RonDBelter

SCREW JOB: when it comes to OLG lottery games, sometimes when you win you still lose…💸 I won $2,239.50 on Pick 3, but the OLG cut off all six of my calls to book a prize-claim appointment, then turned me away at the Prize Centre for not having one. Talk about "V for Vendetta"… Once again, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has demonstrated that it will even break the law when it comes to carrying out its vendetta against me. And once again, the OLG is living up to its dubious reputation as the most scandal-plagued* Crown corporation in the history of Crown corporations. And despite a revolving door of CEOs taking the helm at the OLG during the last several years, the end result is always the same: the OLG continues to behave badly. *(This is not conjecture. I refer to the shocking 2007 Ontario Ombudsman's report, "A Game of Trust". This scathing report chronicled numerous scandals and allegations of "insider wins" that the OLG was embroiled in, which were chronicled extensively in the popular press.) Here's the latest story: I was lucky enough to win a modest jackpot of precisely $2,239.50. (Don't feel envious: I'm sure I've spent far more than that sum on losing lottery tickets, proving yet again that lotteries are, in essence, an idiot tax. But I digress…) Nevertheless, I did win the Pick 3 lottery fair and square when my numbers, 4-4-2, finally came up in the proper order. That's the good news. Here's the bad news: I sought to claim my winnings. Except that the OLG would not allow me to do so. You read that correctly. And this time, the OLG did not rely on some bogus technicality to deny the claim (which it has done in the past). Rather, the OLG simply would not allow the claim to proceed from the get-go. Here's the skinny: the OLG Prize Centre is located in downtown Toronto. Prior to COVID-19, one would simply walk into the Prize Centre, fill out some paperwork, and then walk out with a cheque. Easy-peasy. Alas, the OLG is still working as if COVID is a thing (can someone kindly buy the OLG a calendar?). The formerly user-friendly OLG Prize Centre currently resembles a fortress. Windows are papered over and one must buzz security to open the always-locked sliding doors. Bizarre. What's more, the hours at the Prize Centre are dramatically reduced (the office is now only open until 4:30 p.m., a closing time that would surely make a banker blush). But most importantly when it comes to this particular story, a winning lottery ticketholder must make a pre-arranged appointment to visit the OLG Prize Centre. OK, if those are the new rules, so be it. And so it was that I called the OLG 1-800 customer service line to book an appointment. Not once. Not twice. But six times. And the outcome of every call was exactly the same: the OLG customer service rep stated that he or she had been ordered by a supervisor to terminate the call! And sure enough: CLICK! every single time. I am not making this up. In fact, I have audio recordings of these calls. And in every case, there was no reason given for terminating the call. Of note, I was never rude nor verbally abusive. I didn't even raise my voice. So, what gives? I can only speculate on the OLG's motives since no one there, including the OLG media relations flacks, will communicate with me. My hunch: it would appear that I'm on a blacklist. Why? Likely due to my news coverage over the years chronicling OLG shenanigans. Just one hitch: I'm still entitled to my winnings. Even if the OLG poohbahs are suffering from hurt feelings due to multiple P.R. black eyes, too bad. Well, too bad for me it would seem… So it was that I drove from my home in Richmond Hill to downtown Toronto to personally make a house call to the OLG Prize Centre. OK, that's not exactly the equivalent of the Shackleton expedition to Antarctica. But then again, Sir Ernest Shackleton never had to deal with the horror that is Toronto rush hour traffic, but again, I digress… What ensued next was an interaction with OLG Prize Centre staff that could've been the inspiration for a terrific sketch on Monty Python's Flying Circus. Which is to say, I was told by the Prize Centre staffers that I must prearrange an appointment to visit the OLG Prize Centre. I then informed the reps that I had been thwarted from doing so six times. Thus, I was forced to visit the OLG Prize Centre in person. And how did the OLG customer service reps respond? Like this: "Sorry, but you need a prearranged appointment first." I believe this is the very definition of a Catch-22. I also mentioned that I had an open invitation to visit the OLG Prize Centre from the OLG's lawyer, Carlos Sayao he/him. (Incidentally, given that Mr. Sayao he/him dons a full beard, has anyone ever mistaken this chap for a she/her? It's so confusing…) Alas, it was a moot point. The reps did not care. Nor were they able to squeeze in one extra appointment because… well, just because, OK? I then phoned and emailed Mr. Sayao he/him asking him to kindly plead some sense into the drones at the OLG Prize Centre. But at deadline, no response had been received from he/him. Customer. Service. Excellence. So it is that I've been backed into a corner and must file a small claims lawsuit against the OLG. Again. Notably, usually the OLG denies a prize claim from me (and others) due to some bogus reason. This has prompted me to pursue litigation in the past. Spoiler alert: in the handful of times I've taken the OLG to court, the OLG and its high-priced Bay Street lawyers have gone down to defeat. Every single time. Why? I'm no legal eagle. But it's hard to lose when you have the indisputable truth on your side. But here's the thing: the OLG surely knows it's going to lose this case as well. But it doesn't care. Rather, it is seemingly driven by an unhinged vendetta against me. And the process is the penalty, isn't it? For starters, I have to shell out $100 to file the lawsuit. And going through the courts is something of a "time vampire." It will be months before I get my hands on my winnings. But this organization simply does not care given that it is a Crown corporation and nobody is accountable. So it is that the OLG will pursue yet another no-hoper case to carry out its vendetta. Shameful. And how's this for perverse irony: the OLG justifies its state-sanctioned lottery monopoly on the premise of "social responsibility." Translation: the private sector is too irresponsible to sell this product, whereas the government is on the side of angels. Does the OLG's egregious and outrageous behaviour seem "socially responsible" to you? And does the Ministry that oversees the OLG even care? Apparently not. Time to call in the Ombudsman again it would seem… @TheMenzoid