Tory wants full investigation of Lottery Corp 'mess'

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY

************************* Just imagine...some accountaility

Tory calls for McGuinty to restore confidence in Ontario's lottery system

QUEEN'S PARK - Progressive Conservative Party Leader John Tory [shown] today called on Dalton McGuinty to finally take some real action to fix Ontario's lottery system and stop downplaying the problem.

"Ontarians buying lottery tickets this Christmas deserve to have confidence in the province's lottery system," said Tory. "The McGuinty Liberals have shattered that confidence over the past year by trying to cover up this scandal and not taking more action to restore faith in the system."

Tory made the comments at Queen's Park after Ontario Provincial Police charged a former convenience store retailer with fraud after he allegedly claimed a $5.7 million lottery prize that wasn't his.

"The McGuinty Liberals tried to cover up this scandal - now we're seeing why. This is only the tip of the iceberg," said Tory.

Ontario's ombudsman also voiced concerns about other insider wins, including a $12.5 million Super 7 win.

A recent Toronto Sun article reported that over the last year insider wins have increased to one in every 20 big jackpots.

"Every single suspicion of fraud must be investigated and all charges prosecuted. Ontario needs to send a message about scamming our lottery system and make sure we recover those ill gotten gains," said Tory.

He pointed to reports this morning that the government has implemented only 80 percent of the Ombudsman's recommendations.

He also said there hasn't been any noticeable change in how the Ontario government oversees its lottery system.

"There is still no real accountability at Queen's Park for this multi-billion-dollar corporation that's owned by taxpayers," said Tory. "Change has to start by appointing a new minister and undertaking a full investigation of Ontario Lottery and Gaming to fix this mess."

************************* Earlier SooToday.com coverage on this story

'Insider' lottery winner charged, $5 million in assets frozen