13-02-08, 11:44
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Hi again ...
And Ontario lotto folks respond to the news story 
Quote:
February 13, 2008
OLG vows to be customer friendly
By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA
Provincial lottery brass are going to make it easier for winners to collect following reports in the Sun about some lucky souls who felt they were treated "like criminals."
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. spokesman Teresa Roncon said the stories have made them working on a kinder and gentler prize-claiming process.
"We're sorry to hear some of our customers are distressed, and we are looking at ways to expedite the prize collection and make it more customer friendly without compromising the integrity of the investigation," she said, noting the process is necessary to protect customers and the OLG.
"Our goal is to ensure the right person receives the right prize every time," Roncon told the Sun earlier. "Our new policy is to conduct an investigation of any prize of $10,000 or more to help ensure that we meet that goal."
The OLG is already adding more office space so the prize centre at 20 Dundas St. W. isn't so cramped.
EX-COPS HIRED
In the wake of last year's scathing report of the OLG by provincial Ombudsman Andre Marin, they hired more investigators, including former police officers, and are expanding their space to an additional floor in the same building to accommodate more staff.
The OLG is looking at improving the prize-claiming process but it's still too early to say how, Roncon said, adding most customers have an enjoyable experience when collecting their prizes.
"I'm sure that we'll just look at ways to make it a more pleasant experience for everybody," she said. "We would consider a number of options."
In the past, the OLG would investigate prizes of $50,000 or more, but a tighter security process followed Marin's report.
The report and consultants from KPMG made 60 recommendations, more than 85% of which have been put in place, Roncon said.
'MYSTERY SHOPPERS'
The recommendations included criminal and background checks of ticket sellers, the use of "mystery shoppers" to test the integrity of retailers, establishing and enforcing a code of conduct for retailers, and establishing a process for investigating and adjudicating suspicious claims.
The OLG also has different prize-claim processes for the general public and "insiders" -- ticket sellers, their relatives and OLG employees.
Insider wins are subject to an independent investigation; prize money is withheld for 30 days to allow anyone with concerns to come forward.
Last year the former CEO of the OLG, Duncan Brown, was removed from his post as a result of the scandal in which hundreds of dishonest ticket sellers had claimed millions of dollars in prizes that belonged to customers.
As of Jan. 1, the OLG be-came regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which also investigates insider and suspicious lottery wins.
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