Honesty is the best policy when it comes to dealing with lottery tickets, says local retailer Raj Shah. The $12.5-million ticket fraud doesn’t just affect the people involved, but has the ability to damage businesses across Ontario, he said.
“This is not a good thing,” said Shah, a convenience store owner. “It’s such a big business for lottery and people have a lot of trust because the OLG is a common organization.”
On Wednesday it was revealed that three family members allegedly stole the hefty lottery ticket- and cashed in. A luxury home, a mansion and three big-named cars were on the list of their purchases.
OPP say that the store manager and his father didn’t let the ticket holder know they had won the jackpot for December 26, 2003. Two months after that, manager’s sister claimed the prize, supposedly saying she wasn’t in contact with her family. Since 2001, this is the seventh lottery scandal incident in Ontario.
“I’m a very customer oriented person so my first priority is the customer, if they feel bad, I feel bad,” said Shah.
Even though the incident took place in 2003, it was recently brought to light because of a new computer tracking system. The system, a computer tool called Data Analysis and Retrieval Technology (DART). Because of the program, officials now know a small number of things about the true buyer of the ticket, like where it was purchased, favoured locations, and regularity of play. They are also keeping some facts about the ticket hushed so the true owner can be identified.
http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=1034
Posted on November 1, 2010
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