ONTARIO LOTTERY HEAD QUITS

30 March 2007

Results of enquiry into ticket sellers due Monday

Toronto media over the weekend were reporting on the resignation of the head man of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation just days before the release of an official enquiry into allegations that ticket sellers in the province are winning a disproportionate number of prizes (see previous InfoPowa report).

"By mutual agreement, Duncan Brown and the Board of OLG have decided a change of leadership is appropriate," the lottery corporation said in a press release on Friday night. "Brown has stepped down from his post as CEO."

The corporation has been under scrutiny in recent months over claims that ticket sellers win more prizes than they should.

Ontario ombudsman Andre Martin launched an investigation into this matter and is expected to report the results on Monday.

City News says that according to a published report Ontario province Culture Minister David Caplan wanted Brown's resignation to be kept quiet until after Martin's report was released.

Brown worked as CEO of the organisation since March 2004 earning $360 000 last year. Previously, he worked as CEO of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Bill Rutsey, president of the Canadian Gaming Association, was sorry to hear Brown was let go. Brown is "a superior person and an excellent CEO," Rutsey said Friday.

He believes Brown is being "held to account" for events alleged to have occurred before he became head of the lottery corporation.

"It's a tough world at that level," he said.

The lottery corporation posted two security-related jobs on its website on Friday.

One was seeking a senior investigations manager who would manage the OLGC's investigation department in Ontario.

The other posting was seeking an investigator "to carry out a wide range of investigations relating to individuals or companies doing or seeking to do business with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation."

Lottery retailers in British Columbia and Nova Scotia have also come under scrutiny for the amount of winnings they have claimed.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa

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