantly win prizes.  When I bought mine, I heard the music that's usually played when they scan a winning ticket, and the clerk looked at it then just brought me my ticket.  I said "wasn't that a winner?" and she said no.  There was a line behind me, so I just took her word for it, but in retrospect I wish I had made her go back and check, or ask for the manager to check because I'm almost certain I won an instant win. 

chasingadream's avatarchasingadream

Quote: Originally posted by dvdiva on Mar 15, 2007

It boils down to people not checking their tickets themselves. You should already know or at least have an idea of what a ticket is worth when you hand it to the cashier.

i agree ......x2

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