Sault Ste. Marie resident wins $9.7 million LOTTO 6/49 jackpot

    Winner says she "Couldn't believe it!"

    SAULT STE. MARIE, ON, Oct. 21 /CNW/ - Joyce Sandvik of Sault Ste. Marie
became Northern Ontario's newest millionaire today as she claimed the
$9,702,924 LOTTO 6/49 jackpot from the October 15, 2008 draw. Joyce's big win
was celebrated at OLG's Sault Ste. Marie corporate offices at Foster Drive.
    Joyce, age 78, said she first realized that she had won the top prize
after her husband Eric checked her ticket last Thursday morning. At first, he
said to Joyce "I think you've won on five numbers," but then quickly added,
"Wait, I think you won on all six!" Joyce said that she still "Couldn't
believe it" until after retail staff at Rome's Independent Grocer validated
her winning ticket, the same location where Joyce purchased it. Joyce is a
regular LOTTO 6/49 player and always plays Quick-Picks.
    After a couple of days with family and friends to let the good news
settle in, Joyce said "I'm really happy, this is great!" Joyce and her husband
are both retired, life-long residents of Sault Ste. Marie. They have two adult
children and one grandchild. Joyce says she intends to share her good fortune
with family and will otherwise take time to think about other uses for her big
win.
    To date, Sault residents have now claimed 384 major lottery prizes worth
a combined total of more than $70 million. Ontarians continue to win often,
and win big with LOTTO 6/49. Since LOTTO 6/49 was launched in June 1982,
Ontario players have won more than $8.4 billion in prizes, including
1,130 jackpot wins.

                         Protecting Lottery Customers

    OLG has taken significant action toward protecting lottery customers from
theft and fraud. To date, the following safeguards have been put in place:

    -   The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is Ontario's
        lottery regulator. Insider and suspicious wins are investigated by
        OPP officers assigned to the AGCO. All calls regarding potential
        fraud or theft are routed directly to Investigations.

    -   Improved training and procedures for OLG investigations of prize
        claims made by the general public are now in place.

    -   It is now mandatory for customers to sign their lottery tickets. If
        tickets are not signed when validated by a retailer, the retailer
        will ask the customer to sign them. Retailers cannot validate tickets
        that are not signed. The front of lottery tickets includes a
        signature box and a message further reminding customers to sign their
        tickets. New signature lines are now beginning to appear on INSTANT
        tickets.

    -   A news release is issued for every lottery winner over $10,000 and
        the information is posted on OLG's website, OLG.ca, for approximately
        30 days. For Insider wins, described as people who have a perceived
        influence over the lottery scheme, and people who sell, redeem and
        distribute lottery products, or family members (spouse, children,
        parents, siblings as well as any other relative not described here
        who resides in the same household) of Insiders, a news release is
        also distributed and posted on the OLG website for approximately
        30 days and payment of the prize is withheld for that 30 day period
        to give anyone with concerns about the win, an opportunity to come
        forward.

    -   Ticket Checkers are available at all lottery terminal retailers for
        customers to check their own lottery tickets (all on-line games such
        as LOTTO 6/49 and SUPER 7). At present, customers cannot use the
        Ticket Checkers to check INSTANT lottery tickets (scratch and win
        games). We expect to introduce this feature later this year.

    -   The lottery terminal 'freezes' when a winning ticket worth $5,000 or
        more is validated. The freeze sends a signal to OLG data centre,
        prompting an OLG representative to immediately call the customer at
        the retail outlet to confirm the win with the retailer and the
        customer by telephone.

    -   Enhancements to the lottery terminal Customer Display Screens
        include:
        -  Whenever a ticket is checked by a retailer at a lottery terminal,
           customers will see a video message on the Customer Display Screen
           and hear a winning or non-winning jingle with a voice-over
           message. These alerts will tell you whether you have a winning
           ticket or not.
        -  Jingles and videos play for a longer time when a winning ticket is
           validated, and winning/non-winning messages appear in a larger
           print font.
        -  A new video, jingle and voice-over message plays for winning
           tickets worth $5,000 or more along with a display indicating "BIG
           WINNER".

    -   All on-line lottery tickets are branded along the front, left-hand
        side as winning or non-winning when validated through the terminal.

    -   OLG has conducted public education campaigns to remind people to sign
        and check their tickets and to call our hotline if they have any
        concerns.

    -   Our Customer Excellence Centre provides service 7 days a week, from
        6 am-2 am.

    OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games
and gaming facilities. Since 1975, OLG lotteries, Casinos, Slots, and Resort
Casinos have generated more than $23 billion for the benefit of the Province
of Ontario. Gaming proceeds support Ontario's hospitals, amateur sport,
recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority
programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities
and non-profit organizations through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

                       Know your limit, play within it!

             THE ONTARIO PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE 1-888-230-3505
                           Disponible en français

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: Media Contact: OLG Public Relations, (705)
946-6716