Apology from the OLG
Since
the fifth estate aired its documentary
Luck
of the Draw, a lot has
changed for Bob Edmonds. Immediately following our program, he received
a call from Duncan Brown, the CEO of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming corporation
apologizing for what had happened. Mr. Brown told Bob he was ashamed of
how his staff treated Bob Edmonds.
It was all Bob Edmonds ever wanted to hear. And remember the confidentiality
agreement Bob had to sign? Well, the OLG released him from that. Now Bob
is free to tell anyone he wants anything about his ordeal.
Bob Edmonds visits
the fifth estate after his story aired across the country.
He spoke
to
the fifth estate's Gillian Findlay and told her he was overwhelmed
by the show of support. "I wish I could explain it," he said. "I
think that the people that are watching would understand that it means
so much the whole story has been brought to light by the CBC."
Viewer response
The story touched so many Canadians, the fifth estate was inundated with
e-mails from across Canada. Some of them praised Bob as a hero and others
were emails from people sharing their own experiences and questioning whether
they had been ripped off.
OLG: NEW SECURITY MEASURES
On November 9, the OLG announced that they are implementing new security
measures to protect customers. These include:
- plans to install new electronic devices at every ticket location for
lottery players to check their own tickets
- changing the text on video screens that tells customers they've won,
making it larger and easier to read.
- retailers and clerks cannot check a lottery ticket unless the customer
has signed the back of the ticket
- investigating all insider wins of $10,000 or more
The OLG also plans to launch a campaign to educate people on how to protect
themselves against lottery fraud. Read their press
release.
New documents revealed in 2007
The CEO of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation continued to deny
the claims made by the fifth estate that Bob Edmonds' case was not an isolated
incident and that the corporation had paid millions of dollars to retailers
in suspect claims.
In a story broadcast on March 14, the fifth estate broadcast information
from documents showing that in ONE YEAR alone the OLG did just that in
five separate cases; $12.5 million in one single suspect pay-out.
On Friday, March 23, 2007, the CEO of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation,
Duncan Brown, was dismissed.
ONTARIO'S OMBUDSMAN RESPONDS
On Monday, March 26, 2007, Ontario's ombudsman, Andre Marin, presented
his
report 
of the investigation into the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
Marin said that the organization was fixated on profits rather than customer
service. Marin launched the probe into the OLG after
the
fifth estate broadcast
Luck
of the Draw in October, 2006.
EDMONDS: THE FIGHT IS OVER
On Friday March 30, the OLG finally delivered a formal apology to Bob Edmonds
for their treatment of his case. On Monday April 2, Bob Edmonds lost his
fight with cancer, before he had a chance to read the letter. Read a
news
story.
October
25, 2006