That money should have gone to the rightful winners, who were cheated by the retailer, or hospitals and social programs, which receive funding from the profits of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG), André Marin said today.

The OLG was so "buddy buddy," with its retailers that it turned a blind eye to obviously questionable winnings by retailers who sell tickets and was "rude and inept" in dealing with Ontario residents or others who complained that they had been cheated.

To restore trust in the lottery system - which pumps $2.4 billion into provincial coffers - the government has agreed to implement Marin's recommendations, released in a report today, titled "A game of trust."

They include independent oversight of the OLG's lottery system, criminal background checks for retailers and setting up a system to deal with disputed claims. Source...