Insider Wins Don't Bother Atlantic Lottery Corp
When lottery corporations speak about 'non-arm's length' winners, they refer to those people who are connected to the corporation, either as workers or suppliers, as well as those who own or work for stores that sell lottery tickets - and their families.
The Atlantic Lottery Corp reacted this week to statistics which reveal that there has been a significant jump in the number of non-arm's length winners in the past year.
The ALC said that it was not concerned with the statistics which show that the number of these winners jumped to 11.9% of the total jackpot winners, compared to 4.3% in the previous year.
In effect, this means that one in eight prizes valued at $25,000 was won by someone who is connected to the Atlantic Lottery Corporation or its suppliers.
Over the last four years, 'insiders' have won 146 jackpots worth over $10,000, which could be worth many millions of dollars.
CBC News reported these statistics last week, and the ALC reacted by saying: "Reporting those numbers are the outcome of a process that was put in place for player protection and that process works."
Others are More Concerned
However, despite the ALC's dismissal of these numbers, there are some people who are more concerned with the numbers.
In 2007, the president of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation at the time, Michelle Carinci told the media that the high number of retailers who won lotteries was a concern, and she intended addressing the issue.
As such, the corporation began tracking the number of these winners, especially after it was alleged that ticket sellers in Ontario were stealing winning tickets and claiming prizes for themselves.
However, in the four years since then, the numbers haven't moved - until this year. Nevertheless, the ALC said that it was not concerned.
"Some of those numbers may fluctuate," said Paula Dyke, the director of public affairs for ALC. "What's important though is the process was put in place four or five years ago, we're following process to the letter, and every single one of those individual wins that would be counted in that category has been verified."
