Lotto: Ticket sellers 6 times more likely to win

[Ian_go]

Lotto players don’t like their odds.

Residents don’t like their odds when purchasing lottery tickets from B.C. retailers. People selling lottery tickets are six times more likely to win a jackpot than the general public, according to internal B.C. Lottery Corp. documents obtained by the Vancouver Sun.

Abbie Merkley, a receptionist, said she finds “the whole lottery thing is a little bit shady.” But, she added that retailers winning more often than most won’t deter her from buying tickets. BCLC spokesperson Paul Smith said the corporation is considering turning 70 per cent of its retail distribution sites into self-serve ticket machines in 2007. When asked about the alleged discrepancies between lotto retailer wins and the general population, Smith said winners of prizes over $10,000 are carefully screened. BCLC is currently conducting a review of its lottery system. BCLC says self-serve machines currently being considered.

Source: Metro Vancouver

[jetset]

A worrying sequel to the story last month that the Ontario lottery was under investigation by the Ombudsman for similar anomalies.