Ontario lottery CEO resigns

[LT]

TORONTO (Mar 24, 2007)

The embattled head of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is out of a job in the wake of an ongoing controversy over lottery jackpots claimed by retailers.

"By mutual agreement, Duncan Brown and the Board of OLG have decided a change of leadership is appropriate," the lottery corporation said in a release late yesterday.

"Brown has stepped down from his post as CEO."

Brown, who had headed the organization since March 2004, earned $360,000 at his job last year. He previously worked as CEO of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

Bill Rutsey, president of the Canadian Gaming Association, said it's "really too bad" Brown has been let go.

Brown is "a superior person and an excellent CEO," Rutsey said yesterday.

Brown is being "held to account" for events alleged to have occurred before he became head of the lottery corporation, Rutsey said. "It's a tough world at that level."

The corporation has been under scrutiny in recent months over reports that ticket sellers in the province are winning a disproportionate number of prizes.

An investigation was launched by Ontario ombudsman Andre Marin, who is expected to table a report Monday that some observers expect to be highly critical of the lottery corporation.

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

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

The manager would "ensure OLG retailers are in compliance with the Criminal Code of Canada, OLG Act, as well as all other regulations, policies and procedures pertaining to OLG's operations," the posting said.

The other listing posted yesterday seeks 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 B.C. and Nova Scotia have also come under scrutiny for the amount of winnings they have claimed.

 

[Brad]

Hmmm ... if this guy Brown was (is) such "a superior person and an excellent CEO" I wonder why he handled the Fifth Estate's original inquiry by stonewalling and by ejecting them out of the OLGC's building? All he had to do was face a few questions ...

Well, anyway, seems to me that at 360 large per annum for the last 3 years he's already got a small Jack Pot of sorts ... though I wonder if his unvoluntary departure warrants a gold watch? Nah, I think not ...

 

[tomtom]

Dunno…in my opinion Ontario has a lot of interesting lottery games, some of them are starting at 50 cents/play, some are more expensive…some games have quite OK odds for a game called lottery, like pick3, 6/45 and even keno that has 70 numbers is very interesting game especially when numbers are drawn using ball machines, aka following natural randomness….

 

[Brad]

Lotteries Slammed!
CBC news LINK

Here's more on the fiasco, including a quote from the former CEO Duncan Brown:

... lottery officials who raised concerns about suspect claims by retailers in 2003 and 2004 — including one $12.5 million prize — were told by former corporation CEO Duncan Brown: "Sometimes you hold your nose."

No kidding ... the whole debacle emits a foul odour We'll see if the proposed overhaul will solve this mess.

 

[tomtom]

6/45

Jeez…I was thinking about their 6/45 as one of nicest games all around, and unintentionally posted first time about it in my 645th post…whata coincidence

 

[tomtom]

Well, started to break some forum rules by posting somewhat off topic, so let’s return

TORONTO (Mar 24, 2007)

Brown, who had headed the organization since March 2004, earned $360,000 at his job last year. He previously worked as CEO of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Bill Rutsey, president of the Canadian Gaming Association, said it's "really too bad" Brown has been let go.
Brown is "a superior person and an excellent CEO," Rutsey said yesterday.
Brown is being "held to account" for events alleged to have occurred before he became head of the lottery corporation, Rutsey said. "It's a tough world at that level."

CEO whose company among other games has some fairly affordable real bouncy balls beauties with OK prizes at all levels like pick3, pick4, 6+B/45 (at 50 cents/play), 6+B/49 (at 50 cents/play), 20/70 keno IMHO surely deserves a good salary. Even better salary if some of these games had TV draws what possibly would make games even more interesting and might help with insignificant numbers of retailers that are eager to cheat, since more players might know what their lucky numbers were. At the end, I don’t think the guy was supposed to hunt for possible cheaters . If any, it may be error at some other level…

 

[Brad]

I don't know, Tom, we're talking about a Crown Corporation here, whose original goal was to provide funds for worthwhile charities/institutions, country wide (province wide for certain lottos). It was not meant to be in business to maximize profits for shareholders, but rather return any gains to the public.

Even the auditor had said in his report that OLG has lost its priorities:

"The OLG is fixated on profits rather than customer service. It's lost sight that it is supposed to be the guardian of public trust"

Let's not forget that the CEO of OLG is basically a public servant. With that in mind compare his salary of $360K to the salary of $280K of another servant, the Prime Minister of Canada. In your opinion, who has a more important job?

Btw, I wasn't questioning his salary in my original post, my reference to it was a joke (which you chose to analyse). Rather, I was pointing to the fact that he was not unaware of the problems facing OLG, and that he was certainly in position long enough to do something about the mess, yet he chose not to do so. Rutsey's defence of the guy was misplaced, IMO ... Brown deserved to be canned.

 

[tomtom]

Btw, I wasn't questioning his salary in my original post, my reference to it was a joke (which you chose to analyse).

I recognized you weren’t questioning it. It was just one a part of the above posted article…. and I still think the guy was OK, and since his company made 8 billion while providing more than an assortment of interesting and affordable games for possibly anyone regardless of $$$ condition and preferred games’ odds, I just supposed he wouldn’t work nor deserved to work for peanuts.
I have many many times lower salary, but still whatever number in $ are someone’s earnings whose company makes 8 billion while making possibly every player happy by providing such an assortment of games, I’m totally OK with it…. However, this is a discussion forum where views are supposed to be different….otherwise, it wouldn’t be a forum

 

[tomtom]

And, Jesus Christ.... .... here is James Bond at the forum????? What is he looking for here?????


2 members and 59 guests
Most users ever online was 1586, 10-27-2005 at 02:44 AM.
Last Activity User Name Reverse Sort Order Location
04:51 AM James Bond
Registering
05:03 AM tomtom
Viewing Index
Lotto 649 Lottery Forums
05:01 AM Guest
Viewing Thread
Keno 09/28-10/04
04:58 AM Guest
Viewing Thread
Feb.19 Picks
04:55 AM Guest
Viewing Thread
6/49 prediction method
04:51 AM Guest
Viewing Thread
millionaires life
04:50 AM Guest
Viewing Thread
6/49 Discussion For August 09, 2003
04:46 AM Guest
Viewing Thread
Can someone help me with the probability of winning each of the 5

 

[tomtom]

<...>Brown deserved to be canned.

Whatever…still, in order to play anything closer around that has numbers drawn using real ball machines and which will cost you less then two dollars to enter into game, you might gotta travel to….Ontario, for example? Especially If you would like to try some real bouncy balls games with somewhat closer to the earth odds, and good prizes compared to odds and costs, like that above mentioned 6/45 , for example. Still, I believe Quebec also has a really good 6/49 game at 50 cents/play, since member of this forum, Babar, said the numbers are drawn using ball machines and it is possible to enjoy the game in a TV draw ….. Hope you might know something similar closer ….

 

[tomtom]

I don't know, Tom, we're talking about a Crown Corporation here, whose original goal was to provide funds for worthwhile charities/institutions, country wide (province wide for certain lottos). It was not meant to be in business to maximize profits for shareholders, but rather return any gains to the public.

Even the auditor had said in his report that OLG has lost its priorities:

Let's not forget that the CEO of OLG is basically a public servant. With that in mind compare his salary of $360K to the salary of $280K of another servant, the Prime Minister of Canada. In your opinion, who has a more important job?

Btw, I wasn't questioning his salary in my original post, my reference to it was a joke (which you chose to analyse). Rather, I was pointing to the fact that he was not unaware of the problems facing OLG, and that he was certainly in position long enough to do something about the mess, yet he chose not to do so. Rutsey's defence of the guy was misplaced, IMO ... Brown deserved to be canned.

Well, I just found that in game I were using it as a example of a good game (that 6/45), a player has to play one quick pick for each line of own numbers, if plays that game…and also, still not sure if the game has a ball machine, and TV draws…Therefore, since I like only games with somewhat OK odds which has a good chance for making few JP winners in every draw among the other winners, ball machines , and possibly TV draws, WHERE PLAYERS can choose just own numbers, and where quick picks are just an additional option, and somewhat good ticket prices , wouldn’t ever recommend anything else to anybody…nor playing lottery at all if something similar is not available, so players can chose between various odds games and various ticket prices….

Therefore..... I kinda gotta say sorry …..

 

[roger.www]

Dunno…in my opinion Ontario has a lot of interesting lottery games, some of them are starting at 50 cents/play, some are more expensive…some games have quite OK odds for a game called lottery, like pick3, 6/45 and even keno that has 70 numbers is very interesting game especially when numbers are drawn using ball machines, aka following natural randomness….

I believe Keno Pick3, pick4
are computer generated, I am almost 100% sure they are.

 

[blitzed]

ah, perhaps they have the procedure specs somewhere on the website?

I've seen procedures outlined for other lotteries...typically 3 draw computers, swapped at random. Software burned into ROM chips so it can't be tampered with.

Usually there are 2 draw methods, 1) a random number routine, 2) an algorithm...latter of which sounds diabolical to me...it would be child's play to program in random weeks of hot digits to hose people who play probabilities. also program cold digits forced to be absent an absurd number of draws...in a pick3 game say upwards of 64 which is ridiculous...icecold digits which in effect are revenue generators as players keep bettin that icecold will finally drop.

seeya,
blitzed

 

[tomtom]

If I had a license for organizing lottery, all games would have draws with ball machines, and TV draws....would use a computer only for scratch tickets.....and, probably there are lottery corps doing it this way....